Q & A -- At the root of their faith

Saturday marked the beginning of Passover, the preeminent holiday of

the Jewish faith. Passover is commemorated with a celebration called a

Seder. These celebrations are laden with symbolic foods and prayers.

Matzo is the main food. It’s an unleavened bread that symbolizes both the

Jews hasty exit from Egyptian slavery and humility. Parsley, salt water,

a bone of a lamb, a roasted egg, five glasses of wine, one for the

prophet Elijah, ancient prayers and songs are all part of a Passover

Seder. Rabbi Mark Miller, the leader of Newport Beach’s Temple Bat Yahm,

sat down recently with Daily Pilot Editor Tony Dodero to discuss the

holiday and what it means to the Jewish faith.

What is the genesis of Passover?

Passover is taught in the book of Exodus, the second of the five books

of Moses, which we Jewish people call the Torah. It is the Jewish

people’s liberation from Egyptian bondage. The first Passover being 3,313

years ago. And we’ve been continually observing it, and we haven’t missed

a year since. It is the beginning of Jewish nationhood. The goal of

Passover is to liberate ourselves from slavery to a human master,

Pharaoh, and exchange that for servitude to God, the divine master.

How important of a holiday is it for the Jewish faith?

Without Passover, we would not have a Jewish faith. Because the goal

of Passover was not simply leaving Egypt. The purpose of Passover was

really fulfilled seven weeks later when we arrived at Mt. Sinai to

receive the Torah. It was not just a physical liberation, taking our

bodies out of Egypt, but it was a spiritual liberation receiving the

Torah, the Commandments, the laws, the teaching, ethics, morals, values,

which have guided us for all of these centuries since. Passover was the

opening note in this symphony of freedom. Passover itself is a means to a

higher end.

Of all the holidays, do you consider it the most important?

They all have their own importance in their own way. But I can say

without Passover, we would not be here today to observe any of the

others. One of the interesting things about Passover is that throughout

the Bible, the central character of the whole Exodus is Moses. But during

the Seders, Moses is never mentioned. Why? To remind ourselves that it

was God who brought us forth out of Egypt and liberated us and not Moses.

Moses was merely the messenger, the representative, the agent of God. It

was God who humbled Pharaoh, it was God who parted the waters, it was God

who brought us to the Promised Land. We Jewish people are very concerned

with not elevating a human being to a higher status than a human being

deserves.

Do you think ecumenical ventures like the recent Latino/Seder event

in concert with the Catholic Church improve relations and understanding?

The more that we know about one another, the more we appreciate one

another, the more we tear down the walls of ignorance and build bridges

of understanding, the more we respect one another. And I think Passover

is a universal metaphor of all peoples seeking liberation, seeking

freedom of one kind or another. It is a story that is really told for all

peoples. Everyone can see themselves reflected in the eternal quest for

liberation from bondage.

Is Passover the time that membership in synagogues swell, much like

it does with Christian churches at Easter?

I think that many, many people celebrate Passover not only because of

its message, but because it is a family experience and a home experience.

It is a time for in-gathering, regathering, reconnecting, not only across

ancient generations but across generations from one’s family today. That

holds a great attraction, so Passover is a very popular festival in

Judaism.

Is the Jewish faith growing and are you seeing more people come to

the temple these days?

I think I am seeing more people discovering their roots. More people

needing some stability in a very convulsive world. People needing a hub

that has stood the test of time, when so much seems to be out of control.

Something ancient when everything is changing. Really something to hold

onto. I think that Judaism being the oldest monotheistic religion in the

world, affords this tried and true kind of faith and ritual that can be a

grounding for people.

In your view, what is the current state of relations between

churches and synagogues in Newport-Mesa?

I would say the relations are generally good and generally improving.

I believe we should be ecumenical but not ecu-maniacal. I believe we

should seek to understand each other, appreciate each other and respect

one another, but that we should maintain our differences, our uniqueness,

our distinctness.

Sometimes there is a tendency to go to the lowest common denominator.

“Well, we all believe this and we’re all basically one.” Goodness becomes

the religion we all share. But I think we should all say who we are, what

we stand for, and that should be respected. We don’t have to be

homogenized into one big American melting pot called religion. I think we

have to safeguard what really makes our own faiths particular and sets us

apart.

I think relations are improving, and I look forward to a continuation

of that. Certainly battles between religious faith have contributed a

great share to the darkness that pervades our world. And I don’t think

God is at all pleased with what people sometimes do in his name.