When you leave for a trip, what is the one thing you cannot leave without? Maybe it is an iPad, a stuffed animal, a specific pillow, or your journal.
When the ancient Israelites leave Egypt, they hastily pack up their belongings. You might tell this story on Passover. There is not time for the bread to rise, so they end up with Matzah.
Instead of grabbing his favorite stone tablet, Moses grabs the bones of his ancestor Joseph. Joseph, the son of Jacob, began the movement of his family from the land of Israel to Egypt long before. Now Moses is returning Joseph to his homeland. In carrying Joseph, Moses connects the journey of the Israelites to their past.
What are you carrying from your past? From your family’s past?
What do you want to hold on to and what do you want to let go of?