Dana Mathewson

The Townhall site gives us a wonderful lineup of columnists. None better, in my estimation, than Paul Greenburg, who gives us this splendid appreciation of Passover, which starts tonight.

Tonight we quit Egypt at last, and strike out for the Promised Land. It's the first night of Passover, the first night of freedom.

We Americans know what freedom is. It's one long Fourth of July party, complete with hot dogs, apple pie and a brass band playing "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Tonight is another celebration of freedom, and quite a party it is, what with white tablecloths, festive bottles of wine for the required four toasts, crispy matzo we haven't tasted for a whole year, family stories of Passovers past, strange-tasting foods reserved for this special night.

The old story will be retold in response to the simplest of questions, which is to be asked by the youngest child at the table: "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Then the towering, thunder-and-lightning, awe-filled Book of Exodus will be transmuted into answers fit for children of all ages -- a fairy tale told in song and story, capped by a great scavenger hunt at the end of the evening for the last crumb of sanctified matzo needed to properly complete the magical evening.

A good time will be had by all. That's what freedom is all about, isn't it?

No. Because at some point during the evening, reality will dawn. It's a different point for different people. For some the realization will come early, for others late, for still others never at all.

A secret: There is no promised land. There is only slavery or the wilderness, and the eternal moment of choice between them. That is freedom, nothing more. And yet it is all.

One night of the year, we are summoned to break out of the everyday and make our choice. Pharaoh's army is forever gaining on us. There is nothing for it but to plunge into the roaring sea. Freedom is no party. It is a leap of faith.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 09:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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