The meaning of freedom in America today

The message of Passover has always been one of faith and hope. This wonderful holiday reminds us of our experience in which we emerged from slavery in Egypt some 3,300 years ago.

The story of the Exodus has become a symbol of determination and courage from which many oppressed people, individually and collectively, down through the centuries have drawn strength and inspiration. The meaning of Passover has become universal.

Passover is the season in the Jewish calendar when the past and the future merge. Over and over again, we live the great drama of our ancestors’ liberation from Egyptian bondage. We continually pray for freedom for all oppressed people as we give thanks for the miracles shown to our ancestors in days gone by. We pledge to dedicate ourselves to the unfinished task of redemption. By doing so, we acknowledge that the past is alive within us and that it inspires our vision for the future and strengthens our will to achieve it.

As a child and throughout my adult years, I have always loved Pesach because of its great ideals and profound values. It is such a personal holiday marked by families gathering around the Seder table replete with rituals and symbols. When we sit down at the Seder table to retell the story of the going out of Egypt and say, “In every generation, one must look upon himself/herself as if he/she had personally come out of Egypt,” I am moved and inspired. And at the same time, I am concerned about our Jewish people. What is happening to our American Jewish community? Have we used our freedom to cultivate our own resources and to emerge stronger, more knowledgeable, more responsible as Jews? Or has our freedom contributed to a downturn in Jewish life? Have we integrated “too well” into American life and lost our uniqueness as members of a historic faith?

On this Passover 5774, we need to ask ourselves how meaningful and how relevant is the message of “going out of Egypt.” We need to concern ourselves with freedom as it relates to our roles as Jews, Americans and citizens of our world. What is the meaning of freedom in America today when there is still bigotry, hatred, censorship, poverty, inequality and the denial of the rights of all people? As Jews and Americans, we must put forth effort and sacrifice to rid our world of these illnesses.

The Jewish people have lived through many perilous periods throughout our long and glorious history. We have been sustained by our faith in ourselves and in the ideals that our religion proclaims as well as by our faith in God. Passover comes with its message to look forward to the future with hope, to work for tikun olam and to fulfill our responsibilities of noble human achievement.

Pesach and the Seder are precious gifts given to us each and every year. Let us celebrate them in all their beauty with all who are precious to us. Let this time be one of renewed spirit. May each of us celebrate this festival in a truly meaningful and mutually beneficial way.

RABBI MARC S. JAGOLINZER (rabjag@earthlink.net) is the spiritual leader of Temple Shalom in Middletown, R.I., and is also the principal of the Samuel Zilman Bazarsky Religious School.