Pesach – The Real Meaning of Our Holidays

Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Holidays and memorable moments have become an essential part of modern culture. All over the world, people celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other momentous events. These dates not only commemorate happy occasions. It is quite common to remember dates that remind us of when our loved ones passed away or when a tragic accident occurred. This concept of reminding ourselves of past events has spread to other themes. Nations celebrate their independence and people celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day as an opportunity to show gratitude to their parents.

What is the source of this phenomenon? Why is reminiscing or celebrating previous events so much a part of human nature? On a superficial level, people want to hold on to their memories and to feel they can relive the past. It is human tendency to try to recreate the past both pleasant and depressing. In Judaism, we see many holidays throughout the year. The Jewish religion marks the day we received the Torah, the day the world was created, and other important landmarks in Jewish history.

Our Sages teach that each holiday has its own special message that we must learn from and focus on. For example, Yom Kippur is a time for Am Yisrael to focus on repentance and good deeds, the celebration of Purim teaches Am Yisrael a unique type of festiveness. A deep philosophical conflict can arise from having just a basic understanding of these holidays. We should be thinking about repentance, good deeds and celebration all year long.  So why is there only one specific date to commemorate? Along the same lines, we should thank Hashem every single day for giving us our precious Torah. It seems shallow to mark just one special holiday to show gratitude for such a momentous occasion. If we were to compare our holidays with those in modern culture, it would seem there is no intrinsic meaning behind those holidays. The days themselves are not holy, but rather they become a means to remind us of past events and important virtues.

The answer to this philosophical question is that Jewish holidays do not resemble a birthday or an independence day. They are very different and have meaning that is much more significant. In Chassidic literature, these dates take on a completely new meaning. Time is not just viewed as a passing aspect that never returns, but rather, life is a cycle that always comes back around. In deep Jewish thought, the days in which important events occurred were chosen not arbitrarily, but rather those times had the proper spiritual energy necessary to infuse the world with the lessons of that day. When Rosh Hashanna is celebrated, Am Yisrael is not just commemorating the Earth’s birthday. Rather, it is as if the world is being created all over again. When the world was created, the form was not just physical. Since Hashem created it, the date, time, and form of creation have spiritual ramifications as well. Since Hashem‘s creation is never just physical, there is always deeper meaning than just the superficial appearance of creation.

Once we understand this perspective, we can grasp the true depth of our Chagim. On every holiday in Judaism there exists a certain amount of potential that we must utilize.  When we celebrate Shavuot, we have the potential to receive the spiritual enrichment of receiving the Torah once again. Each Chag has its own theme and on every Chag we have the ability to receive the appropriate dosage of spirituality necessary to bring us to higher level of Avodat Hashem. There is no doubt that Jews must do good deeds all year long and every day we should praise Hashem for going us the Torah. However, to celebrate it as a Chag every day would not fulfill its meaning. Every holiday has its intrinsic value, and every Chag is a renewal of the past events. According to Chasidut, we can spiritually grow from each holiday since each one has its specific virtues. As mentioned earlier, when Rosh Hashanna arrives, the world is recreated not physically, but rather, those spiritual remnants remain and may be utilized to enhance our souls.

Rav Avraham Yitchak Hakohen Kook offers a different approach to the deeper understanding of our Jewish holidays. Rav Kook uses Pesach as an example. Every year we sit down to celebrate Pesach and teach the next generations about the important moment in history when we became the chosen nation. The reason for this occasion (which involve the same traditions every year) is to show us that exodus from Egypt has never really ended. The salvation from Egypt is occurring in every generation and the exodus was a starting point that continues to this very day. The exodus from Egypt was not just about leaving a state of slavery, but rather occurred to infuse Am Yisrael with the power to sanctify Hashem‘s name in the world. It taught us the tools necessary to enhance every aspect of our universe. Once we became a nation and Hashem‘s name and significance become apparent and recognized worldwide, we realized our mission in this world. This happens in every generation; Am Yisrael must aspire to spread Hashem‘s glory at every opportunity. Pesach teaches us that we must look around us, examine and take advantage of the power given to us. The real reason for celebrating Pesach is not just to remind us of the exodus. It is a time to sit, meet, plan, and realize how far we have come and focus on how we can continue to leave Egypt even in our days. This is the reason for the laws and traditions of Pesach. This is exactly why the Mitzvah of Seder is specifically to teach our children about Yitzyat Mitzrayim. We try to infuse the next generation with these values so they can continue our exodus from Egypt.

There are many spiritual effects of the holiday as mentioned above, yet Rav Kook’s approach teaches us that our holidays are not just as thing of the past. The essence of the events that occurred continue into the future. When we celebrate Shavuot, we are continuing to receive the Torah, to learn, develop and present it to the new generation. When we commemorate Purim, the lesson of celebration continues into our daily lives. We relive Purim once a year so that we can continue that aspect of celebration in our modern world.

When we celebrate a birthday or Independence Day, it is important to commemorate and celebrate these events. As mentioned earlier, these days are an important part of modern culture. However, when we look at our holidays, we must not focus on that aspect alone. We must delve into the significance of each holiday and meditate on the meaning and lessons each holiday comes to teach us. Jewish holidays have the power to change our lives. So the next time a Chag comes around, let us not just commemorate the events, but actually live the holidays themselves.