Ahad ha'Am - Moses
"An Egyptian smiting a Hebrew," the strong treading scornfully on the weak this every-day occurrence is his first experience. The Prophet's indignation is aroused and he helps the weaker. Then "two Hebrews strove together" two brothers, both weak, both slaves of Pharaoh: and yet they fight each other. Once more the Prophet's sense of justice compels him, and he meddles in a quarrel which is not his. But this time he discovers that it is no easy matter to fight the battle of justice; that the world is stronger than himself, and that he who stands against the world does so at his peril. Yet this experience does not make him prudent or cautious. His zeal for justice drives him from his country; and as soon as he reaches another haunt of men, while he is still sitting by the well outside the city, before he has had time to find a friend and shelter, he hears once more the cry of outraged justice, and runs immediately to its aid. This time the wranglers are not Hebrews, but foreigners and strangers. But what of that? The Prophet makes no distinction between man and man, only between right and wrong. He sees strong shepherds trampling on the rights of weak women and Moses stood up and helped them."
"An Egyptian smiting a Hebrew," the strong treading scornfully on the weak this every-day occurrence is his first experience. The Prophet's indignation is aroused and he helps the weaker. Then "two Hebrews strove together" two brothers, both weak, both slaves of Pharaoh: and yet they fight each other. Once more the Prophet's sense of justice compels him, and he meddles in a quarrel which is not his. But this time he discovers that it is no easy matter to fight the battle of justice; that the world is stronger than himself, and that he who stands against the world does so at his peril. Yet this experience does not make him prudent or cautious. His zeal for justice drives him from his country; and as soon as he reaches another haunt of men, while he is still sitting by the well outside the city, before he has had time to find a friend and shelter, he hears once more the cry of outraged justice, and runs immediately to its aid. This time the wranglers are not Hebrews, but foreigners and strangers. But what of that? The Prophet makes no distinction between man and man, only between right and wrong. He sees strong shepherds trampling on the rights of weak women and Moses stood up and helped them."
(כ) צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)
(20) Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
(כ) וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(20) You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
STILL BEHIND BARS: EDUCATION AND THE MEANING OF FREEDOM A PASSOVER HAGGADAH SUPPLEMENT
WHAT IS MASS INCARCERATION?
The United States has the world’s largest prison population.
One in every hundred Americans is incarcerated. One in
ten African-American men, ages 25 to 29, are in prison. A
third of black men can expect to be incarcerated in their
lifetime. Black people are sent to prison at six times the rate
of white people. What is “Mass Incarceration?” Too often,
it is racial, and racist.
Incarceration rates don’t necessarily correlate with crime,
but rather with color. As but one example, in Mississippi
there is a fairly low crime rate but an especially high
incarceration rate, particularly of African Americans. You
see similar patterns across the North and South.
Mass incarceration breaks apart black communities and
lives, it destroys the sense of family and community, and it
creates a cycle of poverty. At the same time, schools in poor
urban areas are decaying, providing inadequate education
and preparation for jobs in the 21st century. Many turn
to crime not because they are evil, but because they need
to survive or see no alternative. Prisons offer no hope, no
educational opportunities, and encourage more criminal
behavior, leading to recidivism and a revolving door.
When I spent time with the students at the Bard Prison
Initiative, I met exceptional individuals who, when given
the opportunity, demonstrate their intellectual potential
and promise. They have the determination and capacity
to do something different. When you deny people
opportunities by incarcerating them and then provide no
education—how can you send them back to the world and
expect anything different? What happened to our belief
in rehabilitation? America cannot continue to lock up the
problem; jailing it won’t make it go away: let the horns
sound and the doors to our jails open, JUBLIEE!
REV. DR. CALVIN O. BUTTS III
Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York
President, SUNY College at Old Westbury
WHAT DOES PASSOVER TEACH US
ABOUT THIS ISSUE?
This holiday is about two things: Cherut, freedom, and
Aggadah, telling the tale.
Cherut is an active freedom. It’s the freedom that comes with
responsibility. Aggadah means asking and listening, learning
and teaching, passing the story on to the next generation.
We learn from the Rabbis of the Talmud that study is
greater than action because it leads to action.
How can this be? Does study truly free us? How can telling
the same tale, year after year, reveal anew that all of us are
slaves until all of us are free? How can it move us toward
freeing others?
Maybe it’s not just by telling the story, but by asking
questions that change the story. We learn from the actions
of the mothers, like Miriam, Shifrah and Puah, that asking
what’s right is more important than listening to the words
of powerful men.
The Ramban says that one of the twelve tribes of Israel
was never enslaved at all. These were the Levites, the
priestly class. When the Pharoah enslaved the Jews, he
first made it sound like a choice, "Hey, come work for me!"
The Levites refused to toil for the Pharaoh. Instead they
established schools in Egypt and kept alive the knowledge
of Torah and Mitzvot, passed down from Abraham. Their
brothers and sisters supported them and fed them from
their slaves’ portions. Aaron and Moses, liberators of their
people, were Levites.
