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
i
c
k
.
 
C
a
l
l
.
 
G
i
v
e
.
 
A
p
p
l
y
.

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