by Dr. Haim Shine
Precisely 70 years ago, during the
Seder of 1944 in Auschwitz, 10 Jews were seated -- including my grandfather,
blessed be his memory -- quietly singing, almost silently, "Why is this night
different from all other nights?" Their grief was boundless, their pain acute.
No child was left behind to ask the Four Questions, for all the children had
been carried off to the heavens, lost in the plumes of black smoke billowing off
the crematoria smokestacks at the concentration camp.
Their night was long, too long. They
had no wine, nor matzot, nor Haggadot, just a full helping of bitter herbs --
raw, pungent maror that pierced the soul. As the night wore on, they told the
story of the exodus from Egypt. Not a soul arrived to inform them that dawn was
approaching and the time had come to recite the morning prayers. Actually, no
morning prayers, indeed no morning at all, was stretching across the horizon,
simply dismal black skies signaling yet another day of work at the camp. The
Prophet Elijah had not come to knock on their front doors, the sea had not split
in two before them. They hobbled, in an unsteady march, beaten, battered and
torn toward another day of forced labor. They were utterly convinced that this
was their last Seder on Earth. Barely a glimmer of hope remained, for the final
candle had been snuffed out.
Tomorrow evening in Nahariya, I will
join my fellow soldiers, disabled veterans from all of Israel's wars, in sitting
around the Seder table as free men in our homeland, to which we returned despite
all odds.
The grandchildren sitting around the
table will ask the Four Questions. Together we will drink four glasses of wine
and recall at length our forbearers' exodus from Egypt after hundreds of years
of slavery. We will retell how a large group of slaves came together, deciding
to become a nation, and rose up, setting off on the arduous journey toward
salvation.
Yossi, a disabled veteran who was
injured as a paratrooper fighting in the 1967 Six-Day War, will recreate the
legend of Jerusalem's liberation, crowning our joy with the holiest of cities.
Together, we will conclude the Seder with a triumphant rendition of "Next Year
in Jerusalem." Immediately following, we will recite the poem "Karev Yom" ("The
Day is Approaching"): "Place guards over Your City all day and all night /
Lighten the darkness of the night with the light of day." Indeed, a brilliant
light to illuminate our lives as a nation after so many gloomy years.
A meager 600,000-person community
stood against all the Arab armies. Millions of Jews have immigrated to Israel
and have been absorbed within its borders. Despite the wars and a complex
security environment, one of the world's leading centers for industry, science
and medicine has flourished. Above all else, Ezekiel's prophetic vision has been
fulfilled in our time: "But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your
branches, and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to
come. ... And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of
it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded"
(Ezekiel 36:8-10). The Land of Israel, for thousands of years lying in wait,
stirred as its sons returned home. The Land of Israel has been developed
everywhere.
The true meaning of liberation is
having responsibility. At the root of responsibility is concern for others, and
this chain can never be secure as long as there is a weak link.
The Passover Haggadah starts out by
extending an invitation for all who are needy to come and partake in the Seder
meal. We should extend that invitation throughout the year as well. The battle
against poverty is a struggle over the essence of society, its values and its
strength.
Free men should not be frightened by foreign
threats. Our close neighbors and distant allies must understand that Israeli
citizens are determined and strong -- nobody can threaten us. Our days as
downtrodden slaves are over. Passover's spirt of liberation must communicate to
the world that the Jewish nation has come together in the Land of Israel; it has
risen up with no intention to surrender.
Dr. Haim Shine
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=8065
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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