Mosaic Voices
The Passover Seder and Neurodiversity
There is one person that’s never mentioned at the Passover Seder, yet he is always there.
As Eliana Light captured in humorous song above, Moses isn’t in the Haggadah. If you were to ask any child about the biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt, there is no way that they would make such an omission. After all, Moses’ story towers over four of the five books of the Torah. He headlines all of the box office hits, from The Ten Commandments to The Prince of Egypt to Exodus: Gods and Kings. Dripping with main character energy, he is the conduit for the Israelites’ journey slavery to freedom, the founding father of one nation under God.
Yet the Haggadah is not the story of Moses. It is the story of everyone, and how God redeemed us from Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. It is a story of God’s love for the whole people, not just his relationship with exceptional individuals.
The neurodivergent child is the center of so many family stories, towering over many chapters of our lives and transforming them with new challenges and opportunities. Like Moshe Rabbeinu, these children are our profound teachers. And though their stories and journeys are not always those of the whole community, their wisdom, talents, and special paths take on Mosaic proportions.
In fact, there’s a lot connecting Moses and neurodivergence. With a firm sense of right and wrong, Moses is possessed of strong emotions, whether in defending the innocent or falling on his face with overwhelm. When God comes to Moses at the burning bush to offer him the burden of leadership, Moses complains of having difficulty with communication. Notably, God sends him his older brother, Aaron, as his aide for his speaking to the Israelites and to Pharaoh. And Moses’ unique perspective brings wisdom and faith to the people, such that they could never have imagined their routine Israelite existence.
Celebrating the place of autistic children at our seders and in our national stories, it is my honor this week to share the work of my wife, Rabbi Elyssa Austerklein, and her organization, IVRIM: Jews Without Borders. Rabbi Elyssa recently sat down with a number of high-functioning children on the spectrum for a podcast discussing the themes and highlights of the Passover story. Please enjoy the recording below. You will appreciate not only the insights of the children, but how the rabbi beautifully models speaking to young minds in a warm, open, and engaging way.
May our seders, no matter their form, always make space for us to be led in surprising directions.