The Weekly Verse by Rabbi Rotenberg

Passover: Maybe Next Year
From the Haggadah

April 19, 2024

הָשַּׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין

This year we are slaves, next year we will be free

Last year we sat down at our seders and said these opening words, “This year we are slaves, next year we will be free.” Yet this year, a year later, we will begin the seder with these words again. In fact we begin the seder like this every single year, implying that we not only failed to achieve our goal of being free this past year, but that the freedom we strive for is not actually attainable. 

This seems strange given that the purpose of the seder is a celebration of our freedom. We recline at the seder because we are free to eat comfortably. We drink wine leisurely at the seder to express our freedom to enjoy life’s luxuries. We spend as much time as we want delving into the story of the exodus because we are free to use our time how we like. How can it be that we are both free, yet proclaim, this year and every year, that we are still slaves?

On one hand, the seder is a celebration of our physical freedom. We recline, indulge in luxuries, and leisurely enjoy the Seder rituals. on the other hand, we recognize that we’re still bound by various forms of “slavery”. These may be our habits, fears, prejudices, and despite our outward freedom, at times we all feel enslaved by internal struggles or external circumstances. Our beginning of the seder each and every year with these words is a recognition that the journey toward true freedom is ongoing and requires constant effort and reflection. It is a dynamic process, and not a static destination.