We Can TamePass374 Shapiro

PASS374

TORAH-FAX 5774 PASSOVER

WE CAN TAME THIS CRAZY, FULL MOON WORLD BY RABBI MARK DOV SHAPIRO
I remember one year on a Seder night there was a perfe t!y !o"d!ess# in$y b!a $ s$y% When those of "s at the Seder !oo$ed o"tside# the !"nar !o $ was bri!!iant% Sin e the Seder a!ways o "rs in the midd!e of the !"nar month# that !ear night re&ea!ed a shining# perfe t# ream' o!ored f"!! moon% When I pointed o"t that f"!! moon# one of the Seder g"ests had an immediate response% As a therapist# he said he hoped the f"!! moon wasn(t going to present him with the "s"a! emergen y phone a!!s% Apparent!y# therapists rea!!y do re ei&e more a!!s for he!p from their !ients d"ring f"!! moons than the rest of the month% Someone to!d me births e&en in rease at the f"!! moon% Another Seder g"est ommented# )*aybe an ient i&i!i+ations weren(t so far off with their !egends abo"t the "riosities and dangers of the f"!! moon%, When I heard that omment# I !a"ghed and then it str" $ me% It(s tr"e% *any ta!es are to!d abo"t the f"!! moon% As I re a!!# many of the -rade . horror mo&ies from the 1/01(s pi&oted aro"nd the dangers of the f"!! moon% Wo!f men# werewo!&es# &ampires# and who $nows what e!se ame o"t of hiding at the f"!! moon% 2ow thin$ abo"t 3"daism(s response to the fear of the f"!! moon% 4f a!! things# o"r an estors hose a f"!! moon as the o asion for their greatest omm"na! e!ebration% Passo&er wasn(t p!a ed at the beginning of the month or d"ring a partia! phase of the moon%

We Can TamePass374 Shapiro

2o# of a!! things# Passo&er was de&e!oped as a e!ebration for the pre ise date of the f"!! moon% Why# if other peop!e were owering in their homes be a"se of the f"!! moon# why did o"r peop!e s hed"!e a e!ebratory feast at that &ery time6 The more I ha&e tho"ght abo"t it the more I thin$ the timing of Passo&er tea hes "s something r" ia! abo"t 3"daism% It tea hes "s that 3"daism had a geni"s and has a geni"s for transforming rea!ity% 7ere is what o"r an estors did% They !oo$ed aro"nd at their pagan neighbors r"nning for o&er d"ring the f"!! moon and said in essen e# )What are yo" doing6 What frightens yo"6 The wor!d isn(t ma!e&o!ent% There is nothing "ni8"e abo"t the shape of the moon or the e&i! spirits yo" thin$ that moon re!eases%, )Come# we(!! show yo"% We 3ews wi!! get together on the f"!! moon9 we(!! feast on the f"!! moon9 and we(!! do it onfident!y and omfortab!y and safe!y be a"se the one -od we be!ie&e in doesn(t reate a wor!d that needs to frighten "s% -od(s on o"r side not against "s%, And g"ess what one of the traditiona! tit!es for the Seder night is6 At se&era! points in the tradition# we a!! :re& Passo&er )!ai! shim"rim the night of o"r prote tion%, As if to say# tradition $nows the f"!! moon may s are some peop!e% The Torah e&en a $now!edges that on e "pon a time the Ange! of ;eath terrori+ed :gypt with the tenth p!a8"e on a f"!! moon% ."t what o"nts for 3ews is the fa t that we are prote ted% S"perstition stopped at the doorpost% I tr"!y be!ie&e there is something profo"nd!y 3ewish abo"t this motif% 3ews are e<perts at ta$ing what others see as profane and !etting it be ome ho!y%

