When it comes to Passover I have always been a ‘bad Jew’. Even during my more observant years, there were many observances that seemed to go unfulfilled. From attending synagogue to ridding the apartment of leavened products, the holiday always seemed to sneak up on me and these basic tasks were put off with the hope of improving next year. Well, like many things, if you put them off they are just not going to happen.
However, I always took time
to remember the story of Passover and have taken time every year to think about
the importance of that moment in my faith. Whether you believe that it actually
happened or not it is a story that really makes you stop and think about the ‘what
if’ that could have prevented Judaism from continuing to exist. For those of
you in need of a quick refresher, here is the very condensed overview provided
by Chabad.org (Click here for the full Passover story):
After many
decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites
were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, G‑d saw the people’s distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “Send forth My
people, so that they may serve Me.” But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh
refused to heed G‑d’s command. G‑d then sent upon Egypt ten devastating
plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from their livestock to
their crops.
At the stroke of midnight of 15 Nissan in the year 2448
from creation (1313 BCE), G‑d visited the last of the ten plagues on the
Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, G‑d spared the Children
of Israel, “passing over” their homes—hence the name of
the holiday. Pharaoh’s resistance was broken, and he virtually chased his
former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact,
that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise.
Six hundred thousand adult males, plus many more women and children, left Egypt
on that day, and began the trek to Mount Sinai and their birth as G‑d’s chosen
people.
For
those of you that can’t believe such a series of events ever having occurred, I
invite you to consider the explanations presented in “The Exodus Decoded”. Simply
put, this is applying science to the story and applies many of the seemingly
unrelated events and possibilities to the Passover story. If anything, it is
something interesting to watch and will undoubtedly make you think a little
bit.
In
the end, regardless of your observance, Passover is a time to think about your
faith and also what your ancestors have done for you to ensure that you have a
place in this world and a faith to which you can hold fast. The story, the
challenges faced by Moses, and the journey that began with that sequence of
events is something that we can all apply to our own histories. This is a time
to be thankful that sometimes G-d passes over us in order to save us and the
challenges we endure will come to an end and bring us to a state of peace with
ourselves and our faith. So, take time to embrace Passover, the freedom it represents, and apply that to your life. Be thankful for
all that you have, the challenges that you have faced, and the bright future that
is always within reach.
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