A very wise pre-Passover reminder:
“Man does not live by bread alone . . .
While at this time of year we often talk about the symbolism of Matzoh, perhaps ‘have a look’ (Yiddish: ‘gib ah kick’) at what Yid Life Crisis will show us as a little of the ‘blending in’ of life along with the symbolism of bread (albeit loc sic in the Shtetel of Montreal of the 21st Century — along with a ‘honorable menschen’ of our very own Philadelphia (Cream Cheese reference, of course):
“Not for Noshing” do we forgo chumetz/leavening/bread for 8 days . . . remember that the Hagada of the Seder tells us that Matzah is the ‘Bread of Affliction’ and reminds us of the hardships we endured while enslaved in the land of Egypt. And yet, miraculously, by the end of the Seder, we and the Matza undergo some sort of transformation: it becomes the actual “Bread of Freedom,” as it was their first food they were to consume in their ‘going forth to freedom.’
In Deuteronomy 16:3 we read “You shall eat unleavened bread, in Hebrew, “Lechem Oni (i.e. the Bread of Affliction), for you departed from the land of Egypt hurriedly.” This is then reflected in the Seder in the “Ha Lachma Anya” (Bread of Affliction in Aramaic) at the beginning of the Seder itself . . . .
This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.
Let all who are hungry, come and eat.
Let all who are needy, come and celebrate Passover.
This year we are here — next year, may we be in the land of Israel.
This year we are slaves — next year, may we be free.
“This year we are here — next year, may we be in the land of Israel. This year we are slaves — next year, may we be free.” This looks an awful lot like a passage born in ‘exile.’ It literally speaks of ‘a people’ who is not at home in its land. It is written in Aramaic (a sacred language,however one of ‘exilic origin’), and scholars suggest that it was composed during the time of the Babylonian exile (beginning ~ 586 BCE). There is symmetry to these lines: to be in exile is to be enslaved, to be in the land of Israel is to be free.
- Of course the text also has a more contemporary and symbolic meaning, especially suited to those of us who are given to these more modern kinds of interpretations: “we are internally enslaved when we are alienated from our true selves.” Israel, in this understanding, is not a place, but rather a symbolic psychological and spiritual state of internal freedom. It is in this sense that Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1722-1811) had long go famously stated: “Wherever I go, I am going to Eretz Israel.” —
Passover as a holy day and as a holy time is known in Hebrew as ‘Z’man Herutinu’ (a ‘time of our freedom’) and as such, it will always be a holiday of freedom. We eat the Bread of Affliction towards the beginning of the Seder — but by the conclusion, we will see it differently and experience Matzah as the ‘Bread of Freedom.’
It is not the Bread which has changed, we have. And importantly, it is here that we are reminded that man does not live on bread alone. While bread may be the staff of life, it is however not what has sustained us throughout history, nor in our wanderings through time. Bread, or the lack thereof, is just the symbol. Here is why Matza, eaten the first night out of freedom is, by the end of the Seder, now the ‘Bread of Freedom.”
יז וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם, אֶת-הַמַּצּוֹת, כִּי בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, הוֹצֵאתִי אֶת-צִבְאוֹתֵיכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם; וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם–חֻקַּת עוֹלָם. |
Exodus 12: 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever. |
Wishing everyone a joyous and festive Passover. Please remember that there will be no Zoom class gathering both this Wednesday the 24th, as preparations for Passover this year seem to be more overwhelming than in past years (for many reasons) and there will be no Zoom class gathering this Sunday the 28th, due to the Passover day of the Chag itself. We will reconvene, Gd willing, March 31st at 7:00 EDT.
With warm regards,
Rabbi Seth
