Making Sense of the Sedra: Chol Hamoed Pesach

In recent weeks, the financial markets have experienced significant changes, with hedge funds making a profit of $2 billion by shorting banking stocks, resulting in both winners and losers in this period of financial uncertainty. The cost-of-living squeeze and rising interest rates have made the lives of so many of us much more challenging. Is there anything that Judaism and the Pesach festival we are living through has to say about this?

Looking at the story of slavery in Egypt, it began with Joseph being sold by his brothers and ultimately becoming Vice-Pharaoh, leading to the Jewish people coming to Egypt and being enslaved for hundreds of years. Through faith, we understand that we only see a portion of history at any given time, and it is through retrospection that we can find the silver lining and make sense of it all.

I went recently to the shiva of a woman who lived in London during the blitzkrieg. Her son recalled how his mother found that those war years were some of the most memorable of her life, as neighbours looked out for each other, and everyone was united in the face of challenge. Similarly, we in our lifetime have seen this type of humanity during the Covid pandemic.

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The secret to Jewish survival is to recognise that sometimes the bitterness itself is what builds us into who we need to be, as individuals and as a nation. It is the growth pain that builds our physical, emotional, and spiritual strength. This is why at our seder table we eat the maror, as we understand the persecution and challenges itself were the building blocks of our people. We dip it in charoses, as it represents the cement and therefore the glue that helps us stick together and build up ourselves and those around us.

The current financial crises and bank failures may be concerning, but we can learn from Pesach that these challenges also come with opportunities. We can rise to the challenge by sharing cost-saving measures or life hacks with friends, offering car-sharing schemes to colleagues, or getting involved with charitable organisations in our community. Like those hedge funds, we can make the most out of any crisis or challenge to grow as individuals and as a nation.