My Response to Shalom Auslaner's Article about a "Fallen Jew" on Passover

Shalom Auslander’s column, “A ‘fallen Jew’ on what to read this Passover” is so full of mistakes and misconceptions it more properly should have appeared in the column on the same page of the Outlook section entitled “myths.” It could have been called “Auslander’s myths about Passover,” and refuted his points.  

Contrary to what he asserts, as any Jew, even “fallen Jews”, (a term which I have never heard before) know, the story is not about any one single man, but rather the emergence of a people from bondage. The point of Passover is for each and every Jew to feel as though he or she was a slave in Egypt and was liberated. We are called upon to have compassion and to identify with what it means when others do not enjoy freedom. We are reminded that in each and every generation there have been those who sought to destroy and annihilate the Jewish people.  

Passover invites each participant to engage in a dialogue with oneself and one’s heritage, with contemporary concepts and ancient, time-honored traditions, to explore issues of identity and meaning, to interact with the dialectic between the potentially conflicting pulls of particularism and universalism and to counteract complacency.

I find it surprising that a novelist, one who deals in metaphor and meaning is so trapped by literalism that he dismisses the greater significance of the holiday and misses the power of the metaphors and symbolism of the story.  

The Passover story has inspired countless other oppressed peoples throughout the ages. At our seder we sing the spiritual sung by African slaves brought in slavery to this country who saw in the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves a message of hope, reminding us of the role Judaism has played throughout history. I recall when I was a youngster in the 1960’s family seders when we read the story and understood the imperative to support the civil rights movement and to work for social justice.  

Maybe the problem isn’t so much with Passover, but the seders Auslander attended. 

Discussion Topics for Your Seder

A central aspect of Passover is for each of us to feel as though we ourselves were actually in Egypt and that we personally experienced the exodus and liberation. The Hagadah says that whoever adds to the story of Passover is praiseworthy. In that spirit, dialogue and discussion at the seder is encouraged.   Here are some things you might want to add to your Passover seder as points of discussion:

• On Passover we celebrate that we were freed from slavery.  What is there that enslaves us or others today?  Are we slaves to work, to our electronic devices – our cell phones, texting, and so on?  On this holiday when we give up leavened products, can we do without our phones one day a week?  What would that be like for our families and interpersonal interactions and relationships? 

• Passover celebrates when the Jewish people became a nation.  It also calls upon us to recall that we were once slaves so that we will be compassionate and understand the suffering of others as well.  Are the two perspectives mutually exclusive?  Do you think there are some who think of only one part of this message and neglect the other part?  How can you be faithful to the ideals of particularism, striving to ensure the survival of the Jewish people as well as to work for the universalistic ideals that are the hallmark of our heritage? 

•  The Hagadah says that in each and every generation there are those who seek to annihilate the Jewish people.  Who could that refer to today?  In what ways does the effort to silence Jews and Israelis on college campuses and elsewhere and to isolate and ostracize Israel pose a threat to all of us?  What can we do about it?

• And if in this election season, (with the MD primary coming up on Tuesday), if you want to wade into political issues:  How should we evaluate the candidates?  Which candidates do you think will be best for the Jews?