Why is this Passover different from all other Passovers? Well, not all others, but it is the only time this century that Passover falls on April 1 (for you trivia buffs, it happened 5 times in the 20th century). I grew up enjoying the Passover celebration: it brought our family together, and included good food, wine and fun. Reform Synagogues made changes to the ceremony to keep the content relevant. But this is the April Fool’s version, with my thoughts on–and suggestions for– this celebration of the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt.
To begin with, the significance of the holiday is often overlooked: the Jewish people trudged through the Egyptian desert for forty days only to get years later to the Promised Land, Palm Beach County, Florida where, in the year 2000, they misread the Presidential ballot, unintentionally voted for the wrong guy, and changed the course of U.S. history.
The tale of the Israelites is not too dissimilar to what’s happening today in California, as billionaires trudge in their private jets to Florida, only instead of escaping slavery, they are escaping paying taxes. It bears remembering that the Larry Pages and Mark Zuckerbergs and most of the other 200 California billionaires want to avoid paying a measly one-time 5% wealth tax (proposed as a California ballot initiative) and thus deny tens of millions of Californians their access to health care. I’m not kidding when I say measly: someone with $20 billion would end up with only $19 billon in the bank. (And don’t get me started on the politicians, led by Gavin Newsom, who stepped into line to oppose the wealth tax, choosing billionaire friends and campaign supporters over a better quality of life for all the state’s citizens.)
During the first, and sometimes second night of Passover, there is a special meal, the seder, before, during and after which there are readings, highlighted by the asking of four questions by the youngest at the table, and subsequently answered by the elders. A 2026 version of those questions might be:
- What is enough? Is it $10 million? $50 million? $250 million? $1 billion? Or is nothing “enough?!”
- How is the billionaire-controlled economy and democracy working out for you?
- Should we have a tax system that makes the ultra-rich less rich and powerful?
- Matzah is so good, why do we only eat it on Passover?
Of course, we should reverse the process and have the elders ask the questions and the younger generation, who overwhelmingly know what’s right, provide the answers, which boil down to eat matzah and tax the ultra-rich now!
There is a point in the seder where ten plagues are recited. In my version, these would be the harms correlated with wealth inequality, as enumerated in Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s book, Inner Circle, and all of which we’re experiencing in our country:
- Reduced Life Expectancy
- Higher Rates of Teenage Births
- Higher Rates of Obesity
- Higher Rates of Mental Illness including Drug and Alcohol Addiction
- Lower Scores in Math and Literacy
- Higher Rates of Infant Mortality
- Higher Rates of Homicides
- Higher Rates of Imprisonment
- A Reduction of Trust in One’s Fellow Citizens
- A Reduction in Social Mobility
Towards the end of the Passover ceremony, all assembled sing a rousing song, Dayenu. The word means “It would have been enough.” At the seder, Dayenu is an expression of gratitude for miracles that allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, such as parting the Red Sea. Taxing the ultra-rich should be a lot easier than parting the Red Sea. Updating the song….
- We taxed the ultra-rich to reduce their dominance over our lives
Dayenu – enough is enough - We taxed the ultra-rich so that we no longer suffered the 10 plagues
Dayenu – enough is enough - We taxed the ultra-rich so that the revenue could provide the things a compassionate society needs, such as affordable childcare
Dayenu – enough is enough - We taxed the ultra-rich so that we can have a meaningful American dream and economic mobility.
Dayenu – enough is enough - We taxed the ultra-rich so that the culture of greed is replaced by the goal of shared prosperity.
Dayenu – enough is enough
Beyond the Passover holiday, the concept of “Dayenu” is used to teach appreciation for what one has and the concept of “enough-ness.” Are you listening, California billionaires? Dayenu.
Coda: There’s a story often repeated that Joseph Heller, author of books such as Catch-22, was attending a party hosted by a billionaire hedge fund manager. A friend of Heller at the party remarked to him that the host made more money in a day than Heller ever made from his best-selling book. Heller’s response: “Yes, but I have something he will never have … enough”