Second Night of Passover & Holy Thursday

As we enter into this holy part of the calendar, where my family would celebrate Passover and so many of my colleagues and friends celebrate Easter, I reflect upon what this special season has meant to me over many years.

Since childhood, Passover would represent not only the Exodus with which we are all familiar, but also the ingathering of many relatives and friends to attend my parents’ Passover Seder, the structured meal and retelling of the miraculous escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. My identity as being part of a large, ethnic family comes in large part from this annual ritual at my parents’ home.  And while the controlled chaos of so many outspoken people in a modest dining room often drove me to seek a quiet corner, the silence of its absence this year brings its own sense of apprehension, one tending towards nervous distraction.

We all fight our own demons, but I know many of you are suffering the silence that will be in otherwise joyful homes at a time that many celebrate not only their faith but loved ones as well. Well, just as the Jews escaped slavery, like many of our own trials and tribulations will also one day be in the past. May it be a function of faith and our own contributions to the world that we continue to withstand adversity and deliver the world to a better tomorrow.

The Jewish faith, it is useful to note at this time of separation, is one of delineation. It starts in the book of Genesis, where is delineated night and day, heaven and earth, land and water, man and woman, and humankind and beast. As humankind intellectually and spiritually evolves, they are taught separation between good and evil, holy and profane, the responsibilities of the community and the responsibilities of the individual.

The Exodus, however, gives us a new separation, one with tremendous philosophical implications that resonate today – that of slavery and freedom. As we grapple with the text, as Jews are taught to do, we look inwards and outwards for meaning. Superficially it is written as a narrative, one where the Jews escape from Egyptian slavery led by the Divine hand. However what does a story about escape from slavery mean to a people who live freely today?

To answer that, we need to grapple more. Are we truly free? Or are we still slaves... this time to our own fears, prejudices, contradictions, self-absorption, and self-interest? I would submit that we are, and they are the hardest types of shackles to break.

Maybe this year, with small, remote, or non-existent family gatherings, it is time for each of us revisit the story of the Exodus if only to consider what it is that is holding us back from taking that first pensive yet metaphorical step onto the dry ground of a parted Red Sea. The step that takes us away from that which holds us back, that which enslaves us to continuously enter and re-enter those behaviors which bind us to self-defeat. What holds us back from realizing our potential as human beings in possession of the spark of Divinity?

These questions even apply in the middle of a pandemic. Is our self-interest causing us to venture out in public for non-essential reasons when we know it brings risk to others? Are we too self-absorbed to think to wear a covering over our nose and mouth? Are our prejudices causing us to look at the pandemic primarily through a political lens?

Each Jew is commanded to tell the story of the Exodus so that it is passed down in order to remember that just as we were in bondage in Egypt and were strangers in the land, so we are to remember our common humanity when we encounter those who are strangers in our land.

As for the question of what holds us back today? We are left with this and towards that end, our Creator endowed us with a mind, capable of reason, synthesis, empathy and discovery to divine the answers for ourselves. Those answers truly tell us who we are, and what we are to become.

Dr. Scott Weiss

Associate Professor & Chair

Department of Communication Arts

---

One form of the human desire for a connection with, and response to, the Divine that appears consistently throughout human history is pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is an inner and outer journey that has the potential to profoundly alter one’s self, one’s relationship with others, and to bring one to a deeper and richer relationship with the Other.

This past Saturday, in this blog we had the good fortune to read of Tim Nagy’s very personal and deeply moving experience to Assisi as he joined a group of students on pilgrimage to a city that is so very sacred to Franciscans and so many others. As we read, pilgrimage presents itself as movement away and movement towards. It allows for disruption, dislocation, detachment and disturbance while simultaneously providing order, harmony, tranquility and connection. Many of these elements were noted by Tim in his reflection.

All pilgrimages are unique, offering lessons, that continue to unfold even as the distance over time between each journey grows longer. There is an ordering and harmony of the body and soul that occurs in the practice of pilgrimage. As pilgrims we make ourselves vulnerable, we submit ourselves to the elements, we test our endurance, we push ourselves to the depths and limits of our being. Through these challenges, we cultivate a relationship and intimately connect with the Divine. Our body, mind and spirit are necessary to respond to God’s call.

This month, Passover, Easter and Ramadan, three meaningful and significant holidays of three of the world’s major religions are coinciding for the first time in nearly twenty years. In response to this historic convergence, The Tower of David Museum had begun to prepare an immersive experience for the expected influx of pilgrims to the Holy Land in this month. As we are all very keenly aware, the coronavirus disrupted the plans.

Yet, despite this worldwide pandemic, Passover, Easter and Ramadan will still be celebrated. As pilgrims who recognize that our journey can be made in different way, we accept and adapt our itinerary and our travel in response to the path revealed by the Divine.

A quick and creative decision was made to ensure that Jerusalem’s holiest sanctuaries were available to all online, free of charge, beginning today, April 9, 2020. This offers pilgrims of multiple faith traditions an opportunity to worship virtually during this unprecedented time.

We invite you to enjoy a pilgrimage to the Holy Land during these sacred days of Passover, Easter and Ramadan. Let us keep our sisters and brothers of all faith traditions in prayer during these sacred days.

Please click on the images below to experience a land sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Chag Pesach sameach! A Blessed, Happy and Holy Easter! Ramadan Kareem!

The Holy Land

Vatican City