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 28: God or Pharaoh
Imitate God, not Pharaoh. According to Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, that’s the message of the Passover story. God hears the cries of the Israelites and, with aroused compassion, works to end their suffering. Pharaoh doesn’t allow his heart to be stirred. He refuses to listen, even when the Israelites painfully cry out to him. Compassion is instinctive if we permit ourselves to hear the cries of the oppressed. Passover asks, will we be like God and choose to hear, or will we be like Pharaoh and choose to ignore?