That Feeling When You Get To Maggid

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We know how Indiana Jones feels. We've probably done this seder thing before, we've heard this story before...what could possibly be left to learn?

As Indy discovers, there's always another text to explore and interpret; even the things that we understand to be part of legend can have their roots in things that really happened, and all it takes is the openness to new adventures, asking the right questions, and wearing a good hat to shield your face from the sun, especially if you're going to the Middle East to do your research.

If we're to view Henry Jones Jr. (they named the dog Indiana) as a hero, we have to look at the whole picture.

He's a professor, so he's smart. He has the love and respect (but definitely the love) of his students. He's got friends in high places (shoutout to Marcus). And he's barely afraid of anything (except snakes, which...fair).

But he's always on the job. He doesn't take time for himself, seems oblivious to the effect he has on women, and is estranged from his similarly workaholic past-obsessed father. He doesn't always make the right choice (Marion & Indy forever),

But Indy (we call him Indy, 'cause we're tight) is heroic. He uses his smarts to get things done and he can outrun a boulder. He knows "it's not the years, it's the mileage." The fact that he makes errors in judgment — trusting Alfred Molina when he says, "throw me the idol; I'll throw you the whip" and falling for Elsa Schneider, especially since he hates Nazis — makes him human. And while he may believe that hokey religion is no match for a blaster at your side*, he has enough respect for otherworldly forces to know that when a French archeologist working for the Nazis opens the Ark of the Covenant, you close your eyes.

Here comes the story. Even if you've heard it before, give it a listen. If you want to, you can even close your eyes.

*OK, fine, so that's Han Solo. But Han Solo is who Indiana Jones would be if hadn't gotten a PhD in archeology.

[Image source: GIPHY]

haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning

Source: Esther Kustanowitz