In every generation, you must remember...but remember what? and do what?

Looking for Moses...where will he come from and will he see me in my  vest?

I begin this post from an unexpected source (www.chabad.org) in the context of answering the question, "Why is Moses not mentioned in the traditional text of the haggadah?" : "We begin the final part of magid by saying, '...In every generation every person is obligated to see himself as having come out of Egyptian bondage.' We need to understand that Passover is not about a redemption long ago, but about the fact that redemption is an ongoing endeavor.

"Talking about Moses fixes the Exodus as a point in history. But Passover is not about what was--it's about what is, now. Every year, Passover gives us the power to escape personal bondages of habit and inclination. Every year, Passover teaches us that G-d can help us redeem others from their prisons: physical, emotional, and spiritual. And most of all, we believe that G-d can and will redeem the world--with our participation--from darkness and conflict, and bring about a world where there is no want, conflict or ignorance.

"Talking about Moses also fixes the Exodus as an accomplishment of an extraordinary individual. 'Moses can accomplish such things,' we're tempted to say, 'not me. Who am I to aspire to change existence from patterns entrenched for millennia? I know my shortcomings and Moses' incomparable greatness.'

"Perhaps this is why the Haggadah doesn't talk about Moses. G-d alone is the redeemer of the Jewish people and all of humanity. Moses was great because he committed himself, totally, to G-d's agenda. If we, now, commit ourselves in our own totality, every one of us can be the conduit for G-d's transformation of existence from the bondage of all that is dark, changing our world into a realm of light."

And now my own words: If we open ourselves up to expressing God's light inside of us…if we open ourselves up to change – to personal and communal redemption – we can at once recognize the opportunity to transform ourselves and transform our world. This year, Marsha, the kids and I have been exposed to and seen the richness and beauty of this remarkable land. Look no further than the glorious nature trails protected by Israel's Nature Authority to the Silicon Valleys of Israel to see that this land has been redeemed. From malaria infested swamps to high-tech, from unsafe ancient roadways to high-speed toll roads with outstanding coffee stands, this land has been transformed from nothing short of a 'backwater' to one of the most advanced nations of the world. It was a Zionist dream and it has turned into so much more. And yet at the same time, look no further than three blocks off Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv to find hundreds of African refugees who are here because they arrived in one piece but are left homeless, without status, and have literally nothing. Look no further than most Arab towns/villages and realize that Arab Israelis (let alone Palestinian Arabs) live as second class citizens. Look no further than the hundreds of unrecognized Bedouin villages and realize that there are nearly 200,000 people living in Israel who are of who-knows-what status.

Out of Egypt: A Refugee Seder (Israel has 55,000 Refugees. Most are from Eritrea and some are from Sudan. Nearly all are homeless and only 180 are recognized as political refugees.) How to help? Check: Advancing the Dignity of Refugees in Israel

This is a land of complexities, varieties, richness, depth, sadness, joy, tragedy, jubilation, exhilaration, and more. It was to this very land that Moses led the Israelites over 3,000 years ago. Perhaps Moses is not mentioned (much) in the Haggadah because we are not to pay too much attention to the leader but the role of each of us in redeeming this world. When our family has worked on various tzedakah projects this year, we have not done so figuring we could solve the world's problems but rather because we thought we could make a small difference somehow. The world will not be redeemed by world leaders but by the world's population working to act in a godly way, with compassion, friendship, hope, and a desire to make life better for people we do not even know.

Levinsky Park for the Seder. 4.4.2012. The southside of Tel Aviv. Impoverished, unsafe,  a side of Israel most people do not know...or choose not to know. It is one of the most international parts of the country.

May this Pesach encourage each of us to find ways to redeem ourselves from our own personal 'slavery' and from that which burdens our world and keeps it from being all that God hoped/intended it to be.