We Can TamePass374 Shapiro

7ere(s a !assi e<amp!e% ;o yo" $now why we brea$ a g!ass "nder the h"pa at 3ewish weddings6 In its origin this 3ewish "stom is identi a! to the -ree$ "stom of brea$ing ro $ery when a toast is made and peop!e ha&e a drin$% In the wor!d of s"perstition# peop!e were afraid that e&i! spirits might atta $ them when they were happy% So -ree$s# 3ews# and other "!t"res bro$e ro $ery and g!ass at happy times be!ie&ing that the noise wo"!d s are away the e&i! spirits% There yo" ha&e the s"perstition% 2ow the ommentary% =or what stri$es me abo"t the bro$en g!ass "nder the h"pa is not how the "stom began b"t what it be ame% >emember 3ews ha&e a way of transforming the profane into something ho!y% In this ase the brea$ing of the g!ass has passed from s"perstition into prayer# and the brea$ing g!ass has be ome a reminder to happy o"p!es that e&en in their ?oy they an ne&er forget the bro$enness of the wor!d aro"nd them% The o"p!e !earns from the "stom of the bro$en g!ass that they m"st a!ways stay onne ted to the o"tside wor!d that is so m" h in need of repair% The s"perstition is p"rged from 3"daism% The "stom represents the powerf"! way in whi h 3"daism tea hes 3ews to ta$e responsibi!ity for their wor!d% ."t ome ba $ to the Seder and thin$ abo"t one of its "n"s"a! re8"irements the re8"irement of drin$ing fo"r "ps of wine% Perhaps when yo" grow "p as a 3ew# yo" ta$e the idea of fo"r "ps of wine for granted% 2ow# howe&er# pa"se for a se ond and thin$ abo"t this re8"irement% >emember the Passo&er e<perien e and do it# says the tradition# by ons"ming fo"r "ps of a! oho!@ That so"nds !i$e an in&itation to dr"n$enness% As yo" may $now# the rabbis who wrote the 7aggadah ba $ in the first A se ond ent"ries based their

We Can TamePass374 Shapiro

format on the >oman "stom of dinners ombined with dis "ssion% So perhaps we ha&e here the e hoes of the o!d >oman orgies% :at# drin$# and be merry% ."t# of o"rse# we don(t% =or the differen e here is that 3ews ha&e ta$en what an be profane and !in$ed it to a higher p"rpose% Wine an ma$e yo" beast!y% Wine an degrade a h"man being% ."t instead of pretending wine doesn(t e<ist# 3"daism says# )See if yo" an do something with wine that wi!! ennob!e yo"% Bse the wine for sa red p"rposes%, So the tradition notes that -od "sed fo"r different &erbs to promise *oses the Israe!ites wo"!d be !iberated% Then the tradition says 3ews o"ght to wish ea h other !( haimCto !ife for ea h of the di&ine promises% =o"r "ps for the fo"r ass"ran es that -od wi!! prote t "s% Do" ta$e the wine# then# b"t instead of "sing it to get dr"n$# yo" "se it to remember the wonderf"! steps that !ed o"r peop!e to freedom% In a way drin$ing wine is !i$e p!aying with fire# b"t ?"st as the f"!! moon doesn(t $eep "s from e!ebrating# the fear of the wine is o&er ome by o"r b!essings and be!ief in !ife% :&erywhere we go we 3ews do the same thing% We tame the wor!d% We ta$e a f"!! moon and demytho!ogi+e it or tame it% We ta$e s"perstitions abo"t noise and the spirit wor!d and spirit"a!i+e them or tame them% We ta$e wine and san tify it or tame it% It(s a!! part of the pro ess by whi h we ta$e whate&er is profane or wi!d# "nr"!y# and "npredi tab!e abo"t the wor!d and then pro !aim it an(t be so% We insist the wor!d is predi tab!e9 there is an order9 there is sense abo"t it% The wor!d is# in other words# ho!y% And does this matter6 S"re# it does% =or when I say the wor!d is ho!y# I(m not ma$ing some airy fairy# theo!ogi a! statement% I(m not trying to be *r% Piety% =or

We Can TamePass374 Shapiro

me# saying the wor!d is ho!y is saying the wor!d is a p!a e where I an matter# where my fami!y# my friends# and my &a!"es an ma$e a differen e% 7o!y means the wor!d hasn(t gone to he!!% This is not a waste!and% 7o!y means the wor!d Eor at !east# my sma!! part of itF an be good and de ent and mora!% It a!! omes down to this% In a wor!d where peop!e were terrified by e&i! spirits# f"!! moons# and potent wine# o"r an estors said there was hope% 7"man beings o"!d reate sanity% 7"man beings o"!d be !oser to -od than they were to the anima!s% In this &ery ra+y wor!d that is my on&i tion% dreams and a!! peop!e(s dreams ?"st might ome tr"e% As 3ews# the f"!! moon needn(t s are "s% We(&e got a han e to ma$e the profane ho!y and that ma$es !ife worth !i&ing% 7a&e a good Pesa h# friends% 7a&e a bra&e Pesa h and to this# !et "s sayG Amen As a 3ew# I be!ie&e in the

possibi!ity of a sane wor!d# whi h is a ho!y wor!d# whi h is a wor!d in whi h my