On Sunday morning, March 22nd, over seven-hundred people filled the Lamport auditorium on the uptown Wilf Campus (with countless others across the world watching online via live stream videoing), eager for what promised to be a thought-provoking and significant event to begin. During “The Haggada’s Politics: From 2,000 Years Ago to Today”, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik mediated a discussion between Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman about the political content and messages of the Haggada.
Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik gave an introduction on the topic of the event. He presented the Rav’s explanation that the central commandment of the Seder is often wrongly interpreted as “to tell” the story of the exodus from Egypt; rather, the real commandment is to “delve into” the story. Rabbi Dr. Soloveichik explained that the Haggada is fundamentally a work of Jewish political thought, possibly the only one of its kind. He noted, however, that often times the metaphysical and ethical aspects of the Haggada are deeply explored while its political messages are essentially ignored.
Rabbi Dr. Soloveichik then posed the first question for Senator Lieberman and Rabbi Lord Sacks: The narrative of the exodus from Egypt has become a symbol of various political and national efforts. What about the story in the Haggada gives it its universal impact? Senator Lieberman answered first, explaining that for both religious and non-religious Jews, as well as people of all religions, the exodus story is about the inherent value of the right for people to be free. According to Senator Lieberman, one of the main takeaways from this story that “ends happily” is that “G-d is on the side of freedom”; this sets a standard for not only personal conduct but also to freedom movements throughout the world.
Rabbi Lord Sacks then responded to the question firstly by saying that the bible itself is tremendously popular because the invention of the printing press allowed for its unprecedented accessibility. He then explained that the events of the story in the Haggada, at a time when the “Supreme Power [G-d] intervenes to redeem the supremely powerless”, are ones that can resound powerfully with people from all backgrounds.
Rabbi Dr. Soloveichik then posed the second question to the participants: the story of Maggid begins with the recitation of “ha lachma anya” (“behold, the bread of affliction”). How do the memories of those who suffered in the past impact Rabbi Lord Sacks and Senator Lieberman and their respective senses of responsibility? Rabbi Lord Sacks responded by noting that Moshe could have lived a fine, peaceful life as a Midianite instead of interfering when he saw his brothers’ (the Jewish nation’s) affliction in Egypt. His message was that Moshe reflected the idea that the “Jewish neshama [soul]” cannot be still when others are oppressed. Rabbi Lord Sacks said that personally, he is aware of those centuries of people who suffered before him when he gets up to speak, and tries to “speak on their behalf”.
Senator Lieberman then responded to the question, commenting that his own work for human rights, foreign policy, gay rights, and women’s rights comes from the memory of the slavery of those before him. He interprets G-d’s actions during the Exodus (namely, freeing the Jewish nation with a “strong arm”) as a model of strong foreign policy, and said that this view has affected his own judgments on foreign policy in general.
The dialogue continued, and covered discussion topics including how and why freedom may become tarnished and corrupted. Rabbi Dr. Soloveichik then posed the closing question of the morning: How/why does the Seder make the balance between faith and education, and what role has faith played in each of Rabbi Lord Sacks and Senator Lieberman’s respective religious journeys?
Rabbi Lord Sacks responded, first talking about the crisis of faith and questioning of humanity that existed for many, specifically in the face of the events that took place during the Holocaust. “God has more faith in us than we have in us,” he commented. Senator Lieberman then described his connection to the Jewish faith and discussed specifically the way in which Jewish texts are a part of the Jewish experience. He explained that the texts sacred to the Jewish nation tell us of the promise of eternality [between G-d and the Jewish people].
As the discussion came to a close, reactions to the event were mixed. Many found the discussion to be inspiring and informative. Adi Berman, a senior at SCW, commented on her positive experience at the event. “The conversation between Rabbi Sacks and Senator Lieberman brought ideas to light that I couldn’t have read in a book or article,” she said. “In their conversation, they were able to express their own ideas on freedom based on their respective backgrounds. Overall, I thought the event was interesting and entertaining, and gave me much to think about as Pesach begins.”
Others, however, felt that a certain dynamic nature was lacking throughout the discussion. Miriam Pearl Klahr, a sophomore at SCW, had somewhat conflicting feelings about the event. “While it was exciting to hear from Rabbi Sacks and Senator Lieberman, the event was slightly disappointing,” she commented. “It often felt as if the speakers were each saying their own points and not engaged in a dialogue with each other.”
All in all, the event achieved something quite respectable: hundreds of Jews from diverse backgrounds gathered in one room to think about what freedom means to them in the context of their past, present, and future.