A Passover Message from Ray Alyssa Rothman

There is no better example of the unpredictability of life than the Passover holiday, which, of course, commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Our forefather, Joseph, entered Egypt as a slave, and died as the Pharaoh’s viceroy, second only to the king himself. While Joseph’s immediate descendants lived relatively comfortably in Egypt, their good fortune did not extend to later generations, who, in a reversal of fortune, found themselves enslaved.

Then we have Moses, who, although a Jew, grew up with privilege in the royal court. Yet the same Moses cast off that privilege to lead the Jews out of Egypt.

Passover lets us pause our lives and think differently for a moment. It affords me the time and space to connect with my ancestors and the people in my life. It reminds me to not take my life and privilege for granted. It reminds me to be humble because “there but for the grace of G-d go I.”

Ray Alyssa Rothman is a commercial real estate veteran and founder of Kibbitz & Konnect, a premier in-person social network for Atlanta’s Jewish singles.