From The Narrow Place I Called To You: The Passover Haggadah as a Text for Healing

What are some of the symbols of illness in our time? How do you feel about the analogy of illness as a “narrow place” or “dire straits?” Who do we “invite” to this ritual as one who is “needy” or one who is “hungry?” Where are we now, and where do we hope to be next year?

My reading today was Deuteronomy Chapter 26, verses 1-13, which is Parshat Ki Tavo. In this passage, The Israelites are instructed to give the first fruits of their harvest to the priest in a basket as an offering to God. As they made the offering, they said, “my father was a wandering Aramean.” He went to Egypt, became a nation, and was treated harshly by the Egyptians. Why did they say this? Our ancestors began their ritual of thanksgiving by remembering the whole story of their journey, beginning with Jacob and Joseph’s time in Egypt. They said these words to remind themselves of where they’ve been, how far they have gotten, and to express gratitude for the entire journey. These same words are part of the Passover seder. In other words, we remind ourselves of where we’ve been. We tell the whole story. We celebrate Passover to celebrate our release from slavery and oppression. When we retell the story, we remind ourselves of our oppression. We remind ourselves of that to remember that people who are oppressed today are in a situation we were in, and so we have an obligation to help them. When I am asked about my hearing aids, I retell the story of my cancer treatment. I was diagnosed with kidney cancer shortly before my first birthday. Radiation and chemotherapy were two of the main treatments used to resolve my cancer, which made it possible for me to grow into young adulthood and be here today. The side effect of one of my cancer medicines was hearing loss. While I don’t remember my days of being sick or my time in the hospital (just as the Israelites didn’t remember being in Egypt themselves), I do know the story, including the fact that I was in and out of the hospital a lot. I spent most of my toddler years either in the hospital or too compromised to go out. I was diagnosed in June of 2008, and April of 2010 was when my treatment stopped. I can understand what it means to be in the hospital because I have been in a position of those in the hospital. I can only imagine what it is like to be there now, when a potentially life threatening disease is making everything worse. No one can visit and people can’t bring their own comfort objects in. This is why I am making pillows and blankets for the kids in the hospital. We have also collected donations for Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh. I can now tell the whole story of my cancer beginning with my own diagnosis, describing my treatments and my hearing loss, remembering and celebrating April 1 as the day I was released from the hospital, and now ending with the giving of these gifts to the children in the hospital. My cancer story is an exact parallel of the story of the Israelites’ offering of the first fruits: first we describe how it started, we talk about the journey, and we celebrate our freedom...and then we offer thanks for where we are now.

David May, 13, on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah, September 5, 2020

Write the story of a healing experience in four lines – from the perspective of the healer and the perspective of the patient. Read it as a whole, from 10,000 feet. Now re-read it word by word and tell us what is hidden in each of these words.

What role does food play in illness, illness narratives, and healing?