The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should learn about theholiday and its meaning. In that spirit, I humbly offer "30 Days of Liberation." For each of the 30 days prior to Passover, I offer a brief messagedrawn from the wisdom Pass
The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should learn about theholiday and its meaning. In that spirit, I humbly offer "30 Days of Liberation." For each of the 30 days prior to Passover, I offer a brief messagedrawn from the wisdom Pass
a message fromRabbi Knopf
The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should learn about the holiday and its meaning. In that spirit, I humbly offer "30 Days of Liberation." For each of the 30 days prior to Passover, I 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 25 - Did you ever notice that the dramatic climax of the Exodus story - the Splitting of the Sea - is actually unnecessary? The story could have simply ended with the Israelites leaving Egypt. What does the miracle story add, especially for those of us who are generally skeptical of miracles? Maimonides teaches that miracles aren’t suspensions or violations of natural law. Rather, they simply expand upon our definition of the possible. It was built into the sea’s nature to split; Israel just didn’t know it could until it did. In this sense, miracles happen all the time, even now. Whenever something novel happens, it’s a miracle: something that was always possible, but that we presume is impossible before it happens. Such a definition calls for awareness and humility. Just because something hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it can’t happen at all. And that’s why we need the Sea as the Exodus’ climax: Liberation requires openness to possibility.