Rabbi Knopf's Blog

The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should start learning about the festival and its meaning. In that spirit, I offer a brief message each day leading up to Passover, drawn from the wisdom of the holiday and the Exodus story. Feel free to share/forward.  -Rabbi Knopf

Day 22: Orderly Freedom
Each year, I am struck by the dissonance of celebrating freedom by having a Seder, an orderly ritual meal. Shouldn’t each of us be free to celebrate our own way? The philosopher Rebecca Goldstein teaches that Judaism rejects the chaos and formlessness of that version of freedom because it impedes our ability to live meaningfully. Significance, holiness, in our lives can only be achieved through structure: We differentiate the extraordinary from the ordinary and holy time from regular time, ascribing a unique character to each moment. This is true of the Seder, and also the discipline of every-day Jewish living.