Theological Hors D'oeuvres for Passover: Two Takes on Human Dignity

Passover is rapidly arriving, and there is little time for a more extended "full course" offering.  Even so, here are two theological hors d'oeuvres for your Passover table:

HUMAN DIGNITY #1:  Passover and Empathy

 What is it about the Feast of Freedom that is so compelling?  After all, the vast majority of marginalized Jews make it a point to eat matzah and attend a seder.  Even beyond Jews and Judaism, during America’s earliest years the Passover story was a source of inspiration for countless African Americans enslaved in body, but not in spirit.  It has been the foundation of Liberation Theology, meaningful and inspiring for many Catholic Christians in Latin America.  So, again, why is this Festival so inspiring for so many?

Perhaps the answer is that underneath the desire for freedom lies an inextinguishable commitment to human dignity—for ourselves, as well as for others.  The Israelites were not the only people to flee from Egypt; they were accompanied by a like-minded mixed multitude of others who identified with their yearning for freedom and dignity.  I sense this affirmation of human dignity is part of that Divine Spark inherent in all human beings.  In the words of the great rhythm and soul artist Solomon Burke, “none of us is free if one of us is chained.” The more we see ourselves in the Passover Story, the more we see the needs of others still waiting their redemption in our own day.

HUMAN DIGNITY #2:  The Silent Voices at Our Tables

I was recently connecting with a friend via e-mail, looking to set a time for us to talk.  My friend replied that while looking forward to connecting, she couldn’t talk for a few days.  Her annual early springtime bout of laryngitis was active.  I responded that she was the 5^th Child at the seder; the one who had no voice.

Over the past few years it has become vogue to discuss the 5^th Child as the Missing Child, the child whose chair is empty. My friend’s condition prompted me to consider a different version of that 5^th child:  the child who is present, but has no voice that can be heard.  Inaudible to those around him or her, this child runs the risk of being invisible. 

It is too easy to ignore those we can’t see or hear, even if they are right in front of us.  This is especially so if we are uncomfortable over a difference that this person embodies:  perhaps they have a developmental delay; perhaps they are a Queer person; perhaps they are a person silently suffering under a heavy burden.  One of the inspiring calls of the seder is to declare “Let those who are hungry come and eat.”  There are hungers beyond the need for physical food in our world:  the hunger for understanding, the hunger for acceptance, the hunger to be heard despite being silenced.

This Passover, let us take time and energy to consider the silenced voices of the potentially invisible members of our community.  Visit http://www.matankids.org/2014/04/09/ten-ways-to-make-your-family-seder-accessible-for-all-learners/ to consider ways of making the Passover table inclusive for people of all levels of ability.  

You can add a great insert to your seder exploring the roles of Allies in supporting LGBTQ+ people at http://keshet.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Four-Allies-Four-Questions-Insert_vf1.pdf and add your voice to the chorus of allies.