Dr. Chaim Y. Botwinick
Having just celebrated the beautiful and glorious chag of Pesach, It is natural to take a step back, and to reflect on this inspiring and meaningful holiday.
Over one week ago, we all sat together at our respective seder tables with family and friends, exchanging stories about yetziat mitzrayim (the exodus narrative) and focusing on the amazing history of bnai yisrael’s exodus and liberation from slavery in Egypt.
As we concluded the sederim with hope and promise, we all sang and exclaimed shana haba b’yerushalyim – next year, we will be in Jerusalem.
For those of us who are fortunate to be living in Israel, this concept of “Next Year in Yerushalayim’ is happening now in real time – at least from a physical perspective. But, for the most part, it’s an aspirational wish, dream and bracha about our future. The true message here is that we all pray and hope for the arrival of the Moshiach who will help lead us out of galut (the diaspora) in order to finally fulfill the long awaited realization and actualization of “Next Year in Jerusalem”.
It’s absolutely remarkable how year after year, irrespective of the amount of chametz cleaning and hard work that goes into preparing for Chag Pesach, we all end up in the same place – namely, exhausted, fulfilled and inspired with gratitude and dreams about “next year in Jerusalem.” (This of course does not include the tremendous volume of high caloric intake of Pesach delicacies that many of us consumed and enjoyed over this chag ….guess it’s high time to hit the gym again!).
Putting humor to aside, as we know, chag Pesach is not always about enjoyment, hotel destinations and programs or celebration. Nor is it exclusively about total and complete cherut (freedom). Freedom from slavery, one-hundred percent, but not totally free from today’s harsh and daunting realities of galut.
During Chol HaMoed Pesach, we transitioned into the last two days of the chag, with eager anticipation. We asked ourselves once again, where did the time go? So much anticipation and preparation, yet this beautiful chag comes and goes in the blink of an eye. And as soon as you know it, we are back to our daily routines.
But, for acheinu bnai yisrael, all is never routine. As we look back at Chag Pesach, I can’t help but be continuously mindful of the physical, emotional and psychological pain and anguish that our dear brothers and sisters are experiencing as captives in Hamas terror tunnels. They are still suffering terribly as they continue to languish in the deep dark, damp, disgusting tunnels of Gaza since the beginning of that horrific infamous day of October 7th.
It’s so hard to fathom that there still hostages being held captive by Hamas with very little food to eat, water to drink, sunlight to see or fresh air to breathe. The juxtaposition of the manner in which we celebrate and observe Pesach is so distant and foreign to the reality of what our precious hostages are experiencing is beyond heartbreaking. It is truly unimaginable.
Adding to our pain and concern, we now hear official reports that there are currently 59 hostages still being held in Gaza over 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
As we were celebrating the first night of Pesach in galut, families of Israelis held captive by Hamas brought their grief, hope, despair and unswerving determination and resilience to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. This was in addition to the thousands of IDF soldiers who spent their first night of Pesach on IDF military bases in the north and in southern Israel and the thousands of families throughout Israel who felt the emptiness and absence of their sons, daughters, fathers, mothers and other relatives and friends.
As we remember and repeat the exodus story and narrative together at our sederim, it was indeed so difficult not to feel and share the unbearable and relentless pain, heartbreak and fear for the welfare of our hostages and their families. In fact, during the sedarim, many families actually left empty chairs at their respective seder tables in order to symbolize and perpetuate the lives of those hostages still being held captive; and, to remember those family members and friends who have sacrificed their lives in heroic efforts to free the hostages and who fought valiantly and heroically on the battlefield in order to defend eretz yisrael.
As we concluded our chag with the last days of yom tov, we all asked ourselves – when will this nightmare end and how will it end? Are our precious brothers and sisters being held captive still healthy? What is their physical, emotional and psychological condition? And finally, the ultimate question we all have in the back of our minds, but refuse to acknowledge or discuss – are the hostages even still alive?
These are the painful and daunting unanswered questions which haunts all of us as we all tried to observe and celebrate chag pesach against the backdrop of this harsh reality.
I can’t for one moment even begin to imagine how the families of the hostages are able to cope with this terribly sad, depressing and frightening reality, especially on chag pesach.
As we know, Pesach is a time to observe and remember our exodus from mitzrayim as we went from avdut to chayrut – from slavery to freedom. We are even commanded to envision the exodus narrative as if we were actually or physically present at that time
In our dream of dreams, we pray to haShem for the safe return of the hostages to eretz yisrael; we pray for their release, their wellbeing and for their families who are being tormented every second their dear ones are held in Hamas captivity.
Chag Pesach must continue to provide acheinu b’nai yisrael with hope and promise; with strength and resilience for the future and with bitachon and emunah. To this end, we must never ever allow these events or these challenging courses of history to overshadow our resilience or diminish our hope and promise for the future.
The one area which we do have control is the manner in which we behave and act towards one another as an am kodesh, mamlechet kohamin, and as an ohr lagoyim.
The purpose of this article is not to castigate, accuse, demand or condescend, but rather to encourage all of us to pursue a path of authentic achdut.
As I have written, blogged and podcasted on numerous occasions, achdut b’nai yisrael must become our perpetual calling-card and raison d’ete for our communities in Israel and in the diaspora.
Throughout history we see how the lack of achdut destroyed the very foundation and fabric of our nation, minimizing our ability and capacity to practice ben adam lchavero and in select cases extinguishing and marginalizing the beauty and splendor of ahavat yisrael.
Ultimately the lack of achdut through our inability to demonstrate ahavat yisrael leads to internal strife, conflict and destruction; and above all, places all of us as a people and as a nation in great peril.
As we concluded Chag Pesach, and return to our normative routines, we once again dream and pray for a time when all of achienu bnai yisrael return to a rebuilt Yerushalayim.
Shana Haba B’yerushalayim is indeed a dream, a promise, a hope, a prayer and an aspiration which inspires and encourages all of us to dream about tomorrow with a safer and more peaceful future for our families for our precious hostages and for all klal yisrael.
May this past chag Pesach be the last Pesach to be celebrated in galut as we eagerly look forward to shalom, achdut and ultimately, Shana Haba B’Yerushalayim
Dr. Chaim Botwinick is a senior executive coach and an organizational consultant. He served and president and CEO of the central agency Jewish education in Baltimore and Miami, in addition to head of school, principal and teacher for several Jewish day schools and yeshivot. As an Influencer, he has lecture extensively on topics relating to education, leadership and strategic planning. Dr. Botwinick is Co-Founder of LEV Consulting Associates, producer and host of the Chinuch Horizons podcast, and is the author of Think Excellence, Brown Books, 2011.
