Pesach: Matzot…Freedom…A sacrifice in the ancient Temple. All of these are part of the ancient Festival that we celebrate this week.
Judaism we know has developed over thousands of years. During those thousands of years Judaism has grown and evolved. To remain vibrant, our teachers and commentators have been willing to include a variety of narratives into the one narrative we now know as the Judaism we practice.
An example of how Judaism includes different historical streams into one unified whole can be found in the variety of names for the Chag, the festival, we know as Pesach. However, in our tradition it has four names:
1. The first name, and the one with which we are most familiar, is Chag HaPesach – the Festival of Pesach. This name is associated with the Biblical account of the 10th Plague when God “passed over” the homes of the Israelites. It also refers to the sacrificial offering brought to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. One word, Pesach, actually refers to two different events - God passing over the home of the Israelites as well as the sacrifice in the ancient Temple – both of which took place hundreds, if not thousands, of years apart.
2. The second name, which won’t be too surprising, is Chag HaMatzot – The Festival of Unleavened Bread. This name derives from the story found in the Torah that the Jews left Egypt with such haste that they had no time to allow their bread to rise. This name reflects the centrality of Matzah in the Passover Holy Day.
3. The third name is Chag HaAviv – the Spring Festival. This name reflects the seasonal significance of Pesach, evident in the greens and the egg that we find on the Seder plate, representing spring as the time of rebirth.
4. Finally, we have the name Z’man Cheiruteinu – The Season of our Freedom. This name refers to the liberation from bondage that is at the heart of our Passover story.
Each of these names appear in our modern-day Seder. Over the generations our tradition included aspects of each of these names into the Holy Day we currently celebrate. And each of these names teaches us something about how we should mark Passover in our lives.
The first name, Chag HaPesach – the Festival of Pesach, during which God passed over the homes of the Jewish slaves, eventually leading them to liberation, reminds us that this story is about taking the first step, being willing to leave the chains of bondage and head toward the unknown. It’s not an easy step. It requires bravery…bravery to leave behind the known, the comfortable, and journey into a future that is yet to be discovered. The Jews who left Egypt headed into the Sinai desert for a journey that would take 40 years. They not only witnessed God’s miracles, but they also suffered great hardship. We celebrate their bravery and look to them as role-models for us, reminding us that we should emulate their bravery as we take our first steps and journey into the future.
The second name, Chag HaMatzot – The Festival of Unleavened Bread, recalls the commandment to avoid all Chametz during the Holy Day. The very basic act of eating Matzah is actually a very spiritual commandment. We are meant to avoid all food that rises, reminding us that an enlarged, puffed up ego can enslave the soul more than any external prison. The flat nature of the Matzah we eat for the entire week is a reminder that humility is our ultimate goal.
The third name, Chag HaAviv – the Spring Festival, teaches that we Jews are eternal optimists. Springtime, with the flowers and trees blooming around us, with the green of the fields and the warmth of the sun, is a reminder that after a dark and foreboding winter, we experience a rebirth. With this rebirth comes the hope for a better future, a new and pure world.
Finally, we have the name Z’man Cheiruteinu – The Season of our Freedom. With this name we are reminded that Passover holds the promise of an ultimate liberation for all people. In Hebrew, Egypt is called Mitzrayim – the narrow place. During our Seder meal we hold the hope that we ourselves, and all people, can escape our own narrow places. We hope for a world in which the dream of freedom is realized. A world in which all people will know liberation from all forms of bondage.
The variety of names are evidence that Pesach has evolved over the time. One Chag – one Festival…four names. The names teach us that we must be willing to take the first step. The names teach us that we must subjugate our egos. The names teach us that there is hope for a better future. And the names teach us that liberation is not yet complete – not for us as individuals and not for the world at large. The story of our Israelite ancestor’s journey from liberation to freedom that we, as free people, tell as we sit around the Seder table, is a reminder to us that while freedom is not yet a reality, it remains our ultimate goal.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Donald Goor