We all know that Passover requires considerable restraint on our part. We are not permitted to eat any product made with leaven, and diets are severely restricted. So we must ask, what is so special about leaven that it should be removed from our diet? And why would its consumption violate the Passover spirit?
Of course, the Bible tells us to refrain from eating chametz (leaven). But the reason given seems almost accidental rather than purposeful. We refrain from chametz and eat matzah, the Bible informs us, because the Israelites left Egypt in haste and they didn't have time for the dough to rise. But why should their haste be ours? Thank G-d, our circumstances are much improved. We are a free people living in a free country with plenty of time to watch bread rise!
The Rabbis explain that leaven symbolically is a product that can get us into trouble. It puffs up its host to the point where he or she thinks it is on top of the world. Think of that delicious chalah--how beautiful it looks, what richness it represents. The matzah, on the other hand, is modest, unpretentious, plain. When extrapolated to our people as a whole it means that, if not careful, we can aggrandize ourselves to the point where we might be inclined to rule harshly over others under our control.
The question asked of us every Passover starts out hypothetically. What if we were the masters over an Egyptian population? And what if there was no one to hold us back or correct us? Would we regard our subjects as slaves and exploit them or would we treat them fairly and justly? This is a difficult question to answer because human nature is such that, given the chance, people would "lord it over" others who are more vulnerable. The history of mankind is if nothing else the story of how one people subjugates another.
But because we are a people freed from slavery we know well what it means to have others determine our fate. The Bible, therefore, tells us in no uncertain terms that we are to treat our subjects with the utmost care and not harm or demoralize them unnecessarily. We are very cognizant of our responsibility to others on Passover. We are told to refrain from eating leaven so that we can be reminded once a year what it means to be at the very bottom.
Yes, me Israelites were in a hurry to leave Egypt and so they ate bread in haste. Had they had the time immediately after the Exodus to bake bread, to sit down together as free people, they might have decided that their first priority is to reek vengeance on the Egyptians. After all, they would have had the right to do so, and the circumstances were such that Egypt was devastated after the 10 plagues. Revenge might have been swift but it would not have been sweet because it would have violated Jewish law. That is why G-d made the Israelites leave quickly. It was to save them from negating the values of the Jewish people that were handed down from generation to generation: WE DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE OUR ENEMY.
Most lapses in judgment come when we are angry at people, when we are quick with our temper, when we jump to conclusions. So, now our tradition is to abstain from eating leaven so that our thinking not be clouded by our egos, by our authority.
It is no wonder then that both America and Israel base their values on our Bible. We share the fundamental belief that even in war we take care not to act in haste and take out vengeance on others. We bend backwards to limit collateral damage, to loss of innocent life, even and this is me hardest notion to swallow-even when ft means that our own lives are placed in danger.
Yes, this Passover we have a lot to be thankful for. Not only do we as Americans and Israelis live in a free country, we also pride ourselves on respecting others, even in times of war.
Chag Sameach, Happy Passover