Pesach has always been my favorite holiday. As a kid, I mostly liked the charoset and matzah ball soup and the story of baby Moses. As I got older, I still liked these aspects but I also came to appreciate the story for what I consider its deep-rooted Jewish values- those of justice, standing up to evil, and resilience or growing stronger after hardship. I think it is these values that make the story timeless, and one that I want to hear again year after year.

It is unfortunately a story that has repeated itself in history. We suffered from slavery in Egypt, we suffered under Greek, Roman, Babylonian, and Assyrian conquests, we suffered from Anti-Semitism and violence in Eastern Europe. While we are now enjoying more freedom and rights than our ancestors ever did, it is important to remember that there are people still suffering from slavery and violence- refugees at the border seeking a better home, womxn around the world who are treated as second-class citizens, impovershed peoples who lack access to basic goods. Our history has made it clear to us our role as Jews: we must stand up to injustice and demand that pharaoh set us free.

I think Moses teaches us these lessons. He grew up in the Pharaoh's palace, he benefited from the work of the Israelite slaves. When he found out he was Jewish he could have ignored it and continued to enjoy being royal. But he didn't. He sided with the Jews, turning his back on Pharaoh and the luxury he was raised with. I see it like this today: we are so privileged in American society and want for nothing, but not everyone has the fortune we have. Like Moses, we have to stand up against the systems that privilege us and side with those who need the most help and lack the power. That said, it is difficult. Even Moses ran away after killing an Egyptian and became a shephard. But he still came back to the land of Egypt and demanded that Pharaoh "let my people go." He recognized that he could never truly be free until all of us are free.

Let's carry this notion with us beyond the seder. Now we can relax, rejoice, and celebrate our freedom but the seder is also a call to justice- you are never truly free while others are enslaved. It is this balance we seek: to be celebrate our freedom and liberation while actively opposing systems that enslave others. To be Jewish is to straddle this balance.


haggadah Section: Introduction