What story do you want to tell at your seder?
The Freedom Story
Among the many Haggadot that my family has used over the years (from my childhood to the present) was one called the “Feast of Freedom.” Interspersed with the traditional text were dozens of reflective readings contemplating the meaning and value of freedom. Unfortunately, it’s out of print, but you can find other Haggadot with similar themes here.
On one level, the Passover story is a uniquely Jewish story. We tell our own tale of enslavement and liberation. Our sacred text, the Torah, incorporates the Exodus and its promise of freedom throughout. It is integrated into the mitzvot that seek to inspire us to live a virtuous and moral life. The Torah is unequivocal in emphasizing the responsibilities of Jewish freedom. Observance of moral mitzvot is often prefaced by the phrase: “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt …”
On another level, it is a universal story. Here’s a passage from one of the Haggadot of the Reform Movement that is used at Wise:
The story of the Exodus, however, is not just a Jewish story. It is a story that embodies humanity’s passion for justice and freedom. Tonight, we celebrate the efforts of all people everywhere to free themselves, and others, from oppression.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “No one is free until we are all free.” Even as we celebrate our own freedom both in this country and in our sovereign nation of Israel, we recognize that many throughout this world still yearn for the freedoms that we cherish. Of all our holidays, Passover is an opportunity to expand the Jewish vision of freedom to the entire world. What’s your story of freedom? What do you want your guests to take away from your seder when you enjoy your own feast of freedom?
Here’s an opportunity to act to secure freedom around the world with Jewish World Watch. Join us for the annual Walk to End Genocide on our Wise Walks team. Register here.
—Rabbi Ron Stern