Pesach Perspectives

Introduction

"In each generation, one is obliged to see oneself as if one had come out of Egypt."

[The Pesach Haggadah]

One of the goals of Jewish education is the building and reinforcement of community awareness in the individual and the Jewish public at large.

Community awareness - the feeling of togetherness and sharing a destiny - is acquired both through learning about community memories [history] and by actual sharing of experiences [communal life and observance of Jewish precepts & traditions].

The Exodus from Egypt was the first shared Jewish experience as a community.

It created such a tremendous impact in the national consciousness that it is mentioned 160 times in the Bible. There are 67 mitzvot asse ve-al ta'asse [positive and negative precepts] associated with commemorating the Exodus [1/9 of all the 613 mitzvot] - which further demonstrates the festival's central importance in Jewish consciousness.

The Festival of Pesach is, in fact, the birth date of the People of Israel and, as such, bears not only a religious but also a national significance. Partaking of the Paschal sacrifice was forbidden not only to the non-Jew, but also to the lone Jew. This was a group event, with a strong emphasis on togetherness and community.

The Seder night has become the vehicle for conveying memories of experiences from one generation to the next. Through the story of the Exodus, and especially the Seder, we can recreate the experience of the Exodus from Egypt and the transformation of the People of Israel into a people, which is why the Pesach Haggadah reiterates that in every generation, one is obliged to see oneself as if one had come out of Egypt oneself. In this manner, the mitzvah of "And you shall tell it to your children" transcends religious ritual to become a pillar of support in strengthening the individual and community consciousness of every Jew.

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