A year ago, we found ourselves thrown into a new reality. Passover, a time of gathering indoors with our friends and family to remember and relive our Exodus, became off-limits. To gather inside, meant to risk our health and the health of those we love. A long and arduous year later, with some restrictions lifted, but with limitations still in place, we are still pondering: What does it mean to be free? What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility? And with our newfound exploration of freedom, how do we relate differently to the story of Passover?
Experience our updated Spark from last year to give yourself time to explore these relevant and timely questions. And consider printing out some of the exercises to include in your Passover seder.
Passover is a holiday with many names.
One of them is, zman heruteinu זמן חרותינו - "the time of our freedom".
The Passover story is more relevant than ever and the idea of seeing ourselves emerging from Egypt is now something we can better understand.
In this spark, we will explore the value of freedom/herut.
We will ask what freedom means to you and examine ways that it is showing up for people at this moment in time.
Our exploration begins with some music.
Let’s tune-in to our Rebbis - Dolly Parton, Al Green, Meir Ariel, and more.
Art has always been a powerful medium for exploring freedom.
For some artists, their messages of freedom can be found in the medium itself. What materials are they using? What forms are they using to express their work? We have found several images that lend themselves to different notions of freedom.
We've provided two ways to interact with our image collection:
Without worrying about getting the right or wrong answers, choose one image that resonates with your definition of freedom. What story is the image telling you?
Respond to the following prompts:
Freedom is…
Freedom is not….
My personal experience of freedom is…
Let’s now move from music and the visual arts to poetry.
How do our ancestors describe freedom?
What were their worries and concerns that affected the ways that they looked at Jewish texts?
Click below to read through a collection of sources from the Talmud to Adrienne Rich to see how they define freedom.
We have provided some questions to guide you through the texts. But of course, feel free to follow the text wherever it needs to go.
Let’s revisit the first text on Freedom from Pirkei Avot 6:2
Perhaps one way to read this text is that there is a relationship between freedom and engraving. In order to truly be free, you must write it down and engrave it- you must commit to your freedom and turn it into a covenant- a promise for yourself and others. The notion of ‘engraving’ implies permanence, that the commitment can be held onto in the future.
So what freedom(s) are you committing to this Pesach?
What are you willing to engrave and hold onto?
Follow these instructions for making your own inscription.
Once you're finished, add your image or object to your Seder Plate.
What are some ways in which people are expressing freedom at this moment?
See here for a few examples.
"Freedom is a chance to do better."
-Albert Camus
The pandemic has shed light on a lot of despair and inequities within our society. People have taken to the streets and are urgently demanding change. What will emerge on the other side? How can our actions cause change and our sacred purpose be restored?
Image Credit: Favianna Rodriguez
Freedom is learning how to quiet our anxiety and master our minds.
As Victor Frankl, psychologist, Holocaust survivor, and author of the book “Man’s Search for Meaning” taught,
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Despite the unknowns, we can choose to fill our minds with hopeful thoughts. We can choose to focus on what we do have, or we can choose to give attention to what we do not have.
We can wake each morning and count our blessings, or we can begin our days in angst and anxiety. We are not able to change the fact that we are living in a pandemic, but we can change how we relate to it, how we experience it and what we feed our minds.
What silver linings have you experienced during this pandemic?
Happy Passover
חג חירות שמח
May this Pesach we find moments of freedom that will lead us to exist in a healthier and more just society.
Looking for inspiration on the many ways to use this Value Spark? We put together a list of our ideas to get you started.
If you are interested in visiting last year's Freedom spark, click here.
From your fans at M²