As the ancient Hebrews fled slavery, today’s Ukrainians fight for freedom from Russia
This Friday night begins Passover, where Jewish families all over the world will sit down and tell the ancient story of the Hebrews’ exodus from Egyptian bondage.
Ask anyone who has been a guest at a Seder meal for Passover and they will tell you that the conversations will cover any number of subjects — from the ancient exodus itself to politics or even debates over who makes the best matzah ball soup! The goal, however, is to make the meal not just an eating extravaganza of holiday and ritual foods by itself but to create a spiritual platform to delve into the deeper meanings of the Exodus for these times and for the timeless lessons of being enslaved and having faith in God who delivered the Jewish people out of bondage.
One of the most relevant topics about the Exodus is not mentioned in the Narrative or Haggadah which we read at the seder table and that is the power struggle between between Pharaoh and Moses. Moses returns from a self-imposed exile in the desert kingdom of Midian and faces Pharaoh by saying, “Let my people go.” His use of the term “let” or sh’lach is a command form of the verb to send forth. What hutzpah to command Pharaoh who was treated as if he was God in Egyptian culture!
Yet, after all the plagues it was the final one consisting of the death of the first born that broke the will and strength of Pharaoh. Only then did he succumb to the demand of Moses. Then when they left Egypt and headed for the ocean or the “Sea of Reeds,” Pharaoh reneged on his decree to release the Hebrews. He pursued them until he cornered them with their backs to the water hoping to drive them all into the sea. Again God intervened and split the sea and they passed through the waters and only after they all reached the other side did the soldiers chase after them and then drowned.
Each time Pharaoh, whose military might was far superior to the Hebrews, tried to assert his power he failed. Each time the faith of the Hebrews and the support of God defeated Pharaoh’s worldly powers. It seems that each side was fighting two different battles with completely different strengths. Pharaoh’s strength was the whip and brute force. Moses’ strength was being the servant of God and wielding the staff of faith. In fact, the faith of the Hebrews was just as important as Moses’ own faith.
When we watch the Ukrainians today fight valiantly and courageously against Putin’s armed forces it reminds me of the same kind of power dynamic. His forces and weaponry are far superior, yet, the Ukrainians have strength not only in using U.S. and allied weapons to hold back Putin but they show spirit and belief in their cause and in protecting their land and nation. It may not be a strictly religious motivation but it sure looks like their determination comes from deep within their souls.
Clearly Moses spoke truth to power and triumphed in the end and we, too, must speak the same truth to Putin. His pride like Pharaoh’s pride is on the line and what could anyone have done to persuade him to desist in his mania to destroy the Hebrews? The millions of Ukrainian refugees remind me of the Hebrews leaving Egypt where they lived for over 400 years.
In the case of the Hebrews their story was about an escape from four centuries of servitude, but here the Ukrainians are fighting to protect themselves from being turned into slaves to Putin and the Russian empire.
The ultimate battle for Ukraine is a fight for the soul and dignity of the Ukrainian nation. For Putin is it all about asserting his power and protecting his authority under the guise of being an invincible despot ruling over not only Ukraine but all of Eastern Europe?
Last month, the Jewish world celebrated Purim by reading the Book of Esther and I compared Putin to the evil Haman who planned to destroy the Jewish people in ancient Persia. Now I have cast him as Pharaoh. The names have changed but it is the same person whether it is the monarch Pharaoh or President Putin of Russia. Delusions of grandeur was Pharaoh’s Achilles heel and, I maintain, that it, too, will bring Putin down in the end. NATO will give Ukraine more weapons but it is the self-determination in the heart and soul of the Ukrainian people that will enable them to prevail in the long run.
In the Narrative book we call Haggadah we recite a statement that says, “For not just one has risen up against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us, and God delivers us from their hand.”
I don’t interpret that statement literally because we know that is not accurate. Certainly Jews know from history that too many leaders sought to and succeeded at afflicting the Jewish people and we suffered greatly from these despots and their pogroms.
Yet, the statement reminds me of a deeper feeling that speaking truth to power was Moses’ greatest weapon beside his faith in God. The suffering and violence somehow made us stronger and that may have been another source of our faith and strength. The Ukrainian president Zelensky embodies that ethos and I pray that he and his leadership will demonstrate that spirit and determination to survive and prevail for his people as Moses did for his.
That is why we conclude the meal and recite the last line of the Narrative story. “Next Year in Jerusalem.” For the Ukrainians it might be “Next Year in a free Kiyv.”
May you have a joyous Passover season
Rabbi Brad Bloom serves Congregation Beth Yam. He attended the University of Wisconsin and lives on Hilton Head Island.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 4:50 AM.