How does the journey to freedom begin?
Once, and then again and again. We wake and for the hundredth morning in a row grope in the early silence for the words to describe what is wrong. One day, words begin. We are wrenched from the patters that have defined our lives. We can no longer live as we have lived.
How does our people’s journey begin?
In the hut where the Israelite midwives work, ShifraShifra is one of the two Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exodus 1 who refuses Pharaoh's orders to kill the boy children, instead enabling them to live. She, along with her partner Puah, is instrumental in beginning the process leading to the Exodus. Shifra is often identified as Jochebed, Moses' mother. turns to Pu’ah and sees in the spark of her partner’s eye something she did not see the day before. Together they dare to defy Pharaoh, preserve life, ensure their people’s future.
In the dark room where Yochved labors to give birth, her daughter MiriamMiriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. As Moses' and Aaron's sister she, according to midrash, prophesies Moses' role and helps secure it by watching over the young baby, seeing to it that Pharaoh's daughter takes him and that the baby is returned to his mother for nursing. During the Israelites' trek through the desert, a magical well given on her behalf travels with the Israelites, providing water, healing, and sustenance. sits close by, humming a chant her grandmothers sang while mixing mortar. Suddenly she hears an infant’s cry. And within her, hope rises like a new song. She sees beyond Egypt, to bright desert spaces and mountains, to far-off vineyards heavy with fruit.
How does the journey to freedom begin?
Once, and then again. In small, scattered, heroic acts and moments of vision until the humming rises and disparate voices come together into the cry of a people. “A long time after that the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under bondage, and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God.” (Exodus 2:23)
The Journey Continues: The Ma’yan HaggadahLit. "Telling.” The haggadah is the book used at the seder table on Passover to tell the story of the Exodus, the central commandment of the holiday. It is rich in song, prayer, and legend. There are many different version of the Haggadah produced throughout Jewish history. can be purchased for $12 + $4 s/h by emailing Ma’yan, infomayan@mayan.org.
