Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
Cantor Jamie Gloth 
David A. Farbman, President
Pursuing Liberty, Then and Now
March 29, 2018 | 13 Nissan 5778
13 Nissan 5778
March 29, 2018

Dear Friends,

The other day, I was summoned to jury duty. What an incredible responsibility -- and opportunity. It would have astonished our ancestors. They would have been flabbergasted. They didn’t know from democracy or citizenship. They couldn’t have imagined learned, fair and compassionate judges applying the law dispassionately to all who come before them. And to think that their descendants would one day sit in judgment on their peers, and seek to carry out justice? Unbelievable! On the walls of the courthouse where I served are the words of Justice Louis Brandeis: “Justice is truth in action.” It has felt that way as I have found myself observing our criminal justice system.

Visiting the courtroom, one could easily imagine that the human struggle for liberty that preoccupied our ancestors was over, that there was no longer any need to fight for justice. After all, the system seems secure: judges and juries determine facts and law, and thereby guarantee “liberty and justice for all.”

But vast numbers of people on this planet do not live in societies in which justice prevails. (I’m sure we can each think of at least a half dozen countries where this is true.) And even in this country, there are miscarriages of justice occurring all the time, leading us at times to wonder whether our own justice system requires tweaking. Moreover, our liberty depends on a harmonious balance of the three branches of government. Judges in courtrooms can only do so much. When any of the three branches of government expresses disrespect for another -- as has unfortunately been occurring increasingly frequently recently -- confidence in our government, on which societal stability depends and which is essential for justice to prevail, suffers. 

Clearly, there is still much work to be done. 

Which brings me to Passover. I believe it’s as important -- as vital -- as it ever was to observe Passover. 

What do I mean by “observe?” I mean, on the one hand: to kasher our kitchens for Passover; to refrain from eating hametz during the holiday; to gather, ideally with family and friends, on each of the first two nights of the holiday, and to follow the prescribed rituals of the seder as they have been carried out for generations; and to join with the congregation in worship and study on the first two and the last two days of the holiday (Saturday and Sunday, March 31st and April 1st; and Friday and Saturday, April 6th and 7th). (See our Passover guide here for details).

But I also think it’s important to “observe” the holiday in the fullest sense of that word. We should look around us at the world in which we, not our ancestors, live, and ask: What are the messages that Passover has for us?

The seder is the ideal opportunity for this kind of observation and reflection. We ask and ponder questions designed to assure that our observance of Passover will not be merely the celebration of an event that might have taken place some 3,000 years ago. Instead, we deliberately re-enact the journey from slavery and freedom so we can feel in our bones both the yearning of those eager to embark on that journey and the gratitude of those who have completed it. 

As we know, it is traditional to ask Four Questions at the seder. (Here they are, complete with simple answers:
Here are four more questions you might ask at your seder this year. The first pair encourages us to look outward; the second pair encourages us to look inward.

1)  Given our memory of having been refugees, again and again and again: how should that inform our approach to refugee resettlement in the world in general and in America in particular today? How does the fact that we’ve “made it” here in this country alter our approach? Should it? And how does Pesach inform our understanding of the rights and privileges that we should accord to a) refugees; b) economic and/or political migrants; c) documented immigrants; or d) undocumented immigrants? What does Passover teach us about our responsibility to protect the liberty of all those among whom we live, even “the strangers among us?” (Incidentally, is(n’t) it surprising that we’re still talking about refugees in 2018?)

2) How confident are we in our own freedom here in the US? What are the threats to our liberty? What should our role be in addressing these threats and resisting them?

3) Why is there still anti-Semitism in this world? How could it be that in 2018 an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor could allegedly be assaulted and murdered in her apartment in Paris, in what appears to be a hate crime? (Read the story here ). When we say, at the seder, “In every generation, they arise against us to destroy us,” do we really believe that? If so, how can we best protect ourselves? If not, what is the evidence that things are getting better?

4) For two thousand years, our ancestors yearned to go to Israel. When they concluded their seders with “Next year in Jerusalem!” they were sincerely expressing a messianic dream extremely unlikely to be fulfilled. We, on the other hand, can take an Uber to Logan Airport and be in Israel tomorrow. As Israel approaches its 70th anniversary, what is the nature of our relationship with the Jewish state? What do we mean when we say, “Next year in Jerusalem?”

I hope I haven’t overwhelmed anyone with these questions! My purpose is simply to put a few ideas into our heads so that the discussions around our seder tables will focus on contemporary concerns while remaining informed by Judaism, the incredible value system and culture of which we are heirs. 

Let me wish each and every one of us a happy, healthy, and fulfilling Passover. Above all, may this be a Pesach in which each of us observes the world around us through the highly polished lens of 3,000 years of Jewish history and tradition. 

Hag Pesach Kasher v’Sameach!

Rabbi Carl M. Perkins

P.S. Just as at the seder, when, at the very end of the meal there’s one more element (the afikomen ) designed to teach us one more thing about the holiday, I’d like to offer you one more teaching about what it means to be free. Have you ever heard of an American N.C.O. named Roddie Edmonds ? I urge you to take 13 minutes and watch the following video about him (click here ). I assure you: it will be worthwhile . Go ahead and watch it, and let me know what you think. One thing I can promise you: the second day of Passover will never be the same again. 

By the way, speaking of the second day of Passover, let me mention that we’ll be honoring our own Rabbi Donald Splansky on the occasion of his 50th year in the rabbinate. Joining us will be his daughter, Karen Farbman, who hopes to bensch gomel (recite the blessing of gratitude) that day. Looking forward to seeing you!