Pesach 5786

by Rabbi Margie Cella

This week we will gather at our Seder tables with family and friends to mark the beginning of the Pesach holiday. In the Book of Exodus, Moses’ name appears 290 times, Aaron’s 31 times, and Miriam’s only twice. In the Haggadah, it’s a different story: Aaron appears once and Miriam twice; but (we are told that) Moses’ name does not appear in the text at all!

Since Moses is the central character in the Exodus story, it is perplexing that he seems to be absent. Several theories have been proposed to explain this unexpected omission. The most common theory is that the authors of the Haggadah wanted to emphasize the idea that God alone redeemed us from Egyptian slavery. Coupled with this is the idea that Moses was very humble and did not wish to be the center of attention. Still others say that, while Moses brought about our physical freedom, only God could bring about our spiritual freedom, and that is what we are actually celebrating on Pesach.

Another theory is that God did not want us to idolize Moses, since he was, after all, human like all of us. Yet another theory is that we don’t need to read Moses’ name—we know that our redemption from slavery could not have been effected without him; though unnamed, his presence is undeniable in the Haggadah.

The explanation I prefer is this: the Haggadah teaches that each of us is to view ourselves as if we were there in Egypt. We all experience our own redemption(s) during our lifetime: sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally, spiritually, or mentally. Those are between us and God alone.

Oseh Shalom, Maker of Peace, may You speedily bring redemption to us and our beloved Eretz Israel.

(There is actually one mention of God’s servant Moses in the Haggadah—see if you can find it!)