As we celebrate Passover, during the turbulent period that has shaken us in recent months, we are given the opportunity to rise above present events and see things in a historical perspective.
Such a view correctly illuminates the weight of everyday storms in the face of eternal Jewish existence.
Jews celebrated the Seder and told the story of the Exodus from Egypt during the time of the judges, when they suffered constant attacks from the peoples of the region. They held the Seder during the glorious period of Solomon's reign, and during the storms of the wars between the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel. The tradition of this night was also preserved during the Babylonian and Persian exiles, during the Second Temple period and after its destruction and the exile of the people from the Land of Israel.
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Over the next two thousand years, the Jewish people celebrated Passover in every possible situation. During the Golden Age in Spain and during the Inquisition. During the Crusades and persecutions in Arab countries. In the shadow of blood libels and the terrors of the Khmelnytskyi riots. In communist Russia and the terrible Holocaust. And today, millions of Jews travel across the globe and celebrate the same holiday and tradition – the holiday of our departure from slavery to freedom and from bondage to redemption.
Journey to the finish line
There is no other people in the world that celebrates with such devotion a holiday that is more than three thousand three hundred years old. There is no other nation and language that has such a long historical memory, and a coherent system of commandments, laws, and customs, which has the power to connect masses of people living today with an event that occurred so many years ago.
This view of Jewish existence has the power to elevate us above the fleeting and the momentary. And is it in our power to grasp the meaning of three thousand three hundred years? Kingdoms have risen and fallen, the world has changed countless times, things that were very troubling at a certain time have become a dim memory, and new concerns have taken their place.
Before us is a long and winding journey, advancing toward its end point. The redemption from Egypt was the beginning of the process of redemption, which will reach its perfection in the complete redemption that lies ahead of us.
Upon leaving Egypt, we were granted a certain amount of freedom, but true freedom will be brought to us by our righteous Messiah, the final Redeemer for whom we so eagerly await.
To pass the test
We believe with all our hearts that our time is the time of redemption. The great men of Israel in recent generations have spoken of this in the most explicit terms. The Lubavitcher Rebbe clearly stated that everything is ready for redemption, and that it should come at any moment. But unfortunately, redemption is delayed, and the challenge before us is to stand the test and not let go of the strength of faith and expectation.
Passover in general is the holiday of redemption, and on the seventh day of Passover, the illumination of the Messiah shines, as the Baal Shem Tov taught. This is the time to strengthen our faith in the coming redemption and to pray that it will come soon and immediately. Let us all therefore partake of the 'Messiah's Supper', which instills faith in the coming redemption into our hearts and souls and even into our physical bodies, and may it be our will that we may merit to celebrate the holiday with our righteous Messiah, in the Third Temple, and with joy and abundance of goodness.
