Rabbi Plevan questions the joy of Passover, of celebrating our liberation, at a time of turmoil and ongoing violence. He suggests that we consider what it is that makes a seder a meaningful and spiritual event. He cites Martin Buber, show said that as Jews, our very community is based on common memory, that connections generations. The transference of memory involves both continuity and change
Rabbi Lyon questions the meaning of being commanded in our time and place – we can’t hear the commandment to make Passover the same way it was heard in previous generations. He cites Rabbi Schaalman, z’l, who wrote that God’s voice can be heard as the “Commander” behind each mitzvah; “am I ready to live my life in relationship to God, in my acceptance of His being Commander and of me as His covenant partner?”
Why did God choose sacrifice as a means to an end? Rabbi Sacks cites Rabbi Joseph Albo, who raised 2 other questions: Why did God permit human beings to eat meat after the Flood, and what was wrong with Cain’s offering of “fruits of the soil”? Perhaps animal sacrifice was allowed because the world was filled with violence.
Video for The Maccabeats: Les Misérable, A Passover Story
Rachel Ain asks about whether God has ever called out to one of us, and what transpired in the interaction that was so critical. Vayikra focuses on ritual sacrifices, that were established to enable the people to connect directly with God. Yet, what happens in the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple? She cites a midrash, wherein Abraham asks the same question?
Rabbi Sacks comments on the apparent disconnect between the traditional name Vayikra, and the subject of the book. He argues that there is a deep connection. In fact, all of God’s communications to Moses begin with a call, keri’ah, unlike Bilaam, to whom God “appeared”.
Rabbi Diamond writes that rituals of closure, common in both secular and religious settings, relate to the past and to the future, creating a space in which one begins anew. When we finish a book of the Torah, we conclude with a ritual chanting of hazak hazak. This is appropriate for the completion of Shemot, which ends on a high note.
Sam Shonkoff writes about the phrase bitul Torah – cancellation of Torah; this refers to the time one spends away from study, dealing with chol, or profane (secular) issues. The concept suggests that religious life only occur with the framework of ritual. Yet, spiritual life is actually continuous; what one does during the week is as important as what one does during religious rituals.
Rabbi Sacks writes about the different words for community: edah – people who have a strong sense of collective identity; tzibbur – members have nothing in common but happen to find themselves to gather; kehillah – members gather together for a collective undertaking. It is the latter type of community that can be dangerous; a rabble or a crowd. This is what Moses sees when he descends the mountain.
