Pesach Second Day: Passover is the Stairway to Heaven

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Published: 4/16/14

You fall down a flight of stairs. Thank God, you are not injured, just a bit bruised. Now how do you relate to this experience?

You could see it as a lesson in taking care. You could see it as a punishment for something wrong you did. You could see it as an inevitable part of life – sometimes you rise up, sometimes you fall down. Or you could blame it on someone else (like your wife who just waxed the floors).

These same four perspectives could be applied to any situation and – since it is Pesach – certainly to slavery and freedom.

But that’s not the Jewish way. The Jewish way is to take a totally different view: You fell down a flight of stairs? Big whoop – keep climbing!

And speaking of stairs…

The curious case of the staircase teaches us volumes about the search for freedom and the fulfillment of all our aspirations. And one Hebrew word in the Passover Haggadah – maalot – unlocks the secret to success.

Slavery thinks there is no hope; where I am is where I will always be. This is called prison. True freedom is knowing that I am never helpless, that where I am is but a step leading to where I will be.

As this sermon explains, Passover is a series of fifteen steps, a perpetual staircase that provides us with the means and tools to go from our present potential to realizing our dreams. But even more: Passover tells us that life is a staircase, that there is always another step, a greater height we can reach.

Time to step up your game.