Rabbi Levi Cunin reminds readers of the meaning of Passover.
When I awake in the morning and I am once again blessed to gaze upon the magnificent waters of the Pacific Ocean, it is difficult to imagine what life was like as a slave.
As slaves, we were deprived of choice. We lost touch with our inner-self and became dependent on others. We were conditioned to believe that we could never be as good as our “masters.” We were pressed by our masters who acted against any moral code and gave no value to our human dignity. We had no rights. Our Egyptian masters could abuse us, belittle us in a public setting, even in front of our children, and all we could do was acquiesce, lest our master become even angry and beat us to a pulp.
Perhaps the deepest part of our slavery -- of any slavery -- is when the "slaves" began to believe the masters, that we were worthless and that we should stop dreaming stupid thoughts like “freedom.”
And tonight, for the 3,324th time, we will give thanks to the Maker of all things, for reaching deep into the Egyptian reality and taking us, the Hebrews, a nation of slaves, into enlightenment at Mt. Sinai.
During Passover, we visit the areas in our lives where we forgot what it meant to be free. We must overcome our impulses, even our addictions, that become a kind of “slavery” that holds us back.
Tonight, the first night of Passover we pray for all of humanity to be able to sing in unison, free at last, free at last, we thank G-d Almighty we are free at last.
Learn more about Passover here.
Happy Passover!