Dear Friends,
One of my favourite questions to ask at the Seder table is this: If God surely knew who was Jewish and who was not, why did he command us to put sheep's blood on our doorposts on the night of the 10th plague? Could God's angel not have passed over Jewish homes without the blood?
The answer is that of course God could have spared Israel's first born without our help. But he wanted the Jewish people to partner with him in the Exodus story. The sheep were actually considered holy in Egypt, and by slaughtering the animal, the Jewish people were engaging in an act of defiance against a people and culture that subjugated us for hundreds of years.
God, moreover, commanded us to not only slaughter the sheep but to cook them over fire--the Torah specifies that they were to be roasted and not cooked in water. Why? Our tradition explains that by cooking the meat over fire, the smell would spread and be noticed by the Jewish people's Egyptian neighbors, which made the cooking of the sheep's meat an additional act of defiance against those who would oppress us.
The Torah is teaching us to partner with God in our fight for freedom and to act without fear in the face of our persecutors. Vehi Sheamda--one of the songs we traditionally sing at the Seder--tells us that "in every generation, they rise up against us to destroy us." Jews are still being threatened around the world--on Israel's borders, in our synagogues and on college campuses.
As in the Hagadah, we seek God's help against our adversaries, but we are also responsible for doing our part to stand up for Jewish students, the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
As you have read in our updates, Hasbara Fellows have led the way in defeating BDS on campuses across the Canada and the US. At this time, we are preparing our newest cohort of Hasbara Fellows from across Canada to attend the Hasbara leadership seminars in Israel this summer.
I look forward to sharing more good news as this semester concludes and to continue partnering with you for the cause of Israel and the Jewish people. Thank you for being a part of Hasbara's efforts on campus. Have a happy and meaningful Passover.
All my best,
Alan
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Anonymous Confessions Distort History and Hurt Jewish Students
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