Dear Friends,
We are only a few days away from reliving the exodus experience, fulfilling the commandment to see ourselves as if we were leaving Egypt. It’s great to know that it is still happening in our lifetime. We finally have the capacity to redeem others and the influence to do so.
It's going to be 25 years this December since 250,000 people were on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to "let my people go" during the Reagan/Gorbachev summit. Those who were there will never forget it. And it opened up the gates that allowed one million Jews to leave the Soviet Union. But our kids don't know about it because we have not told them.
We also don't tell them that we are still bringing Jews to Israel - almost 20,000 a year. Many come to fulfill a lifelong dream of aliyah. Some are brought to Israel on rescue missions like our brothers in Ethiopia. This year, absorption centers all around Israel will host a Passover Seder, and many Ethiopians will make good on the vision in the Haggadah: “Next year in Jerusalem”.
Our children need to hear these stories. It says four separate times in the Bible that we must tell our children about the exodus. Our stories must become their stories. We have ancient stories of oppression, justice and freedom. We have modern stories of oppression, justice and freedom.
So this year at your Passover table, as you read the Haggadah with family and friends, take time to deliver not one story but many stories of redemption. I would not be here had someone not told my story. And thank you for my freedom. It was the best afikoman present!
Misha