Pesakh 5777 is drawing to a close, but the struggle for freedom continues, even as our struggle to stay mindful of the pain of others, caused sometimes by our own struggle, continues. “The pain of others diminishes our own joys,” and as long as anyone is suffering from the labor pains of the freedom for which we strive, our own cup of joy cannot be full.
This list of plagues is offered by Roy and Claire Kaufmann in their Le’Or Cannabis Passover Seder Haggadah (2017)
Ten Modern Plagues of the Drug War
- One, the criminalization of nature
- Two, the suppression of science and information
- Three, the prison-industrial complex
- Four, the radically undemocratic and unequal application of laws
- Five, the systemic violence against the poor
- Six, the denial of medicine to the sick and dying
- Seven, the destruction of families
- Eight, the isolation of stigma and shame
- Nine, the perversion and erosion of a faithful justice system
- Ten, the perpetuation of violence by those sworn to protect us.
The road ahead is long and we must hold hands and help each other get there. The road ahead is frightening, and we must remember not to turn our anguish against each other. Either we believe in equality for all, or we do not really believe in equality for any.
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 