Let My People Go!

            As we clean for Pesach, many of us note that our homes and hands probably have never been cleaner and more germ-free as we wash those 20 seconds many times a day, and wipe down with those sought after Clorox wipes wherever we go.  (Although, our homes are perhaps messier, as we spend all day at home!). As my son writes his dvar Torah on the makkot for school I consider that we are living through a plague as well. I contemplate how generations of Jews before us have survived difficult times.   I remind myself of the words of the haggadah- והִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ. שֶׁלֹא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר, עוֹמְדִים עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

"And this (the promise) is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands. "

            When I hear the words “Let my people go” in addition to recalling the Pesach story, I also relive the Soviet Jewry movement of my teenage years. Those words bring to mind another generation that survived difficult times.   In the 1980s,  I recall singing two songs that always conjured up strong emotions. The first was written in 1977 by the group Safam and it was called “Leaving Mother Russia.” For those unfamiliar- this is the first paragraph and the chorus: (Anatole is Natan Sharansky)

They called me Anatole

In prison I did lie,

My little window looked out

On a Russian sky.

For nearly nine long years

Secluded and in pain

But all my people know

The charges were a frame.

See my accuser standing in the hall,

He points his finger at us all.

You now must pay the penalty

For the crime of daring to be free.

Chorus:

We are leaving Mother Russia,

We have waited far too long.

We are leaving Mother Russia,

When they come for us we’ll be gone.

There was another song by Mordechai Ben David that we also sang called, “Let My People Go”

The chorus was: (Yossi is Yosef Mendelovitch)

Yossi survived he’s free now

Pleading to you and me now

Always have in mind

Our brothers left behind

Trapped in the iron curtain

Leading in demonstrations

Firing inspiration

Thousands shouting no!

Let my people go!

Enough of your bluff and your hurtin’

Thousands shouting no!

Let my people go!

Enough of your bluff and your hurtin’

At Pesach, the best way for me as a teen to relate to the slavery that the Jews went through was to consider the imprisonment of the refusniks.  It was therefore meaningful to me when I discovered a video produced by the Jewish Agency of tips from Natan Sharansky on how to deal with the social isolation of the coronavirus. Sharansky spent nine years in prison, half of which in solitary confinement.  A short time after his freedom he shared the story that on his first night in Jerusalem he kissed the Kotel and he said, “Baruch matir asirim” “Blessed is the one who frees the imprisoned.”  And, yet somehow, as one reads in his autobiography Fear No Evil, even before he was physically freed he was able to remain psychologically free even while still imprisoned.  What enabled him to do so?  This video, that I shared with our 8th graders last week, shares some of his tips for remaining psychologically free during this pandemic:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdyHlYpRvko.  (And, here is a link to a handout we shared with the students as well: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dcC5umRVMnIGGbKO6nfWEGSngPcYLx4Z/view) 

5 tips to get through quarantine- and some thoughts to discuss with our children: 

1. We are part of a huge global battle-  We understand the battle Sharansky was a part of- a battle for religious freedom. But, what battle are we a part of?  Let us realize that there is a purpose for our being in our homes. We are actually helping others by staying here. When we feel frustrated, we need to remind ourselves that we are part of the fight and helping. 

2.            Try to build plans that fully depend on you-  Sometimes in life we do not have control over everything that happens to us. That can be frustrating and even scary.  We cannot always control the circumstances around us, but we can control how we react to them.  Whatever we can do to help ourselves feel in control can lift our spirits. What can you consciously plan in your life?  (Examples he gave, read that book, learn a language).  And, let us remember that Hashem is in control and we can always turn to Him. 

3.            Never give up on your sense of humor- Humor can relieve stress. There has been much research on how using humor lowers stress levels during difficult situations. And, not only that, a good laugh has impactful short-term effects.  When a person laughs, it induces physical changes in one’s body. Laughter can A. Increase the intake of oxygen-rich air which stimulates your heart, lungs, muscle and increases endorphins which help you feel good. B. Improve your immune system- negative thoughts can bring more stress to your body and decrease your immunity. Positive thoughts can release neuropeptides that help fight stress and illness. C. Reduce symptoms of stress by stimulating circulation and muscle relaxation.  D. Relieve your stress response by increasing and decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure which results in a relaxed feeling. 

So, what are you doing to increase laughter and sense of humor in your life? 

4.            Don’t give up on your hobbies: Engaging in hobbies is part of crisis survival skills that we need to implement when we are having a hard time remaining calm.  These skills help us distract ourselves so that we do not catastrophize and scare ourselves further.   Some examples might be activities that we simply enjoy,  something that we can do to help others or whatever activities self-soothe.  

5.            Feel your connection- you are not alone- 

During this time we need to connect in non-traditional ways.  While we normally might be trying to limit our teenagers’ online usage, it is now their lifeline. We have noticed how thirsty the children are to schmooze with each other before or after our zoom classes.  In discussing this issue with our students we encouraged them to consider the students who may not have so many social connections. Imagine how lonely they must be right now.  How can they reach out to that person to say, “Hi.”   And, their grandparents- reaching out daily to check in on them. Connecting to others helps them and us at the same time. We also consider how we feel connected to the Jewish people through joining virtual tefillah, concerts or even on-line shiurim.  

As part of Sharansky’s statement before the Soviet court before being sentenced in 1978, he said, “For more than two thousand years the Jewish people, my people, have been dispersed. But wherever they are, wherever Jews are found, every year they have repeated,'Next year in Jerusalem.' Now, when I am further than ever from my people, from Avital, facing many arduous years of imprisonment, I say, turning to my people, my Avital, 'Next year in Jerusalem.'”  This year, as we sit at our sedarim and say, “Next year in Jerusalem” we need to say those words by design, as Sharansky did. 

 The seder takes us on a journey from slavery to freedom, and we end by sharing the hope for the future redemption.  As Emuna Braverman says in her article “Next Year In Jerusalem”  

“Next year in Jerusalem” is not just a slogan, a rallying goal, a clever Madison Avenue tag line. It is a deeply rooted expression of religious belief and of trust in God. It is not just a way to end the Seder on an emotional high; it is an expression of our reality. When we utter those words at the end of our Seder (those of us who are still awake!) we are saying that we know there is something more than the pain and trauma we are experiencing now. We know that, like all exiles in the past, this too will end. We know that our salvation comes from the Almighty and that He is only waiting for us to turn to Him to come to our rescue. When the Jewish people groaned under the burden of slavery and cried out to God, He “remembered’ His covenant. God does not have senior moments. He did not forget His covenant with the Jewish people in the midst of all His other tasks. He was waiting for us to cry out to Him. He’s waiting now as well... we turn our hearts and minds heavenward as we recognize that only the Almighty can bring us what we truly want in the depths of our souls – “leshana haba b’yerushalayim habenuyah – next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem!”

            As we prepare for this unusual Pesach, may we have the strength to remain believers, as Natan Sharansky did in his isolation. And, may we remind ourselves that as He did in Egypt and in the Soviet prison, Hashem is waiting for us to turn to Him to come to our rescue.