Thought For The Day - 23 March 2007

Good morning. And by now most Jewish families will have begun the long preparations for the festival of Passover, the festival that recalls the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in the days of Moses. And by one of those serendipities of the calendar, this year we'll be thinking of another chapter in the history of freedom, because this Sunday will be the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain in 1807.

Why do we take the trouble to remember events long past, when the battle is over, the cause won, and slavery in most parts of the world has been consigned to history? One of the fascinating facts about the Hebrew Bible is that its writers were among the first historians, two thirds of its books are about history, and yet ancient Hebrew had no word for history. Instead the Bible uses another word: zakhor. Remember. And there's a difference between history and memory.

The way I put it is that history is his-story, something that happened sometime else to someone else. But memory is my story. It's part of who I am. Which is why, on Passover, we don't just tell the story. We re-enact it in the food we eat and the way we sit, as if we were there, in Egypt, all those centuries ago. Passover is a festival of memory, and we believe in handing our memories on to our children, as our parents did for us.

I think Moses knew that the battle for freedom is never finally won. It has to be fought in every generation. There are still all too many people today who live without basic human rights, freedom of speech, the rule of law, or the right to practice their religion without fear. One form of slavery may have been abolished but others remain. Which is why we remember, not just for the sake of what happened, but also for what has not yet happened. There is a covenant of human solidarity, and I am not yet free if others are still eating the bread of affliction.

Memory is our satellite navigation system as we make our way across the wilderness of time toward the good society where everyone is treated as if they really were the image of God. So as we give thanks this weekend for that great day in British history 200 years ago, let's remember that the journey to freedom has not yet ended, and there are battles still to be won.

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