Monday night bore witness to Jews worldwide partaking in the Seder, a customary Passover ceremony and meal that commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. It ranks among the most widely observed traditions across the Jewish spectrum. In Israel, an impressive 97% of Jews partake in the Seder, including 93% of those identifying as secular. The US sees 62% of Jews participating, outpacing the 46% who fast on Yom Kippur.
What is it about the Seder that attracts such high rates of participation? Even after more than 3,000 years, the celebration of freedom continues to inspire. Centuries of enslavement and oppression in Egypt preceded the Jewish nation’s departure, a shift from suffering to autonomy, one of the most fundamental necessities for personal and collective fulfillment. The Jewish experience as slaves has profoundly shaped their culture and practices to this day.
The Torah repeatedly invokes the Israelites’ experience in Egypt to command acts of kindness toward others, especially those less fortunate. “And you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, since you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” is just one example from Exodus 23:9. The Jewish advocacy for equality and justice traces its roots to the nation’s enslavement in ancient Egypt.
Beyond the Seder’s timeless values, its enduring magic lies in its ability to convey messages that remain strikingly relevant despite changing circumstances for Jews across generations. “In each generation,” Jews recite at the Seder, “a person is obligated to see themselves as if they came out of Egypt.” This year, two parts of the Seder will stand out for their poignant and timely resonance.
One is the text of vehi she’amda, recited and often sung at the Seder. It reads in translation, “And it is this that has stood by our ancestors and by us: for not only one has risen against us to destroy us, but in each generation there are those that rise against us to destroy us, and the Holy One rescues us from their hands.” From Egyptian slavery to the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman exiles, to the near annihilation of the Jews in Persia as told in the Book of Esther, to the Crusades and the Inquisition, to the pogroms and the Holocaust, to Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah today, Jewish history has been a continuous loop playback of vehi she’amda’s prophecy. With Israel once again fighting for its existence, this passage is sure to evoke profound emotions at this year’s Seders.
Traditionally, the Seder is conducted over a cup of wine (four cups actually, which may contribute to the night’s popularity). In addition to vehi she’amda, another Seder ritual that will resonate strongly this year is the removal of drops of wine from participants’ cups as they recount the 10 plagues that afflicted the Egyptians during the exodus. While Jews raise their cups in celebration of freedom, those cups of joy are diminished – literally and symbolically – by the suffering endured by the Egyptians, the very tormentors of the Israelites, during the plagues. “When your enemy falls, do not rejoice,” reads Proverbs. The Torah acknowledges the occasional necessity of war and capital punishment, but celebrating the downfall of any human is not a Jewish value. This remains the prevailing view in Jewish communities today.
Israel had no choice but to fight for its existence against Hamas but finds no joy in the unspeakable suffering Hamas deliberately inflicts upon the people of Gaza, with whom Israel has been pursuing peace for decades. There are certainly individuals with fringe views, and much of the media is determined to portray Israel as the villain. However, the prayers from synagogue pulpits and conversations at Sabbath meals focus on hopes for peace and the return of the hostages. Even as anti-Israel protesters chant “Death to Israel,” Jewish demonstrators respond only with “Bring them home” (referring to the hostages) and “Am Yisrael chai” (Hebrew for “the nation of Israel lives”).
Indeed, despite centuries of exile and persecution, the nation of Israel persists. One secret to this perseverance lies in the timeless messages of Passover and their ability to inspire new meaning for each generation.
