A Passover Letter: From Sinai to Zion

As we prepare for this year’s Passover Seder, we reflect on the profound journey from slavery to freedom that defines our people. The Exodus story resonates deeply today as we witness the eternal struggle between darkness and light that has followed the Jewish people throughout history.

Duality and Contradictions

Duality and contradictions are found throughout the Torah, in Jewish life, and Israel’s existence as a people and a nation-state. The book of Genesis begins with chaos seeking order, attempting to create a semblance of normalcy because life is anything but normal. This fundamental tension between chaos and order mirrors the Israelites’ journey from the chaotic existence of slavery to the ordered life of freedom and covenant.

Chaos vs. Order

Like creation, on Passover we have a Seder, an “order”, of reenacting our story through experiencing the duality of slavery and freedom, celebrating good over evil, revelation versus concealment, and transformation of the Tribes of Israel to the People of Israel. We remember, we sing, and we bless as we enter a conversation with our past, inviting our children to ask “why”, the arba qushiyot, the 4 questions found in the Haggadah, anchored in: “Why is this night different from all other nights?”

This transformation from slavery to freedom was not merely a physical liberation but a spiritual metamorphosis. The children of Israel faced existential challenges in Egypt—oppression that threatened not just their bodies but their very identity. Yet from this crucible of suffering emerged a nation with purpose. The bitter herbs we taste at our Seder remind us of this suffering, while the sweet charoset symbolizes the mortar that built something enduring despite oppression.

Today, Am Yisrael, the Jewish People are asked: “What is our why?”, the answer can be found in our resilience as a people; despite the challenges we face in Israel and across the globe – We Choose Life. This choice is not passive but an active sacred commitment to persevere despite forces that have sought our destruction across millennia.

The Nation of Israel continues to embody this resilience. Like our ancestors who crossed the Red Sea into the unknown, we face modern challenges with the same determination. When Pharaoh’s army pursued our ancestors, they had nowhere to turn—yet they moved forward. This legacy of moving forward against impossible odds continues to define us as we strive to make the world better, even as dark forces seek our disposal.

Who Are We & What Are We Doing Here?

As we prepare for this year’s Passover Seder, we recall the story of Exodus; the story is simple and easy to understand, but the journey of Exodus – as in life – is complex and full of surprises. It is the complexity of life that brings us meaning, challenging us to grow through the constant questioning and grappling with identity and purpose. Perhaps on this Passover we veer off the predetermined playbook, the Haggadah, for just a bit by adding a fifth and sixth question: “who are we?” and “what are we doing here?”

These questions echo across generations, connecting us to those first Israelites who, upon gaining freedom, had to discover their collective purpose. Their journey through the wilderness—filled with doubt, complaint, and ultimately faith—reminds us that freedom is not an endpoint but a beginning. It demands responsibility and action.

As we recline at our Seder tables this year, let us remember that our freedom was earned through perseverance against existential threat. The matzah we break reminds us of both our fragility and our strength—unleavened bread that sustained a people on their journey to becoming a nation that has, against all odds, continued to thrive and contribute to humanity’s progress for thousands of years. We have much to be proud of.

May this season of liberation inspire us to continue choosing life and working toward redemption for us as individuals and a united people, and may all our brothers and sisters in captivity, experience liberation—come home now—in time for Passover.

Hag Pesach Same’ach – Happy Passover