A PASSOVER MESSAGE FROM RABBI SHALOM BOCHNER
Here is an excerpt from the Yizkor Book of Jedwabne, Poland, written by Rabbi Chaim Yitzchak Greengrass. It describes how Jews imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau managed to conduct a Seder in 1943:
“The celebration of this Seder night left imprints on my soul. Now, when I perform the Passover service, I understand the meaning of the statement that each (person) in every generation is obliged to consider himself as if (they) personally was redeemed from slavery into freedom. Passover of 1943 was an experience that I shall remember always. The observance of it took place at Birkenau near Auschwitz, one of the greatest annihilation camps, built by slaves to exterminate themselves and the innocent people that would follow. Planning and preparations started right after Purim. There were many things to be taken care of. The main problem was how to get the two most necessary items, matzoh and wine, for the Seder.”
This passage points to one of the most significant features of the Passover Seder: that we are to celebrate our freedom and our deliverance, at that same exact time that we are to commemorate our enslavement. The Seder recalls and re-creates the night of the 10th plague, when death passed over over us, and our festival that marks the exodus from the narrows, Mitzrayim, is an observance of the bitterness of slavery. We are to be both happy freed former-slaves, and those still embittered by persecution, at the same time. We are to rejoice and praise God for being brought out of Egypt while we re-enact still being in Egypt. We eat matzah: the bread of freedom that represents the speed that our ancestors left their oppression, and we eat matzah: what the Haggadah and the Torah describe as the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate at slaves. We start our meal with the fresh greens of spring representing new life, new beginnings as we celebrate our people’s birthday and look to the future, and we dip these greens in salt water representing our tears as we look back to the great sadness that we experienced. The Seder begins with an invitation to all who are hungry for food and human connection, and this invitation then states that we are still slaves, and next year may we be free. As the story of a Seder in Birkenau reminds us: we are to rejoice for we have left the narrows, while we are still in the narrows. We are to do both at the same time.
Passover is not an easy holiday, and Judaism is not a simple faith. The rituals of this evening force us to confront upsetting realities and contradictions. And this year of having a Seder while we are sheltering in place with a pandemic all around, we actually understand what it means to live with unsettling situations and face this challenge with opposing truths:
We are anxious and scared, yet we know that we must remain calm.
We are physically distanced, yet we need social connections and spiritual community more than ever.
We are confined to our homes, yet we are a part of a problem the entire world faces together.
Let us not ignore or suppress these contradictions, let us embrace them. Let us see them as what they are: a reminder of our ancient Jewish wisdom. We are to live our lives with appreciation for what we have, by being present with whatever the universe sends our way, by acting from a place of compassion for others and not selfishness, and we are to see the Oneness and the hope and the ability to move forward, no matter how constricting the path ahead appears. This is what it means to celebrate Passover; this is what it has always meant to live as a Jew.
Tonight, as we each sit down at separate tables, may we feel the connections to each other like never before. This holiday, as we set before us simple unleavened bread, let us notice how much we truly have in this world of plenty. This year, when this holiday night feels so different from all others, please see how much is the same and unchanged. And right now, as we exist in a narrow place unlike any that we have ever witnessed before, let us also see the expansiveness, the creative possibilities, and the love that is very present in this moment.
Let us be joyful, we are survivors, and we are here. Let us praise God for all that we have been given. And let us yearn for and work even harder for a better tomorrow where all can share Passover and a peaceful, safe and healthy world together.
Wishing you a joyful and meaningful Passover holiday!
“The celebration of this Seder night left imprints on my soul. Now, when I perform the Passover service, I understand the meaning of the statement that each (person) in every generation is obliged to consider himself as if (they) personally was redeemed from slavery into freedom. Passover of 1943 was an experience that I shall remember always. The observance of it took place at Birkenau near Auschwitz, one of the greatest annihilation camps, built by slaves to exterminate themselves and the innocent people that would follow. Planning and preparations started right after Purim. There were many things to be taken care of. The main problem was how to get the two most necessary items, matzoh and wine, for the Seder.”
This passage points to one of the most significant features of the Passover Seder: that we are to celebrate our freedom and our deliverance, at that same exact time that we are to commemorate our enslavement. The Seder recalls and re-creates the night of the 10th plague, when death passed over over us, and our festival that marks the exodus from the narrows, Mitzrayim, is an observance of the bitterness of slavery. We are to be both happy freed former-slaves, and those still embittered by persecution, at the same time. We are to rejoice and praise God for being brought out of Egypt while we re-enact still being in Egypt. We eat matzah: the bread of freedom that represents the speed that our ancestors left their oppression, and we eat matzah: what the Haggadah and the Torah describe as the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate at slaves. We start our meal with the fresh greens of spring representing new life, new beginnings as we celebrate our people’s birthday and look to the future, and we dip these greens in salt water representing our tears as we look back to the great sadness that we experienced. The Seder begins with an invitation to all who are hungry for food and human connection, and this invitation then states that we are still slaves, and next year may we be free. As the story of a Seder in Birkenau reminds us: we are to rejoice for we have left the narrows, while we are still in the narrows. We are to do both at the same time.
Passover is not an easy holiday, and Judaism is not a simple faith. The rituals of this evening force us to confront upsetting realities and contradictions. And this year of having a Seder while we are sheltering in place with a pandemic all around, we actually understand what it means to live with unsettling situations and face this challenge with opposing truths:
We are anxious and scared, yet we know that we must remain calm.
We are physically distanced, yet we need social connections and spiritual community more than ever.
We are confined to our homes, yet we are a part of a problem the entire world faces together.
Let us not ignore or suppress these contradictions, let us embrace them. Let us see them as what they are: a reminder of our ancient Jewish wisdom. We are to live our lives with appreciation for what we have, by being present with whatever the universe sends our way, by acting from a place of compassion for others and not selfishness, and we are to see the Oneness and the hope and the ability to move forward, no matter how constricting the path ahead appears. This is what it means to celebrate Passover; this is what it has always meant to live as a Jew.
Tonight, as we each sit down at separate tables, may we feel the connections to each other like never before. This holiday, as we set before us simple unleavened bread, let us notice how much we truly have in this world of plenty. This year, when this holiday night feels so different from all others, please see how much is the same and unchanged. And right now, as we exist in a narrow place unlike any that we have ever witnessed before, let us also see the expansiveness, the creative possibilities, and the love that is very present in this moment.
Let us be joyful, we are survivors, and we are here. Let us praise God for all that we have been given. And let us yearn for and work even harder for a better tomorrow where all can share Passover and a peaceful, safe and healthy world together.
Wishing you a joyful and meaningful Passover holiday!
Photo taken by Alex Photo email: photo.modesto@gmail.com