It’s on all of our minds. The Hostages……
There’s no way to shake it. It’s unfathomable.
Yet, we sit down to the Seder. We’ve done so for thousands of years. Is there anything else in this world that has been preserved and is as alive as the Jewish nation are?
Let’s pause here for a second. It’s not a btw question — it’s a reflection!! One so powerfully true that it’s difficult to wrap our intellectual minds around.
We have museums. We have fossils. We have excavations and relics; in today's day and age we even have methods to clone from DNA which although amazing, just reinforces that we’re dealing with has been and for the moment is no longer. Judaism however, is, has and will be — in a manner that no-thing else on this planet can boast.
That’s the Seder’s purpose. Someone pointed out that a simple 5 minute game of broken telephone can distort a message yet Judaism has been preserved, cherished and ultimately grown in strength, despite the herculean challenges and the test of time— truly miraculous.
Is it? Is it truly a miracle? Is it self serving to say this?
No. It’s true and I say it with pride. Our ancestors worked hard, sweat and literal blood as do we — each in our own way and we deeply desire that our children continue.
Enter the Seder…….
We simulate with detail, servitude and then exodus. It’s historic but oh so current. Replace Egypt with other cultures and foreign elements clashing and providing the greatest challenges to our existence — the proverbial Egypt. Yet don’t stop on that depressing point. Think but then “speak” to your Seder table about the next chapter. Our survival. Our existence. Our love for who we are, the people of Israel, the land of Israel and the reverence we feel when we see the Torah scroll.
The Seder…
Last week in Israel we visited “The Resilience Center”, in Ofakim — a town hit terribly on October 7, mourning the loss of many and now dealing the trauma that has affected a high proportion of the residents there.
Hanging at the entrance of the center is a mosaic. It was a collaborative activity and therapy for the residents of Ofakim. Mosaic therapy shares a message of hope and recovery. It’s the act of bringing together fragments and shards repurposed to create something new and meaningful. The mosaic…
That’s it!! The mosaic. The Jewish nation. Pieces. Each of us a piece. Each Jew throughout the ages a piece. Our own shape. Graceful or broken, worn or fresh, a piece.
A mosaic. Creating a beautiful and miraculous result. With tears, laughter, love, longing and yes, pain too — a mosaic. Our mosaic. The Jewish nation!
We’ll sit down at the Seder and we’ll tell the story. You’ll tell the story, they’ll tell the story, our ancestors on high will tell the story — together the ultimate and eternal mosaic. G-d’s mosaic!!
Please, Almighty on High, bring immediate salvation and freedom to your people Israel and send us the righteous Moshiach speedily — AMEN!
Rabbi Lau's Prayer for the Hostages at the Passover Seder.
Rabbi Yehuda & Dina Kantor