Learning facilitates freedom. All of us are slaves until
everyone can learn.
ANYA KAMENETZ
Education author and ’97 Bronfman Fellowship alumna
WHAT IS MASS INCARCERATION?
The United States has the world’s largest prison population.
One in every hundred Americans is incarcerated. One in
ten African-American men, ages 25 to 29, are in prison. A
third of black men can expect to be incarcerated in their
lifetime. Black people are sent to prison at six times the rate
of white people. What is “Mass Incarceration?” Too often,
it is racial, and racist.
Incarceration rates don’t necessarily correlate with crime,
but rather with color. As but one example, in Mississippi
there is a fairly low crime rate but an especially high
incarceration rate, particularly of African Americans. You
see similar patterns across the North and South.
Mass incarceration breaks apart black communities and
lives, it destroys the sense of family and community, and it
creates a cycle of poverty. At the same time, schools in poor
urban areas are decaying, providing inadequate education
and preparation for jobs in the 21st century. Many turn
to crime not because they are evil, but because they need
to survive or see no alternative. Prisons offer no hope, no
educational opportunities, and encourage more criminal
behavior, leading to recidivism and a revolving door.
When I spent time with the students at the Bard Prison
Initiative, I met exceptional individuals who, when given
the opportunity, demonstrate their intellectual potential
and promise. They have the determination and capacity
to do something different. When you deny people
opportunities by incarcerating them and then provide no
education—how can you send them back to the world and
expect anything different? What happened to our belief
in rehabilitation? America cannot continue to lock up the
problem; jailing it won’t make it go away: let the horns
sound and the doors to our jails open, JUBLIEE!
REV. DR. CALVIN O. BUTTS III
Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York
President, SUNY College at Old Westbury
WHAT DOES PASSOVER TEACH US
ABOUT THIS ISSUE?
This holiday is about two things: Cherut, freedom, and
Aggadah, telling the tale.
Cherut is an active freedom. It’s the freedom that comes with
responsibility. Aggadah means asking and listening, learning
and teaching, passing the story on to the next generation.
We learn from the Rabbis of the Talmud that study is
greater than action because it leads to action.
How can this be? Does study truly free us? How can telling
the same tale, year after year, reveal anew that all of us are
slaves until all of us are free? How can it move us toward
freeing others?
Maybe it’s not just by telling the story, but by asking
questions that change the story. We learn from the actions
of the mothers, like Miriam, Shifrah and Puah, that asking
what’s right is more important than listening to the words
of powerful men.
The Ramban says that one of the twelve tribes of Israel
was never enslaved at all. These were the Levites, the
priestly class. When the Pharoah enslaved the Jews, he
first made it sound like a choice, "Hey, come work for me!"
The Levites refused to toil for the Pharaoh. Instead they
established schools in Egypt and kept alive the knowledge
of Torah and Mitzvot, passed down from Abraham. Their
brothers and sisters supported them and fed them from
their slaves’ portions. Aaron and Moses, liberators of their
people, were Levites.
Learning facilitates freedom. All of us are slaves until
everyone can learn.
ANYA KAMENETZ
Education author and ’97 Bronfman Fellowship alumna
Kendrick Lamar - YAH.
I'm not a politician, I'm not 'bout a religion
I'm a Israelite, don't call me Black no [more]
That word is only a color, it ain't facts no [more]
My cousin called, my cousin Carl Duckworth
Said know my worth
And Deuteronomy say that we all been cursed
I'm not a politician, I'm not 'bout a religion
I'm a Israelite, don't call me Black no [more]
That word is only a color, it ain't facts no [more]
My cousin called, my cousin Carl Duckworth
Said know my worth
And Deuteronomy say that we all been cursed
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz - "And You Shall Tell Your Son"
The fact that the Jewish people had to experience 400 years of Egyptian exile, including 210 years of actual slavery, was critical in molding our national personality into one of compassion and concern for our fellow man, informed by the realization that we have a vital role to play in the world…. For this reason, God begins the Ten Commandments with a reminder that “I am the Lord, your God, who took you out of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). We must constantly remember that we were slaves in order to always appreciate the ideal of freedom, not only for ourselves but also for others. We must do what we can to help others to live free of the bondage of the evil spirit, free of the bondage of cruelty, of abuse and lack of caring.
The fact that the Jewish people had to experience 400 years of Egyptian exile, including 210 years of actual slavery, was critical in molding our national personality into one of compassion and concern for our fellow man, informed by the realization that we have a vital role to play in the world…. For this reason, God begins the Ten Commandments with a reminder that “I am the Lord, your God, who took you out of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). We must constantly remember that we were slaves in order to always appreciate the ideal of freedom, not only for ourselves but also for others. We must do what we can to help others to live free of the bondage of the evil spirit, free of the bondage of cruelty, of abuse and lack of caring.