Adult Learners: עוד לא אבדה תקוותנו : From Tragedy to Redemption
MOSHE SOKOLOW
ELIEZER BARANY
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• ערוב כנים, צפרדע, דם, . While most exegetes posited that our ancestors in Egypt were spared from the wrath of all ten plagues, Ibn Ezra uniquely argued that the fourth plague, `arov , was the first to not be visited upon the Jews, as the Torah states that this plague will “Set apart the region of Goshen, where My people dwell.” Only after an initial setback from Moshe confronting Pharaoh, and after three plagues where, in the view of Ibn Ezra, the Jews shared in the pain, were they freed from years of distress. PROMPT: Is there something that was initially viewed as a setback in your personal life that upon later reflection you realized had actually helped you in some way? Either take a moment to think about such a moment or feel free to share it with others around the table. PROMPT: A reason given for removing droplets of wine from our cups for each of the ten plagues is that even our own cup (=fortune) can never be full as long as someone is suffering—even the cruel Egyptians. In light of recent events, do you find this explanation satisfactory? • Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik explained that the paragraph of Shefokh Hamatekha appears before nishmat kol chay to reveal that Hashem promised Bnei Yisrael even before leaving Egypt that He would be with them during their suffering until the end of days. In this paragraph, we ask that He bring about the final redemption; but in order to do so, the entire world needs to recognize His rulership. In this tefillah ,
The events of the past several months—indeed, the interval between Sukkot and Pesach— will surely intrude on our holiday celebration. Neither the violence that ensued in the Middle East nor the recrudescence of anti- Semitism throughout the world can be ignored. Our challenge is to travel from tragedy to redemption. Here are some ideas that can help you in your family’s journey through the Haggadah. • .שבכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותנו
CONSIDER THIS FUNDAMENTAL HISTORIOGRAPHICAL QUESTION: Is Jewish history and Jewish life a
succession of tragedies interrupted by brief peaceful respites, or the occasional disturbance of essential tranquility? 19th century Jewish historians—Heinrich Graetz in particular—thought that the Jewish historical experience was charac- terized by suffering. Salo Baron, arguably the leading Jewish historian of the 20th century, called that conception “lachry- mose” (tearful) and pointed out that Jews suffered no more than other minorities and often lived in peaceful coexistence with their Christian and Muslim overlords. PROMPT: Do you agree with Dr. Zohar Raviv, Director of Education for Birthright, who has argued, “We cannot sustain a healthy Jewish body on a diet of tragedies . . . tragedies are not chapters in our story – they are interruptions in our story.”
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ON THIS NIGHT WE ARE ALL TEACHERS
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