Pesach 5784—A Salve for Living in Dangerous Times W hen Israel was brutally attacked on October 7th, the obvious choice for the focus of this year’s Haggadah companion seemed bekhol dor vador omedim aleinu lekhaloteinu , in every generation nations have arisen to destroy us. As the Azrieli faculty considered crafting conversation starters and activities for various ages, we recognized the challenge of sharing difficult and painful concepts with children. But more importantly agreed that Pesach is not the holiday of horrors, a time to emphasize tyrants and terror, but rather zeman cheiruteinu , the holiday that marks our freedom. The Hagaddah is not static; it bounces between our Egyptian experience and our sages celebrating in B’nei Brak. It takes us from Avraham Avinu’s first journey to the challenge of the Red Sea. The Pesach seder is not about one moment or locale, it is about a journey, a story, that travels from omedim aleinu lekhaloteinu , meandering until it reaches the lofty declaration beshana haba’ah beYerushalayim . Throughout the Hagaddah, and throughout the Jewish journey, there is one constant. Hashem is ever present, and our faith and connection to Hashem is often a critical ingredient in our ability to move forward. Our pronouncement of beshana haba’ah beYerushalayim may end the seder, but it does not end our journey or our grand Jewish story. In recent months en our story has been invaded by terror, tragedy, and horrible loss but has included inspiring narratives of amazing strength and heroism. Dr. Zohar Raviv, educational director for Birthright, argues tragedies are not the essence of our Jewish story, they are interruptions. Our story, which began with Avraham and will continue beyond us, is about what we do and who we become in response. Our story is a spectacular, evolving narrative of a remarkable people and we should stand proud to part of it and to share it with this and future generations. The greatness and enormity of the Jewish story should animate every teachable moment, in every Jewish school and classroom, and certainly at our sedarim. This year as we enjoy our seder, hopefully, surrounded by family and friends, we think about our own journeys and those whose stories have been interrupted. We will experience the redemption from slavery to freedom, the journey from omedim aleinu lekhaloteinu to beshana haba’ah beYerushalayim . We will recount the faith of our forefathers and invigorate our faith and connection to Hashem, who accompanies all our journeys. As we recount our story through the seder, may our shared learning and prayers help bring a time when we can fully celebrate, with all free to join beYerushalayim , in safety and peace.
Rona Milch Novick, PhD Dean, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration
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AZRIELI GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH EDUCATION • HAGGADAH COMPANION
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