do to fight evil . We are invited to explore what God ’ s protection looks like in our time , when it does not come in the form of plagues or largescale miracles like the closing of the sea over those who pursued us .
This year , I am struck by the pageantry of this passage , in which we are instructed to open our doors and intone these words , publicly , into the street . What a privilege it is for those who have the freedom to open our doors in safety without fearing harm from outside , and how suddenly fragile that freedom feels . How dramatically different this seemingly normal experience - opening our doors - is from the hours and hours our people hid in safe rooms in the South of Israel , gripping the door handles and barring them shut with their bodies while Hamas rampaged inside their homes . How wildly distinct from the experience of our college students on many campuses at this moment . This year , the Jewish people has not needed to wait for the Passover seder to imagine our lives as slaves - we know that it could be any one of us captive in Gaza , and we weep for our brothers and sisters stolen away and suffering .
This year , I move past slowness to anger with every news report , and hope that intoning these words might help to purge the fury and fear from my own body , even temporarily . Next year , may we all be free from captivity , from fear , from fury . Next year , may we all know safety and security and have no more need for these words .
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