“We were slaves of Pharaoh in Mitzraiyim, and the Eternal our God brought us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. If the Holy One Blessed Be He had not taken our ancestors from Mitzraiyim, even we, our children, and our children’s children might still have been enslaved to Pharaoh in Mitzraiyim.”
We read these words at each seder. This is a theme that informs the Jewish calendar and our lives as Jews. “Because of what God did for me when I was a slave in Mitzraiyim” or “”in memory of the exodus from Mitzraiyim” are the reasons for our rituals and recited in our t’fillot. Why did God redeem this generation? Why now did God hear the cries of the people? Because, in this generation individuals were willing to stand up and take the steps towards redemption. This collective memory of oppression and redemption is the formative concept for us as Jews. The Jewish year takes us through the cycle from exodus to Sinai to our wanderings in the midbar. Jewish history has reenacted the theme of oppression and redemption over and over again. As a people, this has led us to fight for freedom for ourselves and for others. Jews have been at the forefront of labour movements and the fight for civil rights, and Jews continue to devote their voices, time, and money to the fight for freedom today.
But there’s more. There is an old Jewish joke, “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.” Throughout all of history, Jews have not only fought against oppression and hatred, we have celebrated our victories. It is not the victory over others, but the victory over hatred and oppression. We celebrate because we know it could have been different. We know because we live it. We live it as a collective memory; we live it through history, and we live it each and every day.
Our seder ends with “L’shana haba’ah birushalayim.” For many, it is a time to sing “Ani Ma’amin,” I believe. I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the messiah. And even though he tarries, I still believe. In the meantime, we will keep waiting. We will keep working towards this peace, and we will keep singing and celebrating.
