18 Apr Pesach and The 12 Steps; Remember When

Pesach and The 12 Steps; Remember When
Inspired by the teachings of Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth    

Those who are familiar with the 12-Step Programs will also be familiar with what are known as ‘slogans’. These are short inspirational phrases used in the process of recovery to prompt self refection.. One such slogan is ‘Remember When’. To ‘remember when’ is a way through the power of speech to  ‘feel and experience’ the past, and to then bring clarity to our present. Such is the observance and telling of the story of Pesach and the Haggadah.

Re-telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt is a commandment which we is fulfilled during the reading out aloud of Hagaddah during the Seder.

The word Pesach means ‘skipping, leaping or to pass-over’. The word Pesach can split into the words Peh (mouth) and Sach (conversation).  

Jewish wisdom teaches us that the power of speech creates a reality. It is the purpose of the Hagaddah to read aloud and to ‘feel deeply’ the past oppression of the Israelites so we can come to gain experience and insight to recognize and learn to remedy the oppression and obstacles in our lives today. The remedy of our repeated oppressions are found within the Hagaddah.

There is a powerful concept in Jewish Wisdom that we Descend to Ascend. We say just as in the Redemption from Egypt ‘we went Down to Mitzrayim to Ascend to the Redemption and Freedom; The Torah at Sinai, possession of Israel, and the journey of the Jewish Nation to bring the Final Redemption… Moshiach. There are times we must ‘go back to go forward’.    

We begin the Seder by the telling of the story of the seder by asking The 4 Questions. The seder then continues with the answers. When looking deeply into the story of the seder or the event of our lives we learn it is imperative to dig deep is to ask questions in order to find answers. This is a fundamental teaching in Jewish Wisdom, Chassidut… critical thinking.

The commandment to ‘remember and experience the past’  as we do by looking back each year at Pesach by looking ‘deeply’ into the story of the Hagaddah is a lesson of digging deeply into the oppressive (obstacles) stories in our lives today. When we dig deeply into the events of our past we can reveal concealed sparks of holiness that can then be ignited and we can then rectify ourselves, the Jewish Nation and bring the Final Redemption…Moshiach.    

Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counceling
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com