This video uses Passover themed images from various sources, some of which I recognize from the popular Bible movies “The Prince of Egypt” and the classic 1956 “The Ten Commandments.” The nice thing about this Passover video is that it doesn’t just start with Israel leaving Egypt, it provides a bit more context. For example, it explains a little about why and how Israel ended up in Egypt in the first place.
I won’t spoil all the details of the video for you but one good point that I would like us to reflect on is part of the reason why Pharaoh and his people started to act the way they did. “The descendants of Isra’el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef but said to his people, ‘Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.’” Exodus 1:7-10
I’m sure it has been said before many times and I will say it again, bullying and prejudice often has its roots in insecurity and a scarcity mindset. If you don’t believe in your inherent value, you are less likely to see it in others. And when you internalize the idea that there isn’t enough worth to go around and valuing others takes value away from one’s self you are more likely to consider sabotaging others and making their life difficult as a means of bettering yourself. So, instead of seeing fellow humans as inspiration when they are doing well you will be more likely to see them as a threat. And people have a way of coming up with all sorts of justifications for cruelty when they feel insecure. So, while reflecting on Passover please be sure to pass over the temptation to fall into the sins of covetousness and envy that are all too often the source of cruelty in the world.
