[Exclusive] The Manna, Part 2

In this episode Rabbi Fohrman puts the bitter herbs - maror - under a microscope. Why do we need to hold onto a reminder of our slavery, during a Passover seder that represents freedom? Drawing from a principle of teshuvah - repentance, our hosts carve out an incredible principle in human psychology and what it takes to heal from trauma.Can't Skip the Bitter (to Get to the Sweet)(Verse 1) In Egypt the bread held the taste of our tears Sourdough—you couldn't tell where it stopped The sourness baked into four hundred years Until the whole batch was bitter and lockedBut God didn't hand us the honey that night Didn't say: forget it, here's something new He gave us flat bread with bitter alongside— Separated. Still there. Still true.(Chorus) You can't skip the bitter to get to the sweet You can't leave the sorrow behind The only way forward is going back through it One morning at a time(Verse 2) The manna came later, the honey came slow Forty years of daily bread Each day God was asking: do you believe now that you’re more than the tears that you’ve shed?And every spring we sit down at the table Flat bread and bitter, side by side Not because we're still slaves—because we remember What it took to come back alive(Chorus) You can't skip the bitter to get to the sweet You can't leave the sorrow behind The only way forward is going back through itOne morning at a time(Bridge) Each day the same question fallingLike bread upon the ground:Are you more than what was done to you?Are you more than what you've done?(Verse 3) Two families broken, made into one He said: leave the past where it liesBuild something new now, the future's begun But nobody asked who we were before the goodbyesAnd forty years later I knocked on her door I said there's something I never did right I never once asked you to tell me the story Of who held your hand through the long, long night(Chorus) Tell me about your mother What was it like when she was yours? Tell me about your mother I should have asked you this beforeYou can't skip the bitter to get to the sweet You can't leave the sorrow behind The only way forward is going back through it And that's what I'm doing this timeYou can also listen to this song on Youtube and Spotify.We love to hear from you! Click here to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and reactions by voice note, or send us an email at [email protected] Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.