The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should start learning about theholiday and its meaning. In that spirit, I humbly offer "30 Days of Liberation." For each of the next 30 days, I will offer a brief message, drawn from the wisdom Pas
The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should start learning about theholiday and its meaning. In that spirit, I humbly offer "30 Days of Liberation." For each of the next 30 days, I will offer a brief message, drawn from the wisdom Pas
a message fromRabbi Knopf
The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should start learning about the holiday and its meaning. In that spirit, I humbly offer "30 Days of Liberation." For each of the next 30 days, I will offer a brief message, drawn from the wisdom Passover imparts. I hope you find these messages meaningful and inspiring. Feel free to share/forward.
30 Days of Liberation: Day 6
Pharaoh, fearful of the growing Israelite immigrant population in Egypt, plots to subjugate them. But he knows he can't do it alone, or even with the help of the agents of the state. Rather, he knows he will need the participation of the Egyptian people. That's why he speaks directly to them about the perceived Israelite threat (1:9), fomenting their nativist resentment, signaling to them what good patriots would do. The aspiring authoritarian needs more than personal power. Even the quiet acquiescence of the moderate populace isn't enough. Authoritarians rely upon active participation from the people themselves. It is the Egyptian people, not Pharaoh or his ministers, who oppress the Israelites with taskmasters and forced labor. And it is thus the Egyptian people who had the power to prevent Pharaoh's atrocities.
Day 7
According to the Bible, the first question a human being asks of God is "Am I my brother's keeper?" God's answer is doubtlessly yes. But the definition of "brother" is possibly more debatable. Certainly, a case can be made for a literal understanding. The Exodus story, however, shatters that illusion. Redemption depends on non-Israelites standing up for them; the Egyptian midwives, Pharaoh's daughter, and Jethro all rise to protect endangered Hebrews. Liberation depends on seeing our fate as intertwined with the fate the other, having no patience for their persecution or their suffering, taking responsibility for their welfare, and standing up with and for them. My brother is everyone. I am their keeper, as they are mine.
Day 8
"A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." Many commentators wonder how it was possible for the new king not to know Joseph, the man responsible for saving Egypt from famine just a generation earlier. Perhaps it was that the new king didn't know everything about Joseph, only the bad. After all, during the famine Joseph enslaved the Egyptian people and seized their property (Gen. 47:20-21). Could it be that the oppression of the Israelites and the ultimate devastation of Egypt is a result of Pharaoh's negativity bias, a focus on the bad and a neglect of the good? Could it be that our own psychological tendency to allow negative things to outweigh the positive similarly leads us to harmful decisions?
