Thursday, April 1, 2010

Pesach: The Pendulum of Jewish History


As we cross over from March 31st to April 1st, we actually enter into a period of great turbulence and mixed emotions. No, I'm not talking about the NCAA basketball tournament's Final Four, and I'm also not talking about the crazy weather we've been having (though in Sweden "April Weather" is indeed marked by alternating snow storms and gorgeous, sunny summer-like weather - sometimes even on the same day - so maybe we ARE in for a bumpy ride...).


I'm looking at the Jewish calender, and feeling very confused about the mood of the season ahead. On the one hand, it's still Passover, and we continue to celebrate and talk about our redemption from slavery. We also have the holiday of Yom Ha-atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, coming on April 20th, accompanied by great celebration and merriment. A month after that, we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot; the day on which we received the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

On the other hand, we have also begun the counting of the Omer; a

49-day mourning period in which we avoid festivities and weddings. It is said to commemorate many calamities, from deaths during the rabbinic era, to attacks during the medieval Crusades, and into the modern era where Holocaust atrocities were committed in this season as well. We also commemorate Yom Ha-Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 11th, as well as Yom Ha-Zikaron, a memorial to those who died fighting for the State of Israel.

Back and forth, back and forth. Joy, sadness, celebration, commemoration.

What's going on? How are we meant to feel during this confusing season? I think perhaps there are a few things we can learn from all of this. After Passover, the Israelites were waiting to receive the Ten Commandments and the entire Torah. They were also feeling mixed emotions - excitement, apprehension, curiosity, fear - because they had been freed from Egypt, but freed to become a holy nation, obligated to God and with a series of commandments to follow.

And the Israelite experience is recreated in every generation.

Expulsions, Crusades, Pogroms, Holocaust; all serve to remind us how persecuted we have been in the name of our religion. Maintaining a certain code and ethical standard has gotten us in trouble with our neighbors time and again. The Israelites in the desert were right to be apprehensive! But we have also experienced God's protection and care, both in miracles like the creation of the State of Israel, and in the simple fact that we are still here!


It began with the Israelites and their receiving the Torah. But in every century we continue to feel the constant swing, back and forth, of our long and complicated history and our complex relationship with God. This upcoming season once again mimics that for us, and reminds us what it means to be a Jew. Sometimes we commemorate what we've been through, and sometimes we celebrate how far we've come and the opportunities that lie ahead. Let us hope our future holds blossoming and warmth; just like the season about to begin.

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