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The Burning Palace – A Passover Message
It's been a challenging year. We feel like the world is burning. Yet, Passover gives us an entirely different perspective.
The ancient book of Midrash Rabbah, tells a story: “There was once a person who saw a burning palace. They looked around and didn’t see the owner of the palace. No one seemed to be trying to put out the fire. They wondered: ‘Could it be that such a beautiful palace is abandoned?’. Just then the owner of the palace looked out and said: ‘I am the owner of the palace, I have everything under control’”.
Our Passover story began when our ancestors were suffering under horrific conditions as slaves in Egypt over 3300 years ago. Then one day, Moses appeared as G-d’s messenger to lead the Israelites to freedom. After punishing Egypt with 10 miraculous plagues, Pharaoh finally set the Israelites free.
While it may have appeared to the people who were suffering in slavery that they were forgotten and had no way out, G-d was still in control and when the time came, they were set free.
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This Friday evening, April 15, families around the world will be celebrating that freedom at a Passover Seder, marking 3334 years from the day our ancestors were set free. As we commemorate our past by celebrating Passover, we remember its message:
While it may appear that the palace we live in (our world) is burning; the owner of the palace (the Al-mighty G-d) is here in the palace and in control of everything that is happening within it.
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Our world is not the jungle it seems to be. Success and power in our world are not random. Powerful forces of evil cannot cause endless harm.
Our world is a palace; a beautiful habitat created and managed by the Al-mighty G-d. Yes, there is pain in our world and sometimes terrible things happen; but the evil will not last. The Creator and Owner of our palace will protect it, and in the end, good always prevails.
Yet, we cannot sit and do nothing while watching the palace burn. We were placed in the palace by the Owner so that we can help put out the fire. G-d gave us a role to help combat and defeat evil.
We live in challenging times. Sometimes it feels that everything around us is burning. We are coming out after two years of a challenging pandemic that shut down our society and left so much death and suffering in its wake. The past six weeks of terrible war in Ukraine, has made us feel like history has stepped back 80 years.
This week, as we celebrate Passover, let us remember its message: We’ve been through greater challenges before and came out stronger. While sometimes the forces of evil appear unstoppable, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and our Creator will ensure we get there.
It is our role to partner with G-d and do everything we can to combat evil and alleviate suffering in every way we can. That is why our JCC in the South Bay has adopted the town of Kamianske, a suburb of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine. We are providing financial aid to distribute food, clothing medicine and other basic needs to the residents and helping them evacuate to safety.
Join us in celebrating Passover at our community Seder at the JCC. Learn more and register at jccmb.com/Passover
May the celebration of freedom this Passover, lead to peace and freedom for the people in Ukraine and all people facing challenges wherever and whatever they may be.
Happy Passover,
Rabbi Yossi Mintz
