The Haggadah tells us: In every generation a person is obligated to regard themself as if they had come out of Egypt. 

The pharaohs of this world rule by erasing what makes us special and distinct.  They wish to forget and they wish for us to forget. It is easier to rule a people that can be told who they are, as opposed to a people that know who they are. 

Pharoah forgot Joseph and his people.

God forgot Joseph and his people.

And the people forgot they could get free.

Until, one night, with thousands of mighty outstretched hands, they painted their doors red with blood. They reminded themselves of who they were and what their bodies could do. They made a scene. They marked their homes as places of rebellion, households that stood against Pharaoh. Places where a story of freedom could be told. And in the morning, with Egypt rocked to its core, the people marched out towards the sea.

The pharaohs have tried to erase the memories and traditions of the people. Our people have persisted.  We have held onto our Jewish identities, cultural memories, and practices for millenia. In this way, remembering is resistance. It is important that we claim our identity before somebody else, some pharaoh, claims it for us. A people must make themselves remember. The way forward for a people is to imagine and plan for a future that might not be possible.


 


haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning
Source: Maggid_JVP