You've all been asleep, you would not believe me
Them voices tellin' me, you will soon receive me
Standin' on the beach, the sea will part before me
Fire wheel burning in the air! -Grateful Dead, "Estimated Prophet", lyrics by John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow died earlier this year, leaving behind a legacy of political writing that shapes our freedoms in the age of the Internet.

While this song sounds a lot like Elijah, it's also a good description of Moses: the "fire wheel burning in the air" or the burning bush, the sea parting, the voices telling Moses to get the Israelites moving.

Moses was not so much a prophet as a reluctant rock star with a message about freedom. He was, in modern terms, parts Bruce Springsteen, John Perry Barlow, and Bob Dylan.


haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning
Source: David Dodd, dead.net annotation; John Perry Barlow wikipedia page; Tom Chatt; Hal Stern