Happy Passover?

The Jewish festival of Passover starts at sundown today. Is this the holiday that praises Yahweh for repeatedly "harden[ing] Pharaoh's heart" in order to change his mind about freeing the enslaved Israelites? 

Or is it the holiday that praises Yahweh for inflicting collective punishment on all Egyptians through the horrible ten plagues, culminating in the smiting of every firstborn Egyptian? (Exodus 11:4-7 - "And Moses said: 'Thus saith HaShem [The Name; that is, Yahweh, which you're not supposed to say]: About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath been none like it, nor shall be like it any more.  But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog whet his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that HaShem doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.'")

Is it perhaps the holiday that praises Yahweh for permitting the Israelites to have their own slaves? (The Bible has rules for slave ownership, and the Ten Commandments does not say, "Thou shalt not enslave.") 

Or rather is it the holiday that praises Yahweh for ordering the extermination of the people of Canaan so he could keep his promise to give the "holy land" to his chosen people?

Oh, wait: it's all those things. Passover celebrants praise Yahweh for each of those acts, and Jews, Christians, and Muslims are taught to never forget those great deeds. 

Not that this exodus story actually happened, thank goodness. But even people who don't take it literally think it's a great moral allegory. I can't see why.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 5, 2023 at 6:16 AM

    Most people see it as a great moral allegory because they've seen "The Ten Commandments" starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brinner, with Cecil B. DeMille praising it in the intro as "a moving story of the spirit of freedom rising in a man". If they have not seen it first hand, most are still taught or imbued with the emotional state that led to the making of that and similar films, in spite of the contradictions which you point out.

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