Liberation is just the beginning

Liberation is just the beginning

March 30, 2021

“As Pesach begins, we Jews will begin our journey from liberation to revelation. Beginning on our second night’s Seder, we will start to count the Omer, the 49 days until Shavuot, the night of study and rededication that ends with the gift of our Torah at Sinai. In our tradition, this is when our mixed multitude becomes a people united in a way of life — the pursuit of justice.”


—Leaders of Bend the Arc’s Ritual Committee, Liberation Haggadah

 

As I prepare for Passover, I’m holding the heartbreak of the two deadly mass shootings in the last 10 days and the loss of over 540,000 lives in this country since last Passover. As we sit with the heaviness of the world as it is, it can be hard to feel the possibility of liberation.

In these moments, I remember that after they left Mitzrayim (the narrow place), our ancestors trekked through the wilderness — headed, they hoped, to a place they had never seen and could only imagine.

We know that liberation isn’t the end of our journey. It’s just the beginning — what follows is the opportunity for transformation on a massive scale. Even in the pain of this moment, I’m filled with hope thinking about all of the possibilities ahead of us — the possibilities that our movements made possible with our hard-fought victories in 2020.

I hope you and your loved ones have a meaningful Passover celebration. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll check out our special Passover offerings:

🌱 Zoom Seder Kit: Add joy, reflection, and justice to your Seder with our Passover-themed Zoom backgrounds & filters. When you make a donation to download our new Zoom Seder Kit, you’re also helping power our movement forward. (If you’re unable to donate, please download the Zoom Seder Kit at no cost here.)

🌱 Liberation Haggadah: Ground your Seder in themes of justice and freedom for all with this Liberation Haggadah from the leaders of Bend the Arc’s Ritual Committee.

Whatever Passover looks like for you this year, know that we are all together in our wandering. We will journey together to reach the promised land — the future we envision, the place we have never seen and can only imagine, of a country where all of us are truly safe and free.

No matter where you are right now on the path to the promised land, there’s a place for you at Bend the Arc and a place for you in our movement. We’re so glad to be on this journey with you.

We are in this together.

Chag Pesach Sameach,
Stosh Cotler
CEO

PS: Feel free to pass these offerings along to friends & family as well! We hope our Zoom Seder Kit & Liberation Haggadah reach all the people who will feel nourished by them.