“Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am the ETERNAL. I will save you from the labors of the Egyptians and free you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the ETERNAL, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians.”
— Exodus 6:6-7
These verses from this week’s Torah portion include four promises that our Torah tells us God made to our ancestors. Having taken note of our suffering at the hands of our Egyptian oppressors, God promises to save us, free us, redeem us, and take us to be God’s special people. Centuries later, the rabbis who created the Passover Seder instructed participants to drink one cup of wine corresponding to each of the four promises. Since wine has long been a symbol of joy, it is fitting that we celebrate our redemption by raising a glass in celebration of our good fortune.
Tonight as we welcome Shabbat, billions of people around the world will be raising their glasses, celebrating the New Year. It is especially appropriate as we say farewell to 2021—a most challenging year for our entire world—to give thanks for simply being alive. We also raise our glasses in the hope that 2022 will be a better year for us all.
However one chooses to celebrate tonight and tomorrow—and above all else, please, may we do so safely and responsibly—the coincidence of New Year’s Day with the reading of those verses about deliverance invites us to reflect on the important gift of religious freedom that we enjoy in America but too often take for granted.
We were once slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now we are free to celebrate Shabbat, study Torah, and embrace Jewish life as we please. We can build synagogues and schools that ensure that the teachings and values of our Torah will endure throughout the ages.
So on this Shabbat that serves as a bridge from 2021 to 2022, I invite you to include in your celebration a commitment to ensuring that this precious gift of freedom be enjoyed not just by our people at this time, but by all peoples, everywhere, throughout time, so that no one will ever again be forced to endure the curses of oppression and bondage.
Tonight let us raise a glass of wine (or grape juice) in celebration of the freedom Shabbat symbolizes—a gift that a slave could only dream of, a day without labor, a day for learning, reflection, and rest. May 2022 be a time of freedom and redemption for all.
— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
