The Passover Election
In celebrating Passover, there's a tradition of mixing sweet charoset and bitter horseradish to commemorate the sweetness of freedom combined with the bitterness of either slavery or the plagues that hurt innocent Egyptians in the process of escaping from Egypt. Last week, we had the incredible sweetness of Barack Obama's election and the awful bitterness of three more states passing anti-gay marriage legislation, especially after California's 5-month tease. We still don't know whether marriages performed during those 5 months will remain valid.
I'm also reminded of the song Dayenu, "It would have been enough". Some of the verses are:
Had he brought us out of Egypt, and not divided the sea for us, Dayenu! Had he divided the sea, and not permitted us to cross on dry land, Dayenu! Had he permitted us to cross the sea on dry land, and not sustained us for forty years in the desert, Dayenu! Had he sustained us for forty years in the desert, and not fed us with manna, Dayenu! Had he fed us with manna, and not ordained the Sabbath, Dayenu! etc.
I've always questioned this song, since if God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt and not divided the sea, the army would have brought them right back into Egypt. But it still seems remarkably appropriate for this election. We got Obama but not gay marriage. Was it enough?