I’d like to share an excerpt from the Passover supplement published in the March/April 2010 issue of Tikkun.
Passover is not meant to be merely a celebration of the Jewish victory for liberation in our past, but is rather meant to stimulate us to extend that liberation to the whole world. Such liberation would bring an end to the destruction of the environment. It would bring an end to the cheapening of cultural life by the dominance of an ethos of “looking out for number one.” It would bring an end to rampant materialism and our society’s belief in salvation through mechanical objects and technological fixes …
We need a movement that has a spiritual dimension and affirms and builds on what the 2008 election revealed: the deep yearning of Americans (and really all people on the planet) for a world in which love, kindness, generosity, ethical and ecological sanity, awe and wonder at the grandeur of the universe, and commitment to a higher meaning for our lives are valued over the pursuit of money, power, sexual conquest, and fame, which have been extolled as central values by corporate media and enshrined in the workings of the global capitalist system. At the Seder table, we invite you to ask how you can help get this kind of spiritual consciousness introduced into the discourse of secular liberal and progressive social change movements, NGOs, and liberal political parties. We invite you to make this discussion a central part of your Passover Seder this year.
If you don’t normally do a Seder, you can use Tikkun‘s Haggadah supplement as the basis for an interfaith gathering in your home on March 29, the first night of Passover, or on any of the other nights of Passover until it ends on April 6. To download a beautifully formatted version of the Passover supplement as it appeared in the magazine, click HERE. To read the text of the supplement online, please click HERE.
In addition to discussing the symbols of passover, such as the pesach (bone or beet), matzah, and maror (bitter herbs), this year’s supplement addresses the issue of liberation today in Israel/Palestine and ensures that we do not turn our Seders into meaningless rituals by ignoring the ways in which we, the Jewish people, have been acting as Pharaoh to another people. It also explains why America will find security when it is perceived by the world as caring not merely for its own well-being, particularly that of its most wealthy citizens and global corporations, but genuinely for the well-being of all of the people on the planet. Please join us in celebrating Passover this year by turning your thoughts toward a messianic vision of liberation for all people.