Page 14 - Harlem Pesach Companion 2021

Hand Raised High

By Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie

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ה ָָֽמ ָר דָי ְב םי ִִ֖א ְצֹי ל ֵ֔א ָר ְשִי יֵ֣ נ ְבוּ
“The people of Israel left with their hand raised high.”
-Exodus 14:8

“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands
to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over
everything; the sun came like gold through trees, and over
the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven”.
-Harriet Tubman

“The exodus began, but is far from having been completed.”
-Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

What if she had not stretched her hand?

What if she had not stretched her hand to risk and reach and save that baby in the basket?
What if she chose, like so many of us often do, to play it safe?

Seder Scene #1/Slow Motion
The Princess of Egypt, mid-bathing on the river Nile, notices, raises and extends her arm,
instantly becoming a legend. Using her privilege to defy oppression, she shows up to do
her part in the ongoing work of liberation.

When you get to Maggid at your Seder, here’s a fresh add-on: Tell her tale and then
embody - try out her extended gesture as you imagine it. It’s also a good mid Seder
stretch.

How long can you/we keep the arm extended?
What will we learn from her this year on how to keep becoming allies? Can we keep
extending our arms to one another? Do we commit to live, and leave the narrow place,
together, with ‘our hand raised high’?

Seder Scene #2: Eye Contact
A moment later, four eyes meet in recognition of shared purpose. The princess and the
enslaved girl, brave big sister - two allies conspiring to help one life, to save the people.
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