02 Apr Pesach; Oppression, Forgiveness, Freedom

Pesach; Oppression, Forgiveness , Freedom

There are significant similarities to the enslavement and Exodus from Egypt; the story of Pesach, and the Holocaust. Both represent periods of oppression of our people.

Even though the Children of Israel had seen all the disasters that befell the Egyptians in the miracles of the 10 Plagues, only 1/5 of all Israelites  actually left Egypt under the guidance of Moses. That translates to 2-3 million Israelites’ left Egypt with Moses,  and 13-15 Million stayed behind and perished  in Egypt. Commentaries teach us that assimilation  to their familiar existence of enslavement became a level of comfort that was indeed oppressive . Their existence was  a very detrimental and convoluted one  as they became  comfortable in the deficient state of  life they came to know and accept.  It was the ‘fear’  of change that kept the many Israelites from leaving Mitzrayim. The fear of leaving what they ‘knew’, and the fear of experiencing change by venturing out of their existence of the oppression of  ‘Mitzrayim’… to the unknown.

At the time of the Holocaust, my Zaida, Yechiel Mayer ben Leib A’H left Lodz to find a guide to take a group through dangerous terrain to escape the Nazi’s. He returned back to Lodz with a guide and tried to persuade others to join him to leave Lodz. But only a few left Lodz and came with him; my Bubby A’H (then pregnant with my aunt), and my mother. Others had the opportunity to leave with them but chose not to.  The great numbers of our family and those of Lodz that would not leave were taken taken to concentration camps and  murdered by the Nazi’s. But only a very few survived.  My Zaida A’H and those with him eventually made it to North America. Only 2 survived of my Zaida’s family of 10 , and 2 survived of my Bubbies family of 8 .

Oppression is imprisoning. We become slaves to it. Over time we may tragically come to know our deficient oppressive circumstance as ‘normal’.

Oppression comes in many forms. It can come from within ourselves as in depression, substance abuse, anger, baseless hatred (loshen hora- derogatory speech) et al. It can come from external sources such as hatred against the Jewish people, or derogatory speech against another. It can be as a result of grief, illness or a grudge. In all circumstances it is our obligation to raise ourselves up from any state of oppression, and to do it with loving-kindness.

To rectify this, we need to become leaders and guides in our own lives and the lives of our fellow Jew if we are to rectify all states of oppression. Like those who made it out of Egypt and Lodz, we need to put one foot in front of the other and have trust in G-d, our Higher Power, that our efforts to leave the state of oppression behind will be rewarded with freedom.

Where we may not know the righteous path, we need to seek guidance through a conscious connection with G-d, our Higher Power. That may include a Rabbi, a therapist , or a program of Torah and 12 Step.

When we don’t forgive someone, it is like holding them captive. We become an oppressor.
This falls into the category of baseless hatred.

It is an avera (transgression -sin) to withhold forgiveness. Its may be considered an act of self will or ego (i.e. arrogance, pride). This goes against G-ds Will . The Torah and its commentaries teach us how to ask and grant forgiveness. There may be very rare occasions that  one can deny another forgiveness. For example when it is clear that there is lack of sincerity, or when the persons asking for forgiveness is impaired/intoxicated. These rare occurrences should be carefully learned and one should consult a LOR, Local Orthodox Rabbi on such issues. The ability to forgive one another is G-d’s gift to us, as a way that is supposed to bring people closer together. As G-d forgives us, so too shall we forgive others. Those who can’t find forgiveness for another have made a choice to set themselves apart and cause divisiveness, not unity. This is a cause of baseless hatred . The story of Pesach; The Haggadah, is a story of transformation of oppression and slavery to freedom and unity. We have learned that oppression permeates our lives in many different ways. It is important at this time of year to focus on how we can transform ourselves from being slaves to being free…. the freedom to choose a righteous path and a relationship with G-d as the wisdom of the Torah teaches. These are lessons of Pesach we should learn.

Chag Pesach Someyach,

Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counselling (Hnrs)
www.lawrencelax.com