Apr 15 2008
In traditional homes the day before Pesach is one of intense activity marking the culmination of three different processes. On the 14th of Nissan, the day before Pesach, we cease to eat hametz following weeks of house cleaning, we complete our educational preparations for relating the Haggadah to our children and in addition we complete our culinary preparations for the seder plate and meal. (In reflecting upon this third process, the Pesach meal, it is important that we are cognizant that this meal is a mere “shadow” of the meal that took place in Temple times. During that period preparations occurred well in advance. The Pascal lamb was chosen ahead of time and designated for eating by a defined group of families. The lamb was slaughtered on the 14th of Nissan and eaten barbecued that evening at the seder meal by the chosen community).All three above mentioned processes require an investment of time and dedication and their coming together simultaneously requires an explanation.
Pesach marks the birth of the Jewish people. We entered Egypt as the children of Jacob and with the Exodus we became the people of Israel. Thus our celebration of Pesach is a celebration of Jewish peoplehood and serves to strengthen our bonds of Jewish nationhood. Within this context it is possible to understand the logic of the demands and challenges we face as we enter the seder night. All three challenges educationally are crucial for developing the notion of peoplehood.
In analyzing these three endeavors we find that each one falls into a different domain. The cessation of eating and enjoying hametz is strictly personal. It relates only to the individual and not to his/her immediate surroundings. A Jew is permitted to physically be in an area where hametz is found provided that the hametz does not belong to him/her. The nature of this endeavor is poignant not only in a historical context which calls us to remember the hasty escape from Egypt but in a contemporary one as well. The cessation of eating hametz on Pesach calls for a practice of restraint on the highest level. Hametz is part of the daily diet and is the basis of multiple foods. In requiring that the Jew refrains from eating hametz the Torah is calling for a radical change of ones daily eating routine. Practice of restraint has evolved as an important focus in the western world in which overindulgence has become part of living. Physical overindulgence has negative implications for health and regretfully it is but only one aspect of this contemporary phenomenon that has moral implications as well. In this context the importance of the practice of self-restraint by the Jew is strategically important for the future of the Jewish people. A strong Jewish peoplehood requires a healthy core of individuals who are able to impose upon themselves limits and thereby increase their moral stature.
The mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus to one’s children falls within the family domain. This mitzvah is family focused and is essentially an intergenerational experience. In order for a parent to be an effective educator s/he has to be a role model. Furthermore s/he has to have the ability to listen and communicate. The future generations will follow their parents lead if they are taught with passion and sincerity and thus the strategic importance of this endeavor for the future of the Jewish people. Parents who are able to master the art of education during Pesach will succeed in doing so the whole year round. No wonder this endeavor is so important for Jewish peoplehood!
The mitzvah of the eating of the Pascal lamb is performed in the community domain. Since most families cannot consume a lamb on their own, they are forced to eat together with their neighbors and larger community. This annual community neighbor event was strategically important for strengthening Jewish peoplehood. A strong Jewish people requires strong Jewish communities that bond the families to ensure they do not live an isolated existence. Thus we appreciate the importance of this community focus that takes place on the 14th of Nissan and on the night of the seder.
In the “free world” Jewish peoplehood requires a high level of strengthening. With assimilation so rampant the future of the Jewish people will depend totally on a commitment from three critical domains – personal, familial and community. From this perspective the intense activity the multiple demands made on the Jew on the day before Pesach and the seder can be understood. Only total mastery of all three domains will ensure our ultimate survival as a Jewish people.
