freed to feel , to hear , to act . “ Ilu consciousness ” has us remember our pain and terror and despair along with looking forward to singing “ a new song .” So we conclude this section of the Telling with a glorious litany of ilu declarations – the beloved poem Dayenu . “ Ilu consciousness ” demands that we remember the powerlessness and despair of our past precisely at the same time that we are released into history , into the opportunity and the challenge to address the real possibilities that we can achieve – though these may be only incomplete states of redemption . We are free to hope realistically .
“ Ilu consciousness ” tells us that the unique moment of Divine liberation happened only once in mundane history . Now it is we who must respond to the unique demands of our own time , a time of incomparable crisis .
How shall we respond ? If we are meant to know the harsh feelings of oppression and despair even in the midst of our liberation , surely it is so that we will not keep repeating our refusal to pursue every avenue that will free us from oppressing others and denying them their freedom . As we spill out drops of wine to mourn for our ancient foes , so , surely , must we feel the tragedy of our present foes and neighbors . If we do not do this , then what does our ceremony mean for us ? As the Haggadah says – “ Ilu – had we been in Egypt with that mindset – we would not have been redeemed .”
Rabbi David Greenstein , PhD is a retired rabbi who is currently a teacher at seminaries and institutions of higher learning and an artist . He is an alumnus and past President and Rosh HaYeshiva at the Academy for Jewish Religion .
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