Given the current difficult circumstances that Medinat Yisrael and Am Yisrael face, it’s helpful to see how the Haggadah we use at our seders can serve as a source of inspiration to us during this very challenging time.
One of the unusual aspects of the seder is the requirement that we drink four cups of wine. Unlike on Shabbat or any other holiday, when we can fulfill our obligation by just listening to the blessing, here we must actually drink from our own cups. Various reasons are given by the rabbis as to why there are four cups, including that they correspond to the four expressions of redemption found in Exodus 6:6-7: “Therefore say unto the Israelites, I am the Lord. And I shall take you out… and I shall save you… and I shall redeem you…and I shall take you unto me as my people…”. The four cups then represent both freedom and redemption. In Pesachim 117b, Rava takes it to the next level and says, it isn’t only that the four cups of wine were instituted by the rabbis as a symbol of freedom, but rather as derech herut, as an actual “path to freedom.” It’s a reminder that we have to actually feel on Seder night that we have left Mitzrayim and are on our way to freedom and the Promised Land. Another reason why we drink the four cups is found in the Talmud Yerushalmi, where the Sages explain it is a reminder of the four times the cups of Pharaoh are mentioned in the dream of the wine steward and Joseph’s interpretation. “The cup was in my hand”; “And I squeezed them into the cup of Pharaoh’’; “And I put the cup into the hand of Pharaoh’’; “And you shall put the cup into the hand of Pharaoh.” Why would this serve as an inspiration for us at the Seder? The rabbis explain that Joseph and the sommelier were both slaves to Pharoah at the time. The dream serves as a hint to Yosef—the cup may be in the hand of Pharaoh- i.e. you may be a slave now—but like the wine steward, one day you will be restored to your former position— and your descendants will take the cup out of his hand—freedom will come and B’nai Yisrael will have an opportunity to thank God four times for our redemption.
When we look back at what our ancestors faced, it’s remarkable how history repeats itself. In the Haggadah, during the Maggid section, we read the verse from the Torah (Deuteronomy 26:6) “Vayarei-u otanu ha-Mitzrim vay’anunu vayit’nu aleinu avodah kashah” And the Egyptians dealt cruelly with us and oppressed us and they imposed hard labor on us.” Grammatically, the better way to say it would be “Vayarei-u lanu Mitzayrim.” We find that pasuk in Parshat Chukat, where we are the objects of their actions. But as Rabbi Yissocher Frand points out, by using the word “otanu”—it literally means that they made us look bad by inventing evil about us! Pharaoh was concerned public opinion might not be with him when he began oppressing the Jewish people. After all, the Jews were the Egyptians’ neighbors and co-workers, who lived peaceably in their midst. So Pharaoh had to spread outright falsehoods, for example, that the Jews would be a disloyal Fifth Column. This tactic worked; we see two verses later in the Torah that the Egyptian people began to abhor the Jews. As my husband, Rabbi Zev Brenner, always shares at our Seder, this is an example of the first case of media bias against the Jewish People. How timely is it today when we see so much social media bias against the State of Israel, where facts ad truth are ignored and lies are peddled about the Jewish homeland and Jews in general.
And finally, let’s recall an amazing teaching from Dayenu. We read “iIu keir’vanu lifnei Har Sinai, v’lo natan lanu at haTorah, dayenu” If G d had drawn us near Mount Sinai but not given us the Torah, that would have been good enough. How so? Perhaps the answer can be found evoking the famous Rashi that when we encamped next to Mount Sinai, the Torah uses the singular Vayichan. It’s a reminder that at that moment we were K’ish Echad, blev Echad. The Jewish unity was so intense it was like we were like one person with one heart. During this difficult time for Am Yisrael, we have seen so much incredible togetherness both here and in Israel. May this unity continue, may we stand with Israel and combat the disinformation and may the four cups of wine inspire us to work towards the ultimate Geulah!
Chag kasher v’sameach!
Rabbanit Adena Berkowitz, a practicing therapist, is Scholar in Residence at Kol HaNeshamah NYC, an organization dedicated to reenergizing the spiritual life of both affiliated and not yet affiliated Jews. She is the author of the bestselling “The Jewish Journey Haggadah” which is available on Amazon and your local Jewish bookstore. She can be reached at [email protected].
