Each year that we go through the Haggadah we are asked to take it personally. We need to see it as if this year we are leaving Egypt. Furthermore, if it hadn’t been for the Divine hand, we’d still be exiled in Egypt. How are we supposed to take this line? Is this an exaggeration or is there some truth to it?
To understand this line we need to understand what it means to be in exile and what it means to be redeemed. Exile has three characteristics according to the midrash[1]: a loss of place, a loss of unified purpose, and a loss of control. A loss of place is obvious as that is the simple definition of exile. What is less obvious is the full ramification of it. In general, a place is where we set roots and create stability. When we don’t have our own place it is hard to be consistent. A loss of unified purpose happens because in exile everyone is scattered and starts doing ‘their own thing’. Finally, there is a loss of control given that the leadership is not our own. If we look at these ideas of exile we will find that on a personal level they are poignant.
How many times in our life do we not live consistently? Have we truly found our place where we fit and can set roots? Do all of our actions reflect a unified purpose or do we live multiple lives at once with nary a thread that connects them? Do we have a social life, a school life, a family life where our personality comes out in different ways and for different reasons or do we live with a global meaning in mind? Finally, are we in control or our friends or our phones or our desires or our societal expectations running the show?
Redemption is the answer to these questions and it is an answer that we seek on seder night. Let’s find our place, our purpose, and our feeling of control for those are the ingredients of true freedom.
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