Egalitarian, Conservative and Reform Life Cycle Rituals

RABBI TSIPORA GABAI

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Pesach

A time for personal courage

The exodus that we celebrate this Pesach (Passover) details our ancestors’ departure from Egypt with great drama, though some crucial details are omitted which our rabbis of old made up for in a beautiful midrash (commentary). When the Israelites, on the run from the Egyptians, reached the Reed Sea (Yam Suf. Meaning reed, not red), it seemed, at least momentarily, that they might no longer be the beneficiaries of Divine providence. With their backs to the sea, and facing an impending onslaught, they were frightened.

Their natural recourse was to cry out to Moshe; he, in turn, appealed to G-d for word on the next step. But God’s surprising response was: “Why do you cry to me? Tell the Children of Israel to journey forth!" And God tells Moshe in the very next verse that ”the children of Israel will go into the midst of the sea on dry grounds”. (Exodus 14:15-16).

The rabbis asked: if the Children of Israel go into the midst of the sea, why does it say: “on dry ground”? And if on dry ground, why does it mention “into the midst of the sea”? And their answer was a wonderful midrash. According to them, the sea did not part for the Children of Israel until they had gone into it up to their noses! This is the most a human being can do. Any further and they could not breathe.

But this is the utmost effort on the part of the Children of Israel, and in order to bring on the miracle, God demanded full participation and full effort. This was the message our Rabbis wanted us to understand: in Judaism our relationship with God is not one of “God gives and we receive”. It is a partnership, an alliance, or in Hebrew – a-Brit.

Once it was clear that the Children of Israel had to ”journey forth” into the sea. The text does not tell us what happened next.

Rabbi Meir (2nd century) describes the tribes as arguing eagerly for the right to be the first to enter the water: “One said I will go into the sea first; the other said I will go first”. And as they were busy arguing, the tribe of Benjamin jumped into the sea. Wanting to be the first to return.

But Rabbi Yehudah (2nd century) proposes a different possibility. He holds that what happened next exhibited a different attitude; ”It happened that one (tribe) said ’I am not going first’ and the other said ’I am not going first’!” And as they were arguing, Nachshon Ben Aminadav jumped into the sea first!

Nachshon Ben Aminadav, prince of Judah, was Aaron’s brother- in-law, brother of Aaron’s wife Elisheva. Nachshon let his faith lead the way. He showed both the Israelites as well as God what one could do with the courage of true conviction. His courage inspired the others to follow him and act accordingly. It took the active doing of Nachshon and the Israelites to combine in partnership with God. And the sea parted for the children of Israel!

Since then some 3500 years have passed, and pro-active heroes have been much the norm in our long and full history. Whether it was a young shepherd boy standing up to a giant, or one family – Mattathias and his children, or Hanna and her seven sons – defying a foreign conqueror in their land. Eventually inspiring the rest of the people to rise up and rebel; whether it was Rabbi Akiva and Bar-Kochva, attempting to wrest our land from Rom (even 60 years after the destruction of the second Temple) and the commonwealth; all the way down to Hanna Senesh’s rescue mission in Nazi-occupied Hungary or the dissident Jews of the Soviet Union, such as, and Anatoly Shcharansky, and many others.

All of these dared to act, to take positive action, when our freedom was threatened, when circumstances demanded a courageous response for the good of the community.

Let us take these examples to heart, and make our own sea change this Pesach. Let’s strive to incorporate into our daily lives the key elements hinted at in the Pesach story: direct action, personal and communal joy, and spiritual exaltation.

When we do our part – our utmost share of doing – then God does not pass over!

Chag kasher v’sameyach!
—Rabbi Tsipi Gabai

Purim 5779/2019