Sedra: Passover (1)
By Rabbi Alex Chapper
Pesach, like the other Jewish festivals, is best known by the special foods that we eat. And although all food on Pesach must be free of chometz (anything that can leaven) it is most famous for Matzah – the flat, dry and unleavened bread.
We all learnt from a young age the significance of Matzah and why we eat it on Pesach – namely, to remember that the Jewish people left Egypt in such a hurry that they did not have time for their dough to rise before it baked in the desert sun. So Matzah is a powerful symbol of our freedom from slavery. However, our sages tell us that Matzah was also the staple diet of the people whilst they were slaves, forced to work hard and long hours they did not have the luxury of enjoying fresh bread. But that presents us with a dichotomy because how can Matzah be a symbol of our freedom if it also reminds us of our slavery?
This year marks 25 years since the emergence of the Internet and it’s hard to believe that we ever lived without it. Back then it was predicted that such technology would save us so much time that we’d be able to enjoy more leisure and yet the opposite has happened, we’re working longer hours and have less free time than before. In addition, the promise of the Internet to give us instant access to information has made us more demanding and impatient. How many of us have ‘rapid boil’ kettles because we don’t want to wait the extra minute for a cup of tea? How many people become frustrated at the time it takes for the toast to emerge from the toaster, or the phone to connect or even for a website to download?
Pesach comes along once a year and for 8 days we remove the chometz and eat Matzah as an ancient antidote to a very modern problem. Matzah represents both slavery and freedom because there’s a very fine line between the two of them. We may no longer be slaves in the traditional sense of having a taskmaster standing over us but we’re in danger of being enslaved by the pace of life that modern society demands.
Matzah reminds us to reclaim our freedom, to be in charge of our time and the decisions of what we do with it to ensure that we have time for the important things in life, family and friends, community, learning and growing as individuals.
I wish you and your family a happy, healthy and kosher Pesach.
- Rabbi Alex Chapper is minister of Ilford Federation Synagogue and the Children’s Rabbi www.childrensrabbi.com
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
