What Passover teaches us about Jewish survival

Rabbi Fishel Zaklos

hese past months have not been easy for Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. Even if you have been living under the metaphorical rock, you are surely aware of the attacks on Oct. 7, the war ever since, the rise of maddening antisemitism, and this deep feeling of worry and anxiety that has overtaken the hearts of good people the world over.

Just under six months after the atrocities of Oct. 7, we will be sitting down with family and friends for the Passover Seder. The delicious matza, wine and food (everything tastes delicious after four cups of wine), the bitter herbs, the 10 plagues and your favorite nudnik uncle all come together to make the seder the special event that it is.

Do you know that the seder is the longest-standing yearly meal in history? For over 3,000 years, we have been doing the same seder in the same way, as we proudly hold onto these traditions that made us who we are today. If a Jew from the Middle Ages would miraculously show up to our seder, they would feel right at home.

Yet each year, the holiday and its rituals resonate in different and unique ways, based on the circumstances of our lives and our own growth and maturity. Although the rituals are repetitive every year, their messages are never repetitive, because we are not the same people that we were last year.

This year, perhaps more than any other Pesach in recent memory, there is a paragraph that will resonate deeply. Halfway through the Haggadah we will reach the part where we raise our cups and sing the famous song “Vehi Sheamda” (so many beautiful tunes to those words). As we do so, we will feel the words pulsate through our very being: “And this is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands.”

The message is twofold:

1. Haters have always existed. Ever since we became a nation, we have had soulless individuals determined to destroy us. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon.

The harder they try to break us, the harder our resolve to survive and even thrive becomes.

2. Much more importantly, we always survive. No matter how much they hurt us, they can never destroy us. The eternity of the Jewish nation is arguably the greatest miracle of history. No nation has been more persecuted, and yet here we are — thriving, growing and more alive.

Antisemites are not only evil, but they are also foolish. Don’t they realize that the harder they fight us the stronger we become? Don’t they see the Divine hand that assures their plans will never succeed? And what about us? Are our eyes open to our own miraculous story? Are we confident in the promise of the future that “G-d saves us from their hands?”

Pesach’s eternal message is that no matter how hard it can be, whether in Egypt, Babylonia, Spanish Expulsion, Auschwitz or Kfar Aza – Am Yisrael Chai, our nation endures. The harder they try to break us, the harder our resolve to survive, and even thrive, becomes.

So, while we cry for lives lost, destroyed families and homes, and pray for our captives (hopefully, they are all home by the time you read this), let us also celebrate the miracle of our survival. The seder is not just about kneidlach, matza and a nice piece of steak. It’s about opening our eyes to our own miracles and feeling a strong sense of connection to the collective nation of Israel. We are one heart split into many bodies. We are one soul. We are all in this together.

So, to all my friends, family and people of good conscience: Stand proud and strong during these tumultuous times. The pain is real, but we will come out stronger, better and as eternal as ever.

Next year in Jerusalem!

My wife, Ettie