in Egypt was not a one-time event ; it was meant to serve as an archetype for all of Jewish history . Indeed , we have experienced many Egypts , many oppressors , and the Haggadah implies that we will experience more . The promise is only that each time “ God saves us from their hands .”
What does this mean ? So often the salvation has come only after many have been tortured and killed . The only way we can understand this is that the promise is not that any one individual is promised salvation but rather the nation as a whole .
As Jews , each of us needs to decide whether to accept the at times unbearable fate that has been decreed for us . Does a catastrophe , such as the one that took place on October 7 th , convince us to give up now rather than wait for some future salvation ? The Haggadah is urging us to hang on . To be part of the Jewish people is to learn to keep the faith even in the worst moments , not just for one ’ s own sake but for the sake of the people of Israel . We must live through this difficult time even though we cannot see salvation on the horizon . We can only hope that through God ’ s help and our own efforts , we will move “ from darkness to light , from enslavement to redemption .” May it be so .
Rabbi Eliezer Diamond , PhD is the Rabbi Judah Nadich Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary .
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