What follows is an excerpt adapted from my new book, The Superhero Haggadah, which I hope will enhance your seder, whether you have a copy of the book itself or not. If you’d like one, they are now a full 23% off on Amazon and you can get yours in time for the holiday here.
From its earliest days, the Haggadah was a text meant to be read in an unredeemed world. Its recollection of prejudice and slavery takes place against the backdrop of a world in which those curses still exist. And that is why the second half of the Seder, after the actual meal, focuses on the redemption of the future, and the recognition that just as God delivered us from Egyptian bondage, He will likewise bend the arc of history towards a final redemption and a perfected world. Until then, we are reminded, He will be with us, amidst our imperfections and their consequences. He was with us in Egypt. He will be with us at the end of days. And he remains with us in between. His presence in Egypt and the end of days is because He is our God. His company in between is because he is also our friend.
“Till you grow old, I will still be the same; When you turn gray, it is I who will carry; I was the Maker, and I will be the Bearer; And I will carry and rescue [you].”
(Isaiah 46:4)
It is this profound ideal of friendship modeled by God that is echoed in words exchanged by Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers, later to be the Winter Soldier and Captain America. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky first tells Steve, “I’m with you to the end of the line,” and it is those exact words that Cap reflects back to the Winter Soldier, when he refuses to give up on him in Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron. When Bucky confronts him, Cap doesn’t take the easier route of fighting his friend, who has been programmed to forget his past and carry out the cruelest missions. At the risk of his own life, he prods Bucky’s memory, until, from an implacable enemy, his friend emerges again to fight alongside the Avengers in Infinity War and Endgame.
I recently experienced this brand of selfless compassion in my own life. Having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, I found myself unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of kindness. There was the “in sickness or in health” kindness of my wife, the faithfulness of my children and the devotion of friends. And there was the lavish care of the medical professionals who handled my case. One of the most inspirational moments occurred when, after my surgery and radiation were complete, I tried to thank my surgeon for all he had done. His response floored me. “We’re not finished with you now. We’re with you for the long haul.” He is a superhero of friendship, practicing a divine brand of kindness.
This Passover, after a year of so much pain and loneliness, let us resolve to recommit ourselves to this ideal of friendship in the days ahead.
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