c. 1999 Religion News Service

(Rabbi Rudin is the National Interreligious Affairs Director of the American Jewish Committee.)

UNDATED _ The eight-day Jewish festival of freedom, Passover, begins on Wednesday evening, March 31st. Passover’s central theme _ the ancient Israelites’ deliverance from slavery as described in the biblical Book of Exodus _ is widely known as is the gala Seder family meal that inaugurates the holiday.

Christians easily identify with Passover because Jesus, the faithful Jew, went to Jerusalem to celebrate his people’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Indeed, many scholars believe the”Last Supper”of Jesus and his disciples was, in fact, a Seder complete with matzah or unleavened bread and wine, both of which later became part of the Christian Eucharist.

The current film,”The Prince of Egypt,”has brought the familiar Passover story to an even larger audience, and like all great spiritual celebrations, Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, has many basic messages, not just one.

Sometimes during my family’s Seder, I focus on nature’s green rebirth that comes with the eagerly anticipated springtime. Other times I dwell on the remarkable heroism of a slave people, who despite grave uncertainty, followed Moses into the Red Sea and then suffered 40 years of wandering in the bleak wilderness before they finally reached the land of Israel. I always wonder whether I would have had the courage to leave the bitter but familiar”flesh pots”of slavery for the vague promises of freedom.

At this year’s Seder, I will zero in on the sense of shared community that is an integral part of Pesach. The entire Seder focuses on the first person plural _”we”and”us”_ and not on”I”and”me.”The hagadah, or holiday narration, and the Passover prayers stress the personal identification with the ancient Hebrew slaves of nearly 3,300 years ago.

A few examples from the Seder’s liturgy illustrate this unique aspect of Pesach. Over and over we read:”We were slaves in Egypt …”or,”God did wonderful things for usâÂ?¦”and,”It would have been enough for us”if God had performed only one wondrous deed for us instead of the many divine actions that finally brought a slave people to freedom.

We are commanded to act”as if we ourselves”and not merely the slaves of long ago were redeemed from the wicked oppressor.

This repetition is especially necessary in our modern society. After all, sitting at a festive Seder table in the United States in ease and freedom, it is easy to separate ourselves from the actual people of the biblical period who were cruelly whipped and beaten in Pharaoh’s Egypt. But the hagadah keeps repeating”we”and”us”until even the youngest child at the Seder finally gets this message: Do not be so smug and arrogant to think that the Passover story is just an ancient one with meaning solely”for them”and not”for us.” The first Passover, the Exodus from Egypt, was a vast community undertaking that involved the escape of hundreds of thousands of slaves. It would have been understandable if Moses had selfishly decided to work only for the liberation of his immediate family. The departure of Moses and his relatives might have been noticed at Pharaoh’s court, but it certainly would not have set off alarm bells nor would it have caused the mobilization of a large army to pursue the fleeing slaves to the edge of the Red Sea.

But that is precisely what so many other leaders in history have done. They always make sure their own families and friends are well taken care of and frequently neglect the rest of the people who are deemed unworthy of liberation.

But Passover is not the story of one family escaping the yoke of Pharaoh, and Moses is no elitist. Rather, he demands the physical and spiritual freedom for the entire slave population, and the Bible reports that a large”mixed multitude”accompanied Moses out of Egypt. Clearly, freedom is for everyone, and is not limited to the privileged or well-connected few.

Some people emphasize the”miracle”of the Red Sea parting for the fleeing Israelites. Others speak of the”miracle”of the Angel of Death”passing over”the slaves’ home prior to the Exodus. But, for me, the real”miracle”of Passover is the fact that an entire people moved from slavery to freedom.

The real”miracle”of Passover is that this ancient story continues to profoundly stir millions of people. And the final”miracle”of Pesach is the brilliant understanding of the universal need for human beings to belong to a shared community of faith.

DEA END RUDIN