The Israelites and the Hebrews
The Passover Seder represents an engaging, inspiring opportunity to celebrate our people’s story of liberation from servitude in Egypt, but reconciling our people’s identity represents a task imperative to ensuring our celebrations meet their potential.
The traditional Haggadah uses only the name Israel to refer to our ancestors, but the Torah refers to our forebears by two distinct names: B’nai Yisrael—Israelites—and Ivrim—Hebrews. “Israelites” refers to the descendants of Israel, an alternative name for Jacob that he earned after struggling with a Divine messenger. “Hebrews,” meanwhile, comes from the word avar, which means “to cross over.” As such, the first use of Ivri in reference to Abraham indicates his origin—the opposite side of the Euphrates—while its usage for Joseph—and later the Israelites in the Exodus narrative—indicates their origins, on the opposite side of the Nile.
In each case, Ivrim refers to foreigners held in lower esteem than their host nation. When Moses appears to Pharaoh on behalf of Elohai ha’Ivrim—the God of the Hebrews—he’s not simply representing Israel, but rather foreigners who suffer oppression. Elohai ha’Ivrim is the God of the refugee, not the God of Israel, suggesting that the Divine promise of redemption is one that belongs to all of humanity. Meanwhile, Elohai Yisrael—the God of Israel—a title that is also used in this story, refers specifically to our people and our heritage.
As we celebrate Passover, we have the opportunity to simultaneously claim our relationship with God through our name B’nai Yisrael, enabling us to celebrate Passover as a national, religious heritage. However, we also have the opportunity to acknowledge our history as Ivrim—Hebrews—enabling us to celebrate Passover as a universal promise to all humanity.
Rabbi Josh Knobel