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Exodus Story
Contributed by East Side Jews

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

“On the last day of Passover, according to tradition, we find ourselves trapped, with the Red Sea in front of us and Pharoah’s army closing in from behind. Moses tells us, “Have no fear! Stand by and witnesses the deliverance which G-d will do for you.” And yet when all is said and done, G-d tells Moses, “Why are you calling to me? Tell the people to move forward. Lift up your staff and split the sea.” (Exodus 16:13 – 16).

Here, G-d tells us, human action is necessary. Even when we are terrified. Even when we want to just leave it all up to G-d. Even when our leaders are saying, “Trust in something else.” G-d tells us, “Yes, I will work with you, but you have to do your part.”” -TRUAH

On Passover, we wait and hope and pray for Elijah. At this specific Seder, the Meal of Moshiach, we generally would talk of the messiah coming to remove all evil from the earth. We would practice dancing and singing and embodying the type of joy and peace that we believe will come to us. But this is not the only way that we can ready ourselves for ultimate redemption. As a people of teaching and learning, full of activists and artists, workers and culture makers, innovators and strategists, plus everything in between, we operate on the principle that divine intervention cannot exist without human intervention. G-d may have split the sea, but we had to walk to it. We had a LOT of work to do and pain to endure just to get there. And, once we made it to the other side safely, and expressed all kinds of gratitude, to all kinds of forces, then we had to walk again; this time, in the desert, for 40 years. No one said redemption should be easy, or fun, or kind. If we look at history, we know any and all people who have risen up and prevailed have done it under much pain and duress. Lives have been lost and terrible sacrifices made. But imagine if our people had not walked!? To the sea? Or through the desert? Imagine if they had been too tired or too afraid. Where would we be now? When we think of honoring our ancestors, we can consider honoring their struggle with our own today. We are all connected. All generations. All struggles. We would not want to insult the efforts of those who came before us by refusing to be in the struggle today. Dancing and singing are so important, but it is just as important to actively build the world we want to dance in. 


 
haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story

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