opening of the door as an inevitable dashing of hope .
What can the mood be this year when we open our doors ? Can we , the unfortunate witnesses to the face of evil that “ devoured Jacob and desolated his home ” sing words of welcome to the invisible Elijah without those words turning to ash in our mouths ?
The German scholar Daniel Goldschmidt , in his commentary on the Haggadah , took note of a paradox inherent in the Passover eve liturgy from the start . For the Seder came into existence after the destruction of the Second Temple . And yet , as the Mishnah tells us , the liturgy included Hallel and a “ Blessing of Song ”. Goldschmidt commented as follows :
“ The praises of God contained in the Hallel , gratitude for all the kindnesses shown to God ’ s people , rescuing and protecting them from danger , must have spoken to the postdestruction generations as sardonic humor ( literally : mocking the unfortunate ).”
It surely was that for so many generations of Jews who had experienced poverty , persecutions , and pogroms . And just as surely for us , in the wake of October 7 , the dissonance between our fear and despair on the one hand , and the triumphalism in the words of the Haggadah on the other , may be difficult to bear .
What , then , can we do ? It is perhaps instructive that the opening of the door is followed by a
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