Pesach celebrates leadership -- "lollipop" leadership. The Jewish people are redeemed, Moses is basically absent from the Haggadah while God's role is paramount, but, paradoxically, Pesach is also a call to human action. Jewish passivity during the Exodus demands activism in subsequent generations -- as Rabbi Donniel Hartman so eloquently presents in his latest blog post.
Passover is a time of questioning. My question this year is how might we set ourselves up for success in leadership -- in our communities and neighborhoods? How might we allow ourselves both to feel gratitude for those lollipop moments and to stand ready to be such a leader for others. Small acts of kindness can have a profound effect, and often we have no idea the extent our of impact. But we do know when we are creating the possibility of leadership. We know when our words and deeds are l'shem shamayim (for the sake of heaven) and when they are not. Perhaps the Hagaddah does Moses a disservice since his role was so significant in our redemption, but we tell his story each year, for 4/5 of the Torah! The seder is a time to focus on God's leadership and by extension the myriad ways we might participate in the redemption of our fellow human beings.
A Joyous Pesach!
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