APRIL 14 • 2022 | 43
SPIRIT
A Holiday
for the World
P
assover is the holi-
day of freedom and
national liberation of
the Jewish people. As the rabbi
of a Modern Orthodox shul,
Kehillat Etz Chayim in
Huntington Woods and
Oak Park, I get more
questions around this
time than any other hol-
iday.
They’re specifically
Jewish questions: When
can I start the seder?
Which types of coffee are
kosher for Passover? How
do I sell my chametz?
Even though freedom
and liberation are uni-
versal aspirations, on this
holiday we focus on our
own people.
We are supposed to see our-
selves as Israelites getting out of
Egypt (Bechol Dor vador) and
as Jews living through history
through God’s protection and
promise to the Jewish peo-
ple (vehi she’amda). Yes, God
redeemed our ancestors and us
as well (asher ge’alanu vega’al et
avoteinu).
Yet, in my other role, director
of the JCRC/AJC, I get to see
how profound an impact our
Jewish history of freedom in
the Torah has on the broad-
er non-Jewish world around
us. By the time Pesach rolls
around, we will have done
a Diplomatic seder with the
Diplomatic Corps of Detroit
and our interfaith partners,
a seder with Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer — with matzah ball
soup — through our Coalition
for Black and Jewish Unity; and
we even plan, in the future, to
go a Motown Seder with the
Motown Museum. In all these,
the themes of freedom, national
liberation (Zionism) and God’s
mighty salvation will resonate
far beyond just us Jews at the
seders. These are powerful uni-
versal themes.
Our Haggadah is
aware of how powerful
the themes are. After
the universal activity of
eating dinner (Shulchan
Oreich), the Haggadah
continues in a more uni-
versalistic way: God feeds
the entire world (Hazon
at Hakol); we say in grace
after meals. In the Hallel,
said after benching, not
only the Jews praise God,
but all nations (Hallelu
et HaShem Kol Goyim)
and we declare every
living soul praises God’s name
(Nishmat Kol Chai).
So, Passover really has two
aspects, two personalities. One,
internal, introspective, to get
us to search for the chametz in
our own selves, our own people
and figure out how the Jewish
people can be redeemed from
difficult times that we face. The
second is external: What we can
do as Jews to make this entire
world a better place, a place of
freedom, where people are liber-
ated and where God’s presence
is felt everywhere?
From my family to yours, I
wish you a meaningful Passover,
both internally and externally.
May we truly sing with joy,
“Next year in Jerusalem,
” in
the eternal capital of the Jewish
people and the city of peace and
hope for the entire world.
Rabbi Asher Lopatin is rabbi of
Congregation Etz Chaim in Huntington
Woods and Oak Park and the
executive director of the JCRC/AJC.
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi Asher
Lopatin
Parshat
Pesach I:
Exodus
12:21-51,
Numbers
28:16-25;
Joshua
5:2-6:1.
C
l
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c
k
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C
a
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l
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G
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v
e
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A
p
p
l
y
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