Maggid - The Beginning

Pour the second glass of wine for everyone.

The Haggadah doesn’t tell the story of Passover in a linear fashion. We don’t hear of Moses being found by the daughter of Pharaoh – actually, we don’t hear much of Moses at all. Instead, we get an impressionistic collection of songs, images, and stories of both the Exodus from Egypt and from Passover celebrations through the centuries. Some say that minimizing the role of Moses keeps us focused on the miracles God performed for us. Others insist that we keep the focus on the role that every member of the community has in bringing about positive change.

Can we believe in a God who keeps promises?

I think I understand why many Jews are reluctant to speak of God. At best, that hesitation stems from our ancient respect for the One who grounds all reality and constitutes its stands and goal ... to link ourselves with that biblical God seems to mean allowing an all-dominating ruler into our lives. Such a God threatens to destroy what we have so clearly and importantly gained in modern times, the right to think and decide for ourselves, thus attaining true personal dignity.

Yet newly understanding our humanity also can give us fresh insight into the One in whose image we are created with whom we stand in covenant as co-creators ... We can see that our God is One unique sovereign of the universe; only a god whose stature could be seriously threatened, only one who was insecure, would find such partnership intolerable. This mature God gives our humanhood its unalienable dignity by calling us to intimate partnership despite our frailties and by refusing to give up on us despite our abused of the freedom granted us.


haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning
Source: Eugene B Borowitz and JewishBoston.com