Every year we sit down for the Passover seder to commemorate our Exodus from Egypt. While we were fortunate to have this opportunity, even if it was after many years, there are still those in the world that have not yet had their exodus from oppression. Many people are underpaid and work under inhumane conditions. As we sit here tonight, let us reflect on how we may provide those in need with their exodus, just as God did when we were slaves in Egypt.

The emotions of this entire, traumatic, and unprecedented time that we’re all experiencing during this pandemic, are not necessarily so different from the experiences of our ancestors at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. When the ancient Israelites sat quarantined inside their homes, around their dinner tables, on the eve of their redemption, they too were scared and anxious about what was occurring outside, and about what the future would bring. They didn’t have the answers at hand so they turned to their new traditions and faith in God. They ate symbolic foods, they recited meaningful words, and were surrounded by the people they loved most. The Passover seder as we know it today, was created as an improvisational tool to help us fulfill our obligation to literally “feel as if we too had left Egypt.”

The Seder helps us link ourselves to the chain of our people, a chain that has survived for thousands of years. Reframing the situation this way can help us find strength and hope.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
We are living through some dark times, and there is much uncertainty. How we navigate this experience is up to each of us. How we think about our current reality is our decision. Despite the unknowns, we can choose to fill our minds with hopeful thoughts, or we can choose to fill our mind with negativity and fear. We can choose to focus on what we do have, or we can choose to give attention to what we do not have. We can wake each morning and count our blessings, or we can begin our days in angst and anxiety. We are not able to change the fact that we are living in a pandemic, but we can change how we relate to it, how we experience it and what we feed our minds.


haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story