Passover has long been a favorite holiday, even as I transitioned from Jew to agnostic to yogi, Buddhist and beyond.
It is a celebration of spring and rebirth, cleansing, freedom, truth and non-attachment. It is an excuse to drink a lot of wine, a reminder that ritual intoxication is a vehicle for transcending the intellect to experience gratitude for the miracle of our awareness and commitment to freedom. It is also a reminder that the wine is not necessary.
At the surface is the story: the migration of the Hebrews to Egypt, their success, their enslavement, the struggle for release, release, wandering in the desert, getting the Torah, heading for the holy land.
The personalities and relationships are teachings: Joseph, his father, brothers and dreams; the life of Moses and his transition from slave baby to prince to rebel, seeker, prophet and leader; the Pharaoh his anger and attachment to power and his relationship with Moses, raised as his brother; to mention only the principal characters in a cast of thousands.
It is a soap opera with each role an archetype. We see jealousy, betrayal, forgiveness, faith, brutality, retribution, anger, greed, fear, and all the aspects of the way people relate to one another and themselves.
We see that just getting through the Red Sea is a first step and receiving the Torah another step in a long hard journey to the Promised Land.
The ritual Seder is a vehicle for passing the teachings from generation to generation over thousands of years. Each prayer and symbol brings with it a realization of gratitude, the need to teach our children, the bitterness of slavery, the hard work of building the pyramids, sweetness, plagues, and the reminder that we are to be aware of the humanity and value of even our enemies.
On the inner level, it becomes a metaphor for personal liberation - The way we become liberated from the slavery of our conditioned responses, attachments, aversions and ignorance.
I am reminded of Bob Marley's words, "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but our self can free our minds." We are our own Moses. We can't wait for salvation from the outside. We are our own pharaoh, holding ourselves in bondage.
We can see ourselves in the characters. We can cultivate our positive traits while accepting and overcoming the negative ones and the unskillful behavior they cause.
For example, Moses smashing the ten commandment tablets in anger shows us the tendency to frustration and anger when disappointed in others. This act kept him from going to the Promised Land. A cautionary tale, pointing to the need to not act out from anger and the cost of doing so.
The Exodus is our own path through the desert to truth. It is recognizing that living in slavery does not work. It is leaving everything behind to jump into the unknown, trusting that it will all turn out well.
Passover is the season for remembering all of that, and of course, eating matzah brie and macaroons.
