At the Passover Seder, Jewish people take the time to pause and recall how they began, and offer gratitude for how far they have come.
Tonight, Jews the world over will begin celebrating the holiday of Passover. It will mark 3,323 years since the Hebrews were miraculously saved from the shackles of slavery in Egypt.
The Passover Seder, i.e. the celebratory Passover meal, cherished by Jews of all backgrounds, is observed much like a personal family miracle—a "thanksgiving"—from year to year. Tonight, Jewish people will take the time to pause and recall how they began, and offer gratitude for how far they have come.
The exodus from Egypt is when we became a free nation under G-d. It is difficult to imagine what our people—and the world—would be like, if Passover did not occur. With this in mind, we have a Seder with family and friends to celebrate the continuous journey of becoming a free people.
As part of the Seder, we eat a special food called matzah. It is made from flower and water, and baked with a strong heat in haste, to ensure that the dough does not rise. Matzah is also called “the bread of humility,” since it is a humble version of regular bread.
This is the bread that our forefathers left Egypt with. When we eat the matzah, we connect with the journey of our ancestors at the time of the exodus. We remind ourselves how, in our own personal way, our resistance to learn and grow is our modern-day personal slavery. We strive to be freed from these limitations. Our ancestors demonstrated that true freedom is achieved through a profound sense of humility and gratitude. The matzah, the bread of humility, is the reminder they left for us.
The Passover season carries with it the spirit of liberation. We pray that our world be liberated from any and all “slave mentality,” i.e. primitive thinking patterns that hold our world back from achieving its ultimate potential.
At this special time, we pray for a world filled with light and true love, and void of any strife or hatred. May the light of Passover shine forever. Happy Passsover!
Levi Cunin is the rabbi at Chabad of Malibu.