This reflection is part three of a three-part series. Hardened Hearts: Power, Ideology, and the Long Road to Freedom. In this reflection, we turn to the deeper meaning of Passover itself and what the Exodus story ultimately teaches about the difficult but hopeful journey toward freedom and the building of a good society.

Over the centuries, the story of the Exodus did not remain only a Jewish memory. It became one of the most powerful freedom narratives in human civilization. From struggles against tyranny in Europe to the civil rights movement in America and the fight against apartheid in South Africa, the language of liberation often drew inspiration from Moses confronting Pharaoh.

Passover introduced a revolutionary idea into human history: that no ruler or regime is absolute, and that human dignity cannot be permanently suppressed.

But the Exodus story also teaches something that is often forgotten.

Freedom alone does not automatically create a just society.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they did not immediately arrive at a perfect nation. They spent decades in the wilderness learning responsibility, law, and moral discipline. Freedom required the building of institutions, shared values, and a moral framework capable of sustaining society.

Freedom often involves war — this is a pattern throughout history. It is ugly and uncomfortable. The Israelite conquest of Canaan, as detailed in the Book of Joshua, is uncomfortable. And you will be hard-pressed to find any country whose history does not involve migration, conquest, or colonisation.

Israel today is still fighting its war of independence. Somehow, the world has over 150 countries with Christian majorities and around 50 Muslim-majority countries, yet has a problem with one Jewish state. The chorus is led by the UN, which, instead of focusing on peace and the UN SDGs, maintains permanent resolutions against Israel. Even our neighbour Lebanon has not yet recognised Israel as a state, and with others we have, at best, a fragile or false peace.

It is a sad fact that the major mission of the Iranian regime is the elimination of the sole Jewish state — directly and through its proxies: Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others.

For goodness’ sake — how many thousands of missiles do they have, and for........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)