Some Things Never Happened, But They Are True Nonetheless

Very soon it will be Passover. By now, most Jewish homemakers are planning their seder menu. As for myself, I am engaged in what has become my annual struggle with the problem of veracity in regard to the Exodus story. The Exodus comprises the very heart of the Torah.

With the exception of the very early stories in Genesis, most of the rest of the Torah, in some way, is connected to the Exodus. The time of slavery in Egypt, the towering personality of Moses, the dramatic and miraculous events of the going out from Egypt, the Revelation at Mt. Sinai--- all of these and much have as their foundation the Exodus. Many of the most basic tenants of Judaism emanate from the Exodus story as well. "Remember that you were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and that God redeemed you..." I can hardly think of a more significant admonition than this. The experience of having been slaves and then having been liberated is, at least by tradition, what has made the Jews the people that we are. Rachmanut, the spirit of compassion for the less fortunate, permeates Judaism, as does the long-standing Jewish propensity of being concerned for the down-trodden and the oppressed.

And yet, it is highly questionable, and therefore truly problematic, as to whether the Exodus ever took place. In recent years, Biblical scholarship has cast a critical eye on the narrative. There is virtually no archaeological evidence of any kind of mass migration through the Sinai wilderness. Nor is there any collaboration from ancient Egyptian texts even of the existence of Israelites. This gained attention several years ago when Rabbi David Wolpe addressed this matter with his congregation in Los Angeles. Considering that his is a Conservative Jewish congregation, it is somewhat amazing that the rabbi still had his job the next day!

So the question before us is: Can we authentically celebrate an event that may never have happened? I have doubt that Pesach will continue to be among our most cherished observances regardless of whether it is historically verifiable. In addition, virtually every Jewish worship service includes references to the Exodus. Every time we recite the Kiddush, we do so "zecher l'tziat Mitzraim," in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. The Me Chamocha which is part of every service is known as the Song of the Sea because it what was supposedly sung in thankfulness to God after the seas parted.

What are possible ways of resolving this likely disconnect between history and tradition? It seems to me there are at least three possibilities.

The first is to affirm that the Exodus happened, but it just can't be verified; that this event is far too significant to the life of the Jewish people simply to have been fabricated. Therefore, nothing has changed. We will continue to recount the story and to believe that it is true.

The second is to say that the Exodus happened, but that it was on a much smaller scale than the Torah recounts; that there were not 600,000 plus who left Egypt, and it may not have taken 40 years, but that indeed there was an actual Exodus, the exact nature of which we cannot know.

The third possibility is to conclude that it really doesn't matter whether the Exodus story is imaginary or factual, because it is true nevertheless. Some explanation is necessary. This point of view is not as heretical or paradoxical as it may seem at first. We have numerous examples from Scripture.

For example, there is the story of Noah's ark. Do any of us actually believe that this is a true story? I doubt it. As charming as this story may be, it should be obvious that this should not be taken as factual. Still, there is much in this story which remains valid. The story of the great flood and its aftermath is the Bible's way of describing the origin of moral law, namely that God has established certain basic moral standards for all of humanity. In addition, the Noah story marks the beginning of the concept of covenant between God and humanity, an idea that lies at the foundation of both Judaism and Christianity.

Or take the story of Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush. It is not necessary to believe literally in this legend to understand that this is a metaphor for sensing God's presence. Moses' epiphany at the burning bush is a dramatization of how a person may encounter God at a particularly difficult time in one's life. In Moses' case, this encounter occurred shortly after he had killed an Egyptian who had been persecuting a Hebrew slave.

One additional example: The entire story of Purim is fiction. There never was an actual Queen Esther, or Mordecai, or Haman. The kingdom of Shushan is a fictional place. But the story deals with one of the most real and darkest aspects of Jewish history, namely the painful reality of anti-Semitism. Who could deny that our people's struggle with those who hate us only because we are Jews is the perennial curse and mystery of Jewish existence? The story of Purim is true indeed, even those this specific event never occurred.

To be perfectly clear, the Bible is not a history book and was never intended to be such. The Bible contains narrative and illustrations, some poetical, some largely symbolic of our people's quest for and encounters with God over a period spanning at least two thousand years.

Thus, the Exodus story may not be historically accurate but it is true because it is a powerful metaphor illustrating the recurrent plagues the life of our Jewish people and also in the history of many other nations. In Jewish history, there has been a current cycle of time of wellbeing, followed by repression, and eventually of release. In spite of all the travails in our history, we cling to the conviction that God's desire is for all people to be free to fulfill their aspirations. Pharoah's cruelty illustrates how people in power so often exploit those who have no power of their own, particularly the Jewish people. The Exodus itself offers the consolation that ultimately times of oppression and enslavement do come to an end. Therefore, we must never give up hope that better times lie ahead.

Recently our congregation hosted the annual Anti-Defamation League's African-American/Jewish seder, an occasion intended to emphasize the common concerns of our communities, based upon a common heritage of bondage, ours in ancient Egypt, and theirs here in America. In the course of the seder, Rev. Dr. Leon Finney, Jr. offered this observation, which I found to be especially compelling. He noted that during the long and bitter years of slavery, the African-American people read the Biblical story of how God had brought about the liberation of the Hebrew slaves. It was this very story which inspired and sustained them during this horrible time. The Exodus story nurtured them and enabled them to cling to the faith that it would not always be this way, that the time of their liberation would arrive. Furthermore, that same story gave them strength through the years of Jim Crow, of lynchings, and of racial segregation, and it continues to inspire to this very day.

Sometimes, when circumstances seem so hopeless and gloomy, God's mysterious Presence becomes manifest and freedom can be born anew. That is the enduring message of the Exodus and of Passover itself.

In Hebrew, Egypt is called "Mitzraim." The Zohar teaches that the word Mitzraim can be read as m'tzarim, meaning from the narrow place, the place of confinement. Thus, Mitzraim is not only Egypt itself. It is not one place; in fact it may not be a place at all. Rather it is a condition, sometimes geographical, sometimes otherwise. There have been numerous Mitzraim's in our history. Ancient Palestine under the Greeks, then the Romans, certainly was a Mitzraim. The ghettos and shtetls of Europe were Mitzraim's, sometimes including actual physical walls. The death camps of Nazi Germany were the most tragic of all Mitzraim's because for almost all of those enslaved there was no release.

And other people have had their own Mitraim's. Cambodia under Pol Pot and the Khamer Rouge was a hell on earth, as was China during Mao's Cultural Revolution. Much of Eastern Europe languished in Mitzraim during the reign of Soviet communism. And even today, the people of Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe and Sudan all are in Mitzraim. And yes, pre-Civil War America was Mitzraim, and in many ways still is today for people of color. Regardless of whether there is actual physical confinement or whether the bondage is more psychological or societal, both accurately can be described as Mitzraim. Wherever there is discrimination based on color, religion or national origin; wherever there is social ostracism, suspicion and distrust, there is Mitzraim.

Therefore, the Exodus was and still is a true story. It has happened many times to our own people and we must be mindful that it continues to happen to many others. Nevertheless, in spite of the undeniable hardship and pain, there is always hope. We must never stop believing in and working for a better day for all people, when oppression and bondage will cease and when all people will be free to follow their dreams and live life fully, as we believe God intends.

And this is why we will continue to celebrate Passover. Its universal message of hope must never be forgotten. As it always has, the Exodus story will continue to inspire us and many others to work for that Great Day of freedom for all of God's people.