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The hands-down winner in the "favorite song of the Seder" contest, of course, is Dayenu. Each of the 15 Heaven-sent gifts which we received during the Exodus experience are enumerated, eliciting a spirited cry of praise to Hashem, "Each by themselves would have been enough!"
But would it really "have been enough" if G-d divided the sea & we did not safely cross it?! And if we survived that crisis, but Hashem did not provide us with food & water in the desert - so that we quickly perished - would that have been enough?! And if we reached Har Sinai, but stood there aimlessly, never receiving the 10 Commandments, what would have been the point of it all?
Beneath the sing-song rhythm of Dayenu lies a profound philosophy of Jewish life, so apropos for today's scene.
We live in a world of boundless wonders which rival the miracle of the Splitting of the Sea. What was considered science fiction a generation ago is everyday reality today; we can barely keep up with all the new frontiers being conquered. Jewish life has witnessed a Renaissance of scholarship in our era unrivaled in 2000 years. Jews are no longer excluded from any discipline of study or job & enjoy the highest standard of living in our history. The State of Israel – resurrected right before our very eyes - has gathered in the exiles from 100 different Diasporas & built a magnificent country with a valiant army & a vibrant economy. Jews, finally & forever, no longer must wander the planet searching for a place to park our suitcase.
And yet, it never seems to be enough for us. We seem determined to complain about everyone & everything. We castigate our leaders, curse the traffic, mock the justice system. The Right bemoans the Left, and vice-versa; the secular criticize the religious, the prophets of doom fret about the future & obsess about what's wrong with nary a word for what's right. What’s missing is embracing the now & all of its many blessings.
Some people say only when Redemption comes will they relax, smile & be happy. But these people have it exactly backwards: If we start being happy & have a positive outlook, we will bring the Geula! The traditional Pesach greeting, "Have a Chag Kasher V'Sameach," reminds us that only when our Judaism is infused with joy - when Simcha is literally the "last word" - will we achieve our true liberation. That, in a nutshell, is Dayenu – so sing it loud, sing it proud!
Additional Lessons Stealing the Afikoman
How to Keep Our Kids at the Seder and On The Derech of Torah
Rabbis in Midrash
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Hosha'ana Rabba FLYDUBAI & HOSHANA RABBA- ANI VAHU HOSHIA NA- I & HIM SAVE US
"Ani vaHu Hoshia Na", "I and Him, Save Us". We don't just pray to Him, but we also pray to and for ourselves that we should emulate and educate our children to have that instinctive altruism with which He created the world. President Trump seemed amused about Yaniv Hayon, our PLUMBER who confidently worked with G-d like Superman (he learned from a pilot on a TV show!) to save 174 lives on the Dubai hijacking, but we in Israel are totally accustomed already 78 years to our plumbers, teachers, garbage-men, rabbis, farmers & doctors being Hashem's shlichim! This is what Zionism is about.
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
