Shalom my friends, this is Simcha Hochbaum of Hebron standing outside the Maarat HaMachpela, getting ready for seder night, the exodus of Egypt. Getting ready for the night to be able to break down all the walls between parents and children, children and parents.
The main focus of the Haggadah is that transmitting. Transmitting from the parents to the children, connecting our children to that long chain of Jewish history of 3,800 years. Connecting them, knowing and teaching them that God hears our cries.
When a Jew cries out like we did in Egypt, God heard our cried, then he redeemed us. But this is also the night of asking questions. Sometimes we’re intimidated when our children ask us questions.
Sometimes children are not open to listening to the real answers that we want to share with them. Tonight is the night of that closeness. When we ask that question of “Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot” — Why is this night so much different?
There’s a deep crying out. After so many days, after over a year and a half of fighting, why is this night, why is this exile so long? Why is this night full of so much pain and suffering? When will the hostages finally come out of their personal exodus of Egypt? When will they leave the hells of those tunnels and be able to reconnect to their parents and to their families? When will the Jewish people finally be able to come up and offer the Pascal lamb on the Temple Mount? And when will our children come back and join their roots?
Shlomo Carlebach would teach there’s even that son the rasha that seemed to be asking in the most antagonistic way. But deep down the rasha, we tell him הַקְהֵה אֶת שִׁנָּיו we knock out his teeth when he asks the question. We tried to bring out that shin, that three-pronged letter of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov to show every Jew deep down inside your connected deep down, every person has that holiness of the patriarchs and matriarchs.
And God willing, together we’ll be able to see the prophecy of Elijah the prophet. God will bridge the gap between parents and children, children and parents and we’ll be able to see this great connection and God willing the geula shaleima the ultimate in God’s answer of redemption and third temple.
Amen and amen.
