Precisely
70 years ago, during the Seder of 1944 in Auschwitz, 10 Jews were
seated -- including my grandfather, blessed be his memory -- quietly
singing, almost silently, "Why is this night different from all other
nights?" Their grief was boundless, their pain acute. No child was left behind to ask the Four Questions, for
all the children had been carried off to the heavens, lost in the
plumes of black smoke billowing off the crematoria smokestacks at the
concentration camp.
Their night was long, too long.
They had no wine, nor matzot, nor Haggadot, just a full helping of
bitter herbs -- raw, pungent maror that pierced the soul. As the night
wore on, they told the story of the exodus from Egypt. Not a soul
arrived to inform them that dawn was approaching and the time had come
to recite the morning prayers. Actually, no morning prayers, indeed no
morning at all, was stretching across the horizon, simply dismal black
skies signaling yet another day of work at the camp. The Prophet Elijah
had not come to knock on their front doors, the sea had not split in two
before them. They hobbled, in an unsteady march, beaten, battered and
torn toward another day of forced labor. They were utterly convinced
that this was their last Seder on Earth. Barely a glimmer of hope
remained, for the final candle had been snuffed out.
Tomorrow evening in Nahariya, I
will join my fellow soldiers, disabled veterans from all of Israel's
wars, in sitting around the Seder table as free men in our homeland, to
which we returned despite all odds.
The grandchildren sitting
around the table will ask the Four Questions. Together we will drink
four glasses of wine and recall at length our forbearers' exodus from
Egypt after hundreds of years of slavery. We will retell how a large
group of slaves came together, deciding to become a nation, and rose up,
setting off on the arduous journey toward salvation.
Yossi, a disabled veteran who
was injured as a paratrooper fighting in the 1967 Six-Day War, will
recreate the legend of Jerusalem's liberation, crowning our joy with the
holiest of cities. Together, we will conclude the Seder with a
triumphant rendition of "Next Year in Jerusalem." Immediately following,
we will recite the poem "Karev Yom" ("The Day is Approaching"): "Place
guards over Your City all day and all night / Lighten the darkness of
the night with the light of day." Indeed, a brilliant light to
illuminate our lives as a nation after so many gloomy years.
A meager 600,000-person
community stood against all the Arab armies. Millions of Jews have
immigrated to Israel and have been absorbed within its borders. Despite
the wars and a complex security environment, one of the world's leading
centers for industry, science and medicine has flourished. Above all
else, Ezekiel's prophetic vision has been fulfilled in our time:
"But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and
yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to come. ... And
I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it;
and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be
builded" (Ezekiel 36:8-10). The Land of Israel, for thousands
of years lying in wait, stirred as its sons returned home. The Land of
Israel has been developed everywhere.
The true meaning of liberation is having responsibility. At the root of responsibility is concern for others, and this chain can never be secure as long as there is a weak link.
The Passover Haggadah starts
out by extending an invitation for all who are needy to come and partake
in the Seder meal. We should extend that invitation throughout the year
as well. The battle against poverty is a struggle over the essence of
society, its values and its strength.
Free men should not be frightened by
foreign threats. Our close neighbors and distant allies must understand
that Israeli citizens are determined and strong -- nobody can threaten
us. Our days as downtrodden slaves are over. Passover's spirt of
liberation must communicate to the world that the Jewish nation has come
together in the Land of Israel; it has risen up with no intention to
surrender.
Thanks NG
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