Prof. Zehavit Gross, Dean, Faculty of Education, & Head, Sal Van Gelder Center for Holocaust Research & Instruction, Bar-Ilan University
To my dear sisters at the ICJW,
This year, as part of my D’var Torah to you, I would like to begin with a poem I wrote that reflects my thoughts and emotions during these times:
This Year, My Freedom Lies Deep in the Tunnels
This year, my freedom lies
deep, so deep within the tunnels.
I dig with both hands wide—
searching for words left unsaid,
for songs long buried
beneath black stones.
There, in the heart’s hollow,
sorrow puts on its holiday dress
and dances with old memories,
with children who’ve forgotten their names,
yet still dream of coming home—
to the scent of Seder dishes.
But through the cracks,
a new meaning begins to bloom:
the meaning of being—
not in perfection,
nor in redemption complete,
but in the daily walk,
the quiet yearning for the sun,
and the choice—not to give up on the heart.
For even the darkness knows—
that spring will always come.
The central mitzvah of Pesach is not only to recount the story of our liberation but to feel freedom in the depths of our being. As it is written:
“In every generation, a person must see themselves as if they personally left Egypt.”
Every aspect of the Seder—the maror, the four cups of wine, the egg and matzah—is designed to free us, even if just for one night, and allow us to feel like truly liberated souls. That is the essence of the mitzvah of haseba, reclining: to train our bodies to relax, to rest on pillows, and to experience real release.
Freedom is not mere liberty or escape from obligation. As the psychologist Erik Erikson noted in his book Escape from Freedom, people often run from the burden of liberty. But cheirut – liberty —true freedom—is a spiritual labor. It is the courageous work of the soul to escape the inner confines of materialism and ego, and to reconnect with the divine order of a world created with meaning and purpose.
When we live in a state of cheirut, we listen to the whisper of our soul and the rhythm of a compassionate heart. We act not out of comfort, conformity, or convenience—but from conscience. Not because something is politically correct, but because it is morally right. This is what it means to be a true human being—a mentsch.
To experience cheirut, we must first engage in deep inner cleansing. We must cast out the chametz of the soul—those burdensome thoughts that drag us down—and dare to think higher, to dream bigger.
Throughout our history, the people of Israel have known great suffering: wars, pogroms, the horrors of the Holocaust. And yet, we have always risen, not through might, but through spiritual resilience and inner strength.
Even now, as our hearts ache for those still held captive in the tunnels, we are called to hold fast to the vision of freedom. To think it. To feel it. To proclaim, even in darkness: Am Yisrael Chai! The people of Israel live.
Let us pray for the swift and safe return of the hostages to their homes and into the loving arms of their families.
Wishing each of you a Chag Cherut Sameach—a joyous Festival of Freedom—and may we all be blessed with light, hope, and inner peace.
With deep love and sisterhood,
Zehavit Gross
