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Pesach – Zman Cherutenu- The Time of Our Freedom - Nati Recht

Contributed by Susi Fadlalla

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In every Tefilah of Pesach we refer to the holiday not just as Pesach or Chag 

Ha’Matzot (Festival of Matzot) but also as Chag Cherutenu, the festival of our 

freedom. We have been redeemed from a house of slavery after years of living 

without freedom. Every year we mark this moment by sitting together and 

recounting the story of the Exodus. We teach our children the history of our people 

so they will do the same to the next generation. 

In Igeret 378 (Letter 378) in the book Igrot Hareaya Rav Kook writes:

“Every time shines with its own uniqueness”.

Rav Kook taught us that every period of the year has its own defining 

characteristics, and because of that, similar things happen in those days again and 

again throughout history. The Second Beit Mikdash, for example, was destroyed 

on the same day as the first one, since the beginning of the month of Av is a time 

of destruction. The Talmud teaches us that five tragic historical events happened 

 of Av. Five events also happened on the 17th

on the 9th

for example, is a time a year when judgment is revealed in the world. The historical 

events that happen on those days are not mere coincidence, but happen because of 

the attributes of the days.

The attribute of the days of Pesach is the Cherut, freedom. And because of that 

we have been redeemed on those days. However, the Exodus wasn’t the only 

expression of freedom that was revealed at the time of Pesach. In two other periods 

in the history the Jewish people have expressed their freedom. Each one of them 

represents different type of freedom. 

In 70 C.E, many years after the Exodus, the last fighters who survived the massacre 

of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple gathered in 

the last stronghold in Eretz Yisrael for their last battle. They were the people of 

Masada. Men, women and children who tried to live a normal Jewish life at the top 

of the fortress were busy developing agriculture, practicing Judaism, and learning 

Torah. However, at the same time they had to prepare themselves for the Roman 

attack. The Romans who decided to destroy all Jewish resistance in the captured 

land of Israel arrived to Masada with numerous amounts of soldiers and sieged 

the Jewish rebels. The Romans built a ramp to enable them to reach the walls of 

Masada. When the ramp and battering ram were ready, the Romans began their 

attack. On the night of the 15th

walls and were ready to conquer the fortress. The rebels led by Elazar Ben Yair had 

one last night to decide what to do. 

According to the historian Josephus (the only historian who wrote about Masada) 

Elazar gathered all his people and said:

"Since we, long ago, my generous friends, resolved never to be 

servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God himself, who 

alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come 

that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice...”

But the people were hesitating it was a hard decision to make. Elazar Ben Yair 

continued: 

 of Nissan, the night of Pesach, the Romans broke the 

“Let our wives die before they are abused, and our children before 

they have tasted of slavery; and after we have slain them, let 

us bestow that glorious benefit upon one another mutually, and 

preserve ourselves in freedom, as an excellent funeral monument 

for us. But first let us destroy our money and the fortress by fire; 

for I am well assured that this will be a great grief to the Romans, 

that they shall not be able to seize upon our bodies, and shall fall 

of our wealth also; and let us spare nothing but our provisions; 

for they will be a testimonial when we are dead that we were not 

subdued for want of necessaries, but that, according to our original 

resolution, we have preferred death before slavery." 

The rebels agreed eventually with Elazar Ben Yair and decided that they would 

choose mass suicide.

They made a tough decision: to die, but as free people. According to Josephus they 

all committed suicide and when their bodies were discovered, the Romans found 

that they were unable to ignore the feelings of respect for the Jews’ heroic deaths 

and their choice to remain free. On the night of Pesach the rebels of Masada chose, 

and their won freedom.

Since then, the years passed and the Jewish people experienced a long exile. When 

the voices of returning to Israel began to spread over the world, the Jewish people in 

Europe faced the worst consequence of the exile- The holocaust. 

When the Jews of Warsaw realised that there was no hope, and the Nazis insisted 

on sending all the Jews to the death camp Treblinka, an uprising broke out. The first 

act took place in January 1943. The Nazis were shocked and stopped the transports 

to Treblinka. The Jewish Combat Organization than published a proclamation: 

"... The Nazi murderers want us alive to take advantage of our 

strength for labor until the last drop of blood and sweat... we are 

slaves, avadim anachnu. When we are no longer useful; they will 

kill us. We should understand that and never forget it... 

Jewish People: the moment is coming; you should be prepared to 

oppose them and not give yourselves up like lambs to the slaughter. 

Not one Jew to the train car! Those who can’t oppose them 

actively, hide yourselves... 

From this hour forward our slogan shall be: Be ready to die as 

human beings!!!"

On the 19th

uprising and find every single Jew. It was Erev Pesach 5703. Few days later the 

commander of the Warsaw uprising, Mordechai Anielewicz, wrote to his deputy, 

Yitzchak Zuckerman:

 of April 1943 Nazis forces entered the Ghetto aiming to break the 

“I have no words to express my sentiments: something has 

happened which goes beyond our wildest dreams: the Germans 

fled twice from the Ghetto. One of our groups held its position for 

forty minutes and there was another which resisted for six hours. 

For thirteen days the ghetto has been in flames. After last night 

we are passing over to guerrilla warfare. You must realize that a 

revolver has no value; we need grenades, rifles, machine guns and 

explosives. 

I cannot describe to you the conditions in which we find ourselves. 

Only a very few will survive: all the rest must succumb, early or 

late. Our destiny is already sealed. In all the refuges where our 

companions are to be found, it is not possible to light a candle by 

night because of the lack of oxygen. 

I bid you farewell, my dear. My last wish is fulfilled. I came to see 

the Jewish defence of the ghetto, in all its glory and grandeur." 

Mordechai was killed together with most of his fighters in the uprising, but a new 

type of freedom had been revealed; the freedom to choose how to die. The last 

fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto chose not to be sent to their death but to fight. In the 

last few weeks of their life they were free people who caused fear among the Nazis. 

They were free to choose and free to fight for Jewish pride. Their story and their 

personalities have become legend and a symbol of a Jewish stand. 

Three times in the course of history freedom has been revealed on the days of 

Pesach: In Egypt, on the top of the fortress of Masada, and in the streets and the 

bunkers of the Warsaw Ghetto. 

May the days of Pesach be days of freedom to all the people all over the world.

Nati 
haggadah Section: Introduction

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