To imagine one's self as having been liberated from Egypt, can be an expression of our Jewish identity. If we understand ourselves as victims, how does that affect our "experience" of the Exodus?
The preeminent Jewish Historian of the 20th Century, Professor Salo Baron, railed against a Jewish identity rooted solely in victimhood. Professor Yosef Yerushalmi wrote a seminal book on the role of memory in Judaism.
"Suffering is part of the destiny" of the Jews," Professor Baron said in an interview in 1975, "but so is repeated joy as well as ultimate redemption." Another distinguished historian, Professor Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, said Baron always fought against the view of Jewish history as "all darkness and no light. He labored mightily to restore balance".
How do we balance the history of victimhood with the joy of liberation in our annual Passover observance?
How does Jewish identity in the 20th Century impact the way we view ourselves as if we went out of Egypt. Does faith in God effect the way you experience the redemption from slavery?
"The percentage of U.S. adults who say they are Jewish when asked about their religion has declined by about half since the late 1950s and currently is a little less than 2%. Meanwhile, the number of Americans with direct Jewish ancestry or upbringing who consider themselves Jewish, yet describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or having no particular religion, appears to be rising and is now about 0.5% of the U.S. adult population.1
The changing nature of Jewish identity stands out sharply when the survey’s results are analyzed by generation. Fully 93% of Jews in the aging Greatest Generation identify as Jewish on the basis of religion (called “Jews by religion” in this report); just 7% describe themselves as having no religion (“Jews of no religion”). By contrast, among Jews in the youngest generation of U.S. adults – the Millennials – 68% identify as Jews by religion, while 32% describe themselves as having no religion and identify as Jewish on the basis of ancestry, ethnicity or culture. . .
A key aim of the Pew Research Center survey is to explore Jewish identity: What does being Jewish mean in America today? Large majorities of U.S. Jews say that remembering the Holocaust (73%) and leading an ethical life (69%) are essential to their sense of Jewishness. More than half (56%) say that working for justice and equality is essential to what being Jewish means to them. And about four-in-ten say that caring about Israel (43%) and having a good sense of humor (42%) are essential to their Jewish identity."
Pew Study 2013
Does recalling the experience of Passover compel us to tikkun olam? In this regard, is it sufficient to merely describe a historic event rather than viewing one's self as if they themselves were rescued? Is Jewish history a compelling factory in how you view the world? Or is personal experience necessary to compel you to charity or activism?
In each and every generation, a person is obligated to conduct himself as if he, himself, is currently leaving the slavery of Egypt, as [Deuteronomy 6:23] states: "He took us out from there." Regarding this manner, G-d commanded in the Torah: "Remember that you were a slave [Deuteronomy 5:15]" - i.e., as if you, yourself, were a slave and went out to freedom and were redeemed. Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chametz u’Matzah 7:6 (modified Moznaim translation)
Can you feel as if you yourself were redeemed? How would your life be different if you lived as if you had been liberated from oppression?
Rabbi Shalom Noach Berezovsky, Netivot Shalom, vol. II, p. 251
that every year, the experience of the Exodus is renewed on this night. Thus, the night has two aspects: the general exodus from Egypt at which all the souls of all Jews in every generation were present, and the experience of the exodus from Egypt which recurs every year on the night of Pesach.
Our Sages tell us that our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt in the merit of their faith, and we will be granted the Future Redemption in the merit of faith. Just as the redemption from Egypt was in the merit of faith, similarly, the redemption from Egypt that takes place every year is in the merit of faith, i.e., the clear faith that a Jew has that the Exodus takes place every year, and that on the night of Pesach, his fate can change from bad to good. Through this, he brings about his salvation and the redemption of his soul...