Chol Ha-Moed Pesach: Some Unrestricted Thoughts from Inside the 'Freedom' of Passover

It feels somewhat ironic, I think. Almost humorous. We celebrate Passover, the Festival of Freedom, by being as restrictive with our food 

and our homes as we possibly can be. How does it feel 'free' to cover our counters, replace all our dishes, and eat cardboard sheets instead of bread for EIGHT days? The prayer service throughout the week of Passover highlights that this is 'Chag Ha-Matzot,' the 'festival of Matzah,' and it always comes with the epithet, 'Z'man Cheiruteinu,' the 'season of our freedom.' And yet, I don't feel very free. I feel decidedly NOT free, and I think my stomach would agree with me...

So is this just a joke? Is it tongue-in-cheek? Especially if you take the idea one step further. During our Seder table dinners, we spoke about being redeemed from slavery, in Hebrew 

'avdut.' And this 'avdut' was backbreaking and exhausting and forcefully imposed upon us by the Egyptians. And then? God brought us out with 'a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,' and took us into... more servitude. We didn't really go from slavery to total freedom, to a hedonistic, self-centered, care-free lifestyle, did we? We were brought into the desert, to Mount Sinai, to receive the Ten Commandments and the Torah, which dictated a whole new system of laws and obligations that we were to undertake. Even today, we have repurposed the word 'avdut' to mean 'prayer.' Our synagogue slogan is 'Torah, AVODAH, G'milut Chasadim,' meaning 'Learning, prayer, and deeds of lovingkindness.' But it's the same word. Service to the Egyptians - harsh, imposed, and evil as it may have been - is now service under another ruler.

But there IS a substantial difference. Obviously. Judaism gives us a heritage, a culture, a sense of belonging, a family, and of course foods, songs, jokes, and so much more. We call it 'Avodat ha-Lev'; still service, yes, but 'service of the heart.' And so looking back at the celebration of Passover, and the sense we might have right now, in the midst of it, that we're more restricted than ever on this, our festival of freedom. 

We actually realize TWO things: 1) This ain't so bad. We complain about it, but really we feel a sense of connection and community with Jews everywhere who open up lunch boxes at work to find matzah pizza and gefilte fish instead of PB&J's. We like the complaining, and it forms kinship. Even the cleaning can be therapeutic, and once a year the house looks sparkly and shiny again (and yes, I DID do a lot of the cleaning in my house!!). And 2) (And this is REALLY the point I wanted to make) Eight days away from our normal lives, our regular routines, and our old habits, actually is just enough time to really miss them, and to appreciate them again when they return. The freedom of Passover, in many ways, is actually achieved just as the holiday ends, and our 'normal' foods taste so exotic and wonderful again, even if just for that first, glorious bite. THAT is the taste of freedom!

Fasting works the same way on Yom Kippur. We complain about it, we get annoyed, we sit and compare foods we miss. And yet, it both creates kinship, and then it makes you appreciate your food and drink that much more when you have it back again. Sometimes 

depriving ourselves temporarily can make us more appreciative all year long. How would or could you appreciate freedom if you never knew any different? No one savors Democracy or the right to vote so much as the person who never had it before, and then finally gets to cast their very first free vote ever. When we take something away from ourselves - which we have the freedom and luxury of being able to do - and then we give it back, it teaches us appreciation and gratitude that's otherwise hard to come by. It may not feel like it right in the moment (like now, with four more days of Passover to go...), but I truly believe this is freedom. We remove it briefly, and then reintroduce it again. And then, for just a moment, it tastes SO sweet.

Photos in this blog post:

1. CC image courtesy of Kosherstock on Wikimedia Commons

2. CC image courtesy of EncycloPetey on Wikimedia Commons (No, that's not my arm, but thank you! I'm flattered.)

3. CC image courtesy of Bdcousineau on Wikimedia Commons

4. CC image courtesy of DVIDSHUB on Wikimedia Commons