“Crossing of the Red Sea” by Nicolas Poussin, 1634.
Reflections for Passover, Easter, and Ramadan
by Cat Zavis and Rabbi Michael Lerner
During this week of Passover and Easter, and soon-to-be Ramadan (beginning May 5th), may we all look deeply within to see the changes we need to make and heal within ourselves so we can overcome our personal constrictions that make it difficult for us to work daily for the collective liberation of all divine beings with whom we share this planet.
We are taught in a Midrash (a story elaborating on the stories in the Torah) that the mass multitudes left Egypt with us. I understand this to teach us that in the present time those of us who are not enslaved, who have freedom, agency, capacity for action, and varying degrees of privilege have an obligation to join those most oppressed and most suffering from the plagues of our day:
* Capitalism (and its ethos of materialism and selfishness)* Patriarchy
* Classism
* Racism
* Sexism
* Islamophobia
* Anti-Semitism
* Colonialism
* Indifference
* Hardened hearts
* Environmental destruction (in all its manifestations)
and uplift, struggle and stand in solidarity with them and their efforts, joining with our voices, our votes, our dollars, and our bodies. Because no one is free until everyone is free. No one lives with justice, until all live with justice. No one lives in peace, until all live in peace. No one is secure and safe, until all are secure and safe.
Blessings to all (of all faiths, traditions, and all who do not identify with religious or spiritual practices) during this season of renewal, healing, and transformation. May we transform individually so we can truly transform collectively.
These links are interactive — click on the boxes
