Friends,
One of the loudest moments of the Seder happens when we hold up the matzah and say,
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא
Ha Lama Anya
This is the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.
Let all who are hungry come and eat!
Let all who are needy come and partake of the Passover offering!
Now, we are here;
next year, may we be in the land of Israel.
Now, we are slaves;
next year, may we be free.
The Ha Lahma Anya refers to the matzah, but then goes on to address people who aren't even sitting at the Seder table, even those who aren't even Jewish at all!
And then we read,
In every generation one must view oneself as though one had personally left Egypt, as scripture instructs: “And you shall say to your child on that day, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’
בְּכָׇל דּוֹר וָדוֹר
חַיָּב אָדָם
לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ
כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם.
B'chol L’dor V’dor, tells us that every human being has the obligation to see themselves as if they, personally were freed from slavery in Egypt.
Isn’t that amazing? These two important pieces of the Seder are spoken to the entire world. Couched in the very history of the Jewish people is a story for every human soul. This story is not our story alone. It ss a story for every human being. The Seder reminds us much more than our history. It also reminds us of our mission and our responsibility as God’s freedom fighters.
Each and every one of us is born in darkness, and we are afraid and reaching for answers that do not come readily. Life is mysterious and often challenging beyond measure. And yet, for those who demand from themselves a spiritual sensitivity and a hunger for enlightenment, they come to see, in time, that life moves from darkness towards light. Awareness brings the pattern into view, and intention creates the work of salvation. We all begin in some sort of enslavement, and we all have the potential to reach freedom's gate.
Our beautiful heritage, yes, is our destiny but it is also, the world’s gift.
Find your place this year in the drama of life; locate your journey and the journeys of those who live in the neighborhood of your world. They are your soul connections, and those connections are to be cultivated with love. Find your place in the continuum of Light. It is the direction of God. These are the chains we must break. This is the story worth telling.
