I don’t know about you, but in my family, it was always a struggle to get the kids to sit still through a meaningful seder, but I wanted to teach them the central message – that “In every generation we are obligated to see ourselves as though we personally had escaped from slavery in Egypt.” What better way, I thought, than to create a skit in which the whole family would act out the roles of Moses, Miriam, Aaron, Pharaoh, the midwives, Yocheved and Pharaoh’s daughter, each having a role in the liberation.
I always found great meaning in relating the struggle of the ancient Israelites for freedom to the plight of those who are oppressed in the world today, and it was heartening to find a way to bring that message home for my young children.
Now that they (and I, to an extent) are grown up, I am still looking for creative ways to transmit that message. And so, it was such a pleasure to participate in CCM’s Pre-Pesach series “Out of Mitzrayim Toward the Joy of Responsibility,” and to apply a Mussar lens to the Pesach story of redemption.
As Rabbi Richard Camras taught us in Session 2, the message of B’chol dor v’dor (In Every Generation) is all about seeing; we are not just to see ourselves as having escaped from slavery, but to truly see others in all of their burden and move from slavery/self-absorption to freedom/service of the other. The Seder is another tool in our Mussar toolkit to help us to stay awake to our responsibility to the others in our lives, from our closest others to those who cry to us from afar, and to remain conscious of our obligation – and power – to act as an agent of redemption.
I want to express my profound appreciation to all those who made this workshop series a success, from our presenters, to our team behind the scenes (Isha and Josh) and to all of our participants who asked great questions. Thank you also to all who donated so that we may continue to provide meaningful educational offerings. If you have not yet done so, please complete the survey about the Pesach series, as your feedback is so important to improving our program.
I hope this Pesach was a source of joy, inspiration and transformation for you.
