Passover’s Message to Iran, Hamas and You

For the first time in history, Iran directly attacked Israel, shooting over 300 missiles and drones in a massive assault that was, thank God, repelled by Israel. The sky lit up in the night as Israeli defense systems intercepted targets. Emboldened, anti-Israel activists cheered and clapped while Khomeini posted in Hebrew on X, threatening the end of Israel and Jerusalem as our eternal city.

Jews around the globe, as well as those who love Israel and the Jewish nation, are feeling frightened and anxious.

We are living through the worst period our nation has suffered since the Holocaust. We have witnessed the brutal massacre of October 7^th, violent kidnappings and the inhumane violation of our women, virulent antisemitism and worldwide protests, and now unprecedented attacks on our land. From where can we find the resilience to overcome the terror?

As we sit at Seder we discover the eternal secret of the Jew.

This menacing threat arrives just as we are about to celebrate the holiday of Passover. The Haggadah was written not as an ancient history book but rather as a living guide to life. As we sit at Seder we discover the eternal secret of the Jew.

“In every generation they attempt to annihilate us and our God saves us from their hands.” Notice that we do not speak in the past tense. The Haggadah is communicating to us in the present, today: “Dear Jew! This is your story! Know who you are. Know where you’ve been. Plug into your everlasting power. Understand your strength despite the stench of antisemitism that threatens to choke you. Impart it to yourself. Relay it to your children. Your story is not over. It continues from generation to generation; from continent to continent. This is your legacy. You shall endure!”

Wisdom from the Seder

Our Seder customs provide us with hidden meaning. You wonder how you will survive the anguish and pain? You question your future as the darkness of today strips you of the promise of tomorrow?

Listen carefully.

Passover night we make a sandwich of matzah, marror and a sprinkle of charoset. This is more than an interesting sandwich combo. It is wisdom for life.

Hillel, the great sage, lived in the time of the Romans when Jewish life was threatened. It is Hillel himself who instructs us to make this Seder sandwich. He guides us to navigate through the agony and anguish, just as he did. Hillel whispers to us Seder night:

My children, you are not alone in this cycle of hate. I lived it as did our forefathers in Egypt. Every day we would wake up to the shouts of those who wanted to destroy us. Our babies came into this world with marror on their lips. There were many who were about to give up hope. Spirits were crushed. What will be with us? How will we ever make it out of this mess?

Here is my formula to make it through the aching times. If you know only marror moments, you will succumb to the pain. You wake up with fear, you go to sleep with fear. Marror is bitter. The harsh taste never leaves you and the tears do not stop flowing. The only way to survive the distress is to make a sandwich of your life.

See the matzah? It is the greatest symbol of love between God and the Jewish people. In one second we were lifted from slavery to freedom. We had no time to even let our dough rise and bake bread. Know that healing comes miraculously, just as light instantly pushes away the darkness.

Dear Jewish nation, take your marror – your fears, your worries, your pain and your anxiety, and make a sandwich. Your shattered heart will be encased in matzah – a sign of how much you are beloved and cherished. Then sprinkle sweet charoset, (a delicious mixture of apples, grape juice, sugar and walnuts) and recognize the sweet blessings in your life. Dust your sandwich with the magic of goodness that you have been granted. In this way you will find balance and fortitude throughout the challenges.

The Seder night is an opportunity to stand proud and proclaim that our inner fire is not dead.

The Jewish People are a nation of miracles. Passover is an opportunity to stand proud and proclaim that our inner fire is not dead. These past six months we have encountered some of the greatest of our generation. Seemingly ordinary people who are in fact extraordinary; angels of resilience and strength. We have heard the heartbroken voices of mothers and fathers who have buried their sons and daughters. We have watched wives stand bravely, some with new life delicately growing within, speak about dreams they’ve shared with loving men who are no more. We have shed tears with children who wept bitterly as they bid farewell to their parents.

Each voice has echoed the unwavering words of those who walked before us. For thousands of years you have tried to snuff the light of the Jewish people from this earth. You have schemed, plotted, and planned our demise. But we have endured. You hate us not for anything we have done but simply because we Jews exist.

Our enemies need to hear this: As we sit at our Seder and retell our story, know that there is no missile in the world that can ever extinguish our soul. You have tried from the beginning of time yet here we are. We are a stubborn people. We will never relinquish our hope. We will never surrender our faith. We are determined to live. This is our story. Now and forever.