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On Wednesday, Jews worldwide will gather around the seder table to celebrate the first night of Passover. As we read the Haggadah, two things quickly become apparent. First, the liberation of the Jewish people was both a collective and individual experience—a matter of we and me. Removing one from the other is to misread how freedom works.
Second, the Exodus wasn’t a snapshot in time. It remains a continuous presence in our lives today. Every Friday night, the kiddush blessing recited at the Shabbat table speaks of our liberation from Egypt. At the Passover seder, the Haggadah tells us to see ourselves, Canadian Jews in 2026, as having been personally freed from slavery.
Is this performative—about pretending to be someone we really aren’t? Or is it transformative—about performing rituals that build us into someone we’re intended to become?
As the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook was renowned for his profound appreciation of the spiritual basis of Zionism—and his deep respect for all Jews, religious and secular alike.
In writing about the meaning of freedom, he asks: “Does it simply refer to the end of Egyptian slavery? Is it only political independence—a gift which has eluded the Jewish people for most of their 4,000-year existence?”
Rabbi Kook’s answer is insightful:
“True freedom is that proud and indomitable spirit by which the individual—as well as the nation as a whole—is determined to remain faithful to his (or her) inner essence…
"Individuals with a slave mentality live their lives and express views that are based, not on their own essential spiritual nature, but on that which is attractive and good in the eyes of others. In this way they are ruled by others, whether physically or by social convention, in body or in spirit.
"Vanquished and exiled, the Jewish people were oppressed over the centuries by cruel masters. But our inner soul always remained imbued with the spirit of freedom. Were it not for the wondrous gift of the Torah, bestowed upon us when we left Egypt for eternal freedom, the long and bitter exile would have crushed our spirits and reduced us to a slave mentality. But on Passover, the festival of freedom, we openly demonstrate that we are free in our very essence…”1
The Torah speaks of Jews as being a stiff-necked people. I’m sure each of us have had discussions or debates at times (perhaps even at the seder table!) that would cause us to nod in agreement with that description. But that’s not the full story of what it means to be stiff-necked.
Rabbi Yitzchak Nissenbaum, who did not survive the Warsaw Ghetto, had a remarkable interpretation of this idea, framed as a passionate appeal to God from Moses:
“They are indeed an obstinate people…But just as now they are stiff-necked in their disobedience, so one day they will be equally stiff-necked in their loyalty. Nations will call on them to assimilate, but they will refuse. Mightier religions will urge them to convert, but they will resist.
"…This is a people awesome in its obstinacy—and though now it is their failing, there will be times far into the future when it will be their noblest strength.”2
In my role, I have the privilege of speaking with Jews from all walks of life, reflecting vastly different lifestyles, backgrounds, politics, and viewpoints. I don’t think I’ve met a single Jew who doesn’t believe firmly in our responsibility to bring light to the world around us.
And as Jews, we also know that striving for universal good is not the same as seeking universal approval. Nor has real freedom ever meant freedom from adversity.
For Rabbi Kook, yearning to see a Jewish state emerge. For Rabbi Nissenbaum, yearning to see his people freed from the ghetto. For every generation since the Exodus. Freedom was always about the authenticity of independence.
The greatest test of which is refusing to allow approval or adversity to diminish who we are and what we stand for. May we always pass that test as a strong and proud Greater Toronto Jewish community.
I pray for the safety and well-being of our community, the people of Israel and Jews worldwide, and all who believe in our shared humanity. I wish you a healthy and happy Passover.
Chag Kasher V’Sameach,
Adam Minsky
President & CEO
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
P.S.: In the Haggadah, we read: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat.” We can help make that promise a reality for at-risk families in our community and around the Jewish world. If you are looking to give tzedakah before the holiday, I encourage you to consider supporting UJA’s Global Seder.
1Source: Silver from the Land of Israel (p 140–141) by Rabbi Chanan Morrison, adapted from the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (Ma’amarei HaRe’iyah)
2Source: Rabbi Yitzchak Nissenbaum quoted in “A Stiff-Necked People” by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
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