When I took over from my mother the organization of Passover for our family what I felt most keenly was the paradox\u201d\u201dthe incongruity of it all. The cleaning and cooking preparations for Passover are so demanding that in the weeks leading up to it, obsessive-compulsive personalities come into their own. I could not get beyond these questions: If we were breaking for freedom, why these weeks of preparation? If we were recalling harsh conditions, which was it\u201d\u201dthe dry matzo and bitter herbs, or the chicken soup with matzo balls and the best meal of the year?<\/p>\n
And that is how the association of conservatism with hopefulness began for me, and how it is further reinforced every year. Freedom was not decamping to Hawaii to become a surfer, not experimenting with drugs or with sexual conquests\u201d\u201dnot getting away from, but readying oneself for, the enjoyment of freedom. The Passover ritual of re-experiencing the Exodus helped me figure out the constituent elements of freedom that were crafted over many centuries….<\/p>\n