Upper Schoolers Hear Powerful Pesach Reflections from Rabbi Steinmetz

Sophomores and juniors received an inspiring visit from KJ’s Rabbi Steinmetz, who provided them with incredible insights about Pesach. He emphasized that, when one looks closely, one sees that the Seder provides crucial lessons to handle all adversity. He said, “If you tune in to the Seder, it’ll change your lives.”

Rabbi Steinmetz’s mother had survived the Holocaust as a teenager. Due to her experiences, she always believed that the most important tool for life is courage. She taught her son this idea from a very young age, and he echoed that philosophy with students. Rabbi Steinmetz urged that everyone must learn to have resilience in order to face and cope with life’s challenges. He explained, “That’s the purpose of the Pesach Seder.”

For one thing, though the Seder celebrates redemption and freedom, why did the first Seder take place while Bnei Yisrael were still enslaved in Egypt? Rabbi Steinmetz reminded students that Jews have held Pesach Seders during the worst times in Jewish history, including in concentration camps and in Hamas captivity. “The Pesach Seder is a classroom of courage,” he said. It also revolves around hope. Every Pesach, we say “Next year in Jerusalem!” This dream allowed us to endure and overcome throughout our difficulty history. Even in the darkest times, our people were still praying and singing of hope.

Rabbi Steinmetz highlighted that the Seder is about engaging, asking questions, and participating in ritual, ensuring the attendees truly internalize and feel connected to the story. He cited a famous 2001 Emory University study, which showed that the most resilient and successful students were the ones who knew their family history. Rabbi Steinmetz said that the benefit comes from knowing the ups and downs that family members and ancestors have experienced. He told the Upper Schoolers, “The great lesson of being a Jew is that we have overcome, we can overcome, we will overcome. That is what it means to be a Jew.” Even when things feel completely terrible, he insisted, “you can get through, because your people have before.”

He told students that the Seder also reflects the importance of coming together as a community. He asked students why kiddush is followed by a line about inviting in guests. One reason is that welcoming guests is a nice thing to do. But beyond that, we do it because we recognize that we are all one big family. He described his work with prospective converts to Judaism, including how all Jewish conversion processes include rabbis asking if, knowing how difficult and full of persecution a Jewish life can be, the person is willing to be a member of the Jewish people. That question demonstrates that Jewishness is about more than religious beliefs or ritual acts. Community, peoplehood, is fundamental.

He pointed to the beginning of the Seder, which says our ancestors worshipped idols. “What on earth does our ancestors being idol worshippers have to do with freedom?” he asked. He drew comparisons to addiction, such as to gambling or to substances, and how a person does not feel free when trapped by addiction. Similarly, when a person does nothing productive with their time, their life feels pointless. He tied these ideas to the philosophy of Viktor Frankl, who said that people need to feel that they have purpose and meaning. In summary, “you need to have values,” Rabbi Steinmetz said. Having values is essential for meaningful freedom and for living a worthwhile life.

The students were moved and inspired by Rabbi Steinmetz’s insightful talk. They were grateful to be able to incorporate these questions and reflections into their own Pesach observances with their families, and into every day of their lives.