Passover and the Supreme Court
This week has two things uppermost in my mind: Passover and the Supreme Court.
By the end of the week I will have attended three seders, and at each one we will tell the story of the Exodus, the story of Jewish freedom. We remember when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and how God set them free. We tell our children the story so it is never forgotten.
But we don't say, "Remember that time the Israelites were slaves, and now they are free?" We say, "Remember that time that WE were slaves, and now WE are free." We are supposed to personalize it, make the journey through the dessert our own journey. We are all, or have all, or all will be slaves to something in our lives, things like money, popularity, drugs. One of the points of the seder is to make the long walk to freedom personal.
We also eat bitter herbs, not just because horseradish rocks, but because it brings tears to our eyes, and even while we're celebrating OUR personal freedom, we remember that there are people in this world, right now, who are not so lucky. Right now there is human trafficking, drug addiction, government oppression. Right now there are people who can't travel where they want, can't worship as they want, can't marry or divorce as they choose. It's not enough for us to be free. We have to want freedom for everybody.
We end the seder with the words, "Next year may all be free."
I think it's poignant that two marriage equality cases have be argued before the Supreme Court during Passover. I just read a Tweet by a woman who argued that the cases aren't that important because they affect less than 10% of the population. I disagree. Marriage equality affects all of us. I am truly blessed. I was raised Catholic and married a Jew. There was a time when that wasn't legal. I didn't have to choose between my husband and my country. Even after it became legal, it hasn't always been socially acceptable. My father, my mother, my grandparents all came to witness and celebrate with me. I didn't have to choose between my husband and my family.
When marriage equality doesn't exist, it doesn't only effect those who are denied the right of marriage. It affects us all. It brings us all down. It brings tears to our eyes, like the bitter herbs at the seder. Our founding fathers wrote, "All men are created equal." It took 100 years for that statement to include people of color and the end of slavery. It took almost 150 years for that statement to include women and the right to vote. How many years until it includes homosexuals and the right to marry?
Next year may we all be free.
By the end of the week I will have attended three seders, and at each one we will tell the story of the Exodus, the story of Jewish freedom. We remember when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and how God set them free. We tell our children the story so it is never forgotten.
But we don't say, "Remember that time the Israelites were slaves, and now they are free?" We say, "Remember that time that WE were slaves, and now WE are free." We are supposed to personalize it, make the journey through the dessert our own journey. We are all, or have all, or all will be slaves to something in our lives, things like money, popularity, drugs. One of the points of the seder is to make the long walk to freedom personal.
We also eat bitter herbs, not just because horseradish rocks, but because it brings tears to our eyes, and even while we're celebrating OUR personal freedom, we remember that there are people in this world, right now, who are not so lucky. Right now there is human trafficking, drug addiction, government oppression. Right now there are people who can't travel where they want, can't worship as they want, can't marry or divorce as they choose. It's not enough for us to be free. We have to want freedom for everybody.
We end the seder with the words, "Next year may all be free."
I think it's poignant that two marriage equality cases have be argued before the Supreme Court during Passover. I just read a Tweet by a woman who argued that the cases aren't that important because they affect less than 10% of the population. I disagree. Marriage equality affects all of us. I am truly blessed. I was raised Catholic and married a Jew. There was a time when that wasn't legal. I didn't have to choose between my husband and my country. Even after it became legal, it hasn't always been socially acceptable. My father, my mother, my grandparents all came to witness and celebrate with me. I didn't have to choose between my husband and my family.
When marriage equality doesn't exist, it doesn't only effect those who are denied the right of marriage. It affects us all. It brings us all down. It brings tears to our eyes, like the bitter herbs at the seder. Our founding fathers wrote, "All men are created equal." It took 100 years for that statement to include people of color and the end of slavery. It took almost 150 years for that statement to include women and the right to vote. How many years until it includes homosexuals and the right to marry?
Next year may we all be free.