COMMENTARY: Passover _ God acting in human history for freedom

c. 1998 Religion News Service (Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.) UNDATED _ Once again this year, the calendar dates of Passover and Easter coincide. The first Seder, or Passover family meal, will take place on April 10, which is also Good Friday. That is not surprising, however, […]

c. 1998 Religion News Service

(Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.)

UNDATED _ Once again this year, the calendar dates of Passover and Easter coincide. The first Seder, or Passover family meal, will take place on April 10, which is also Good Friday.


That is not surprising, however, because as a Jew living in ancient Israel, Jesus made the annual Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he was arrested and then executed by the occupying Roman authorities on that long ago Friday. Sadly, Jesus was not the first Jew nor the last to be cruelly put to death by the Romans. The number of Jewish victims of Roman brutality is enormous.

The celebrations of Passover, Pesach in Hebrew, and Easter _ both festivals of rebirth and hope _ are vivid reminders of the deep Jewish roots of Christianity.

Indeed, many scholars say the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples in Jerusalem was a Seder, complete with the traditional wine and unleavened bread, or matzah. When Judaism and Christianity permanently separated from each other 1,900 years ago, the Passover wine and matzah became components of the communion service in churches throughout the world.

But the eight-day festival of Passover as recounted in the biblical book of Exodus has profoundly influenced the world in another significant way.

Pesach is the quintessential example of God acting in history as a force for human freedom.

The God of Exodus is not a divine, remote watchmaker who merely created the world and then passively let it run itself. Instead, the God of Israel hears the cries of an oppressed people and embarks upon a systematic program to secure their release from bondage. But it proved to be a difficult task, even for God.

God designated Moses as the Israelite leader who will bring the slaves out of the shadows of Egyptian bondage and into the sunlight of liberation. But before that can happen, God commanded Moses and his brother Aaron to negotiate directly with the stubborn ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh. As the plan went, the charismatic power of Moses and Aaron’s verbal eloquence were to peacefully achieve the slaves’ freedom. But despite the brothers’ best diplomatic efforts, Pharaoh would not release the Israelites, who were considered royal property.

The fruitless negotiations drug on and finally collapsed. When it was clear Pharaoh would not rescind his repressive policy, nine terrifying plagues rained down on Egypt. But still nothing changed. Only after God unleashed a lethal 10th plague _ the slaying of the Egyptian first born _ did the stubborn Pharaoh finally relent and let the Israelites leave.


No wonder the Passover story has been the inspiration for countless freedom movements, including the long struggle to end human slavery in this country. And no wonder many leaders of freedom movements have been called”Moses”by their followers. And who has not been stirred by the simple but compelling power of the biblical directive,”Let my people go.” With each passing year, I find myself more and more fascinated with the character and motives of Pharaoh.

After all, God’s indispensable and majestic role in the Passover narrative is abundantly clear, and so is that of Moses, God’s extraordinary agent of change. But what about the powerful sovereign of a mighty kingdom who was the third major player in the Passover saga? What was Pharaoh thinking as the fateful Exodus events took place? Why was the Egyptian ruler so stubborn and hard-hearted?

I wonder what kind of advice he received from his counselors? Perhaps Pharaoh’s economists told him the continued enslavement of the Israelites was necessary for the success of the Egyptian economy. Maybe his domestic advisors reminded him the possession of slaves was tangible proof of unlimited imperial power. And perhaps Pharaoh’s minister of defense urged him to retain the thousands of slaves as a possible source of soldiers for the Egyptian army.

But, of course, no matter what advice he received, the ultimate decision to refuse freedom to the Israelite slaves was Pharaoh’s. And, unfortunately, Pharaoh’s repressive actions have been repeated by many other rulers throughout history. Political leaders and despotic governments have rarely allowed slaves to gain their freedom without a bitter struggle.

In this country, it took a catastrophic four-year civil war to end slavery and even today, nearly 135 years later, the tragic legacy of slavery continues to torment America.

For the ancient Israelites, their liberation came when the God of freedom directly intervened. That is why Passover is celebrated every year with great joy.


DEA END RUDIN

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