1) Passover – Freedom?
The world has co opted the passover to make narratives about freedom. It's possible that simplistic understanding – as all simplistic understanding, is actually unhelpful. What does freedom mean?
It shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. (Exodus 12:26-27)
The Jerusalem Post had an Op Ed
Why does this Passover seem different from all other Passovers?
Our enemies rose against us. These were not lessons learned from a text. They were lived.
Jamie Geller wrote Our sages teach that each of us must view ourselves as personally going through the process of redemption. And in each generation, our enemies rise against us. These were not lessons learned from a text. They were lived.
This point is very valid. Then unfortunately she adds..
fighter jets overhead, air-raid sirens, ambulances racing past. These are not abstract sounds of war. They are the active, costly, daily work of ensuring that the freedom our people just fought to reclaim will endure. The lesson of these past few years is that freedom is never simply given. It is guarded.
But this is American thinking; this is Anglo thinking. If there isn't an Anglo memorial to war that doesn't says the same, that they fought for freedom. What is freedom? It's not simply given, yes. To have a land to serve God in, was and is a miracle. Serving God is a remarkable type of 'freedom', but not as we would understand it – in English.
Anglo ideals of freedom come from a position born out of bloodshed in an utterly doctrinally fractured Christianity where dissent became allowed, to serve God in any way a person chooses or even reject God totally. The Israelites left bondage to paganism in Egypt to keep Yahweh Elohim's law in the land of their fathers. “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations,” (Deut 4:6). When the land is defiled by the 'freedom' of the people it rejected the Inhabitants and became desolate (Lev 18:25)
Now consider; if you go into shelters marked in blood of the innocent and some Miraculous Force protects your life as those sons die of those who made you servants on their tasks – then you live the Exodus.
For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (Exodus 12:23)
There is a pattern. But what was to be remembered? Freedom? No,
Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. (Deu 16:3)
They were to remember the day they came out of Egypt. On that day they ate a lamb, put blood on the door posts and the firstborn sons of the Egyptians all died. What bread? - the bread of affliction. Not the bread of freedom.
The translators long ago took the word 'servant' and used 'bondman'
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day. (Deuteronomy 15:15)
Six times in the King James, 'servant' is translated 'bondman' exactly. Six is the number of man. They were servants in Egypt. You could say slaves in Egypt. Slaves were the world's labour, still are in some parts. But Hebrew has a word for free – meaning 'exempt' from bondage taxation. Israel was not made free. The highest honour was that Moses was the servant, the slave, of God.
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. (Numbers 12:7)
What was to be remembered, if not freedom?
And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. (Exodus 13:14-15)
They were to remember redemption. Redemption is by the next of kin to buy back, ransom, avenge and deliver. It is a kind of freedom perhaps, but it not a useful word, as that 'freedom' is to be a people of God. To be God's slaves is one way of looking at it, not in Egypt, but in the land promised to their Fathers.
The end of the matter, and why things are different, is now more than half of all Jews celebrate Pesach in Hebrew, in the land of their Fathers, and that was the matter fundamentally of dispute in the war with Iran and its proxies.
The land, the heritage of Jews.. no, let's understand this now, this year, the land the heritage of Israelis. The Sages, if they were alive, may well have to rewrite things. Carefully read; it was never about freedom, but going to the land promised to the Fathers, who were, and are still dead.
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. (Exodus 6:6-8)
When will the lamb slain benefit, finally? When does the 'process of redemption' end?
When Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are resurrected to possess that land everyone's been arguing about for 3,000 years! When every Jew who saw this redemption is resurrected to finally live it.
That's a freedom, if you like – freedom forever from dying!
These last years, by every means possible, including mere words, missiles were thrown at Israel to remove them from the land of their heritage. But Israel now appears stronger. The greatest truth of Pesach thsi year is that nothing is gained without bloodshed, that redemption is in bloodshed.
Each year Israel was to remember redemption by bloodshed, but not 'freedom' – whatever that means.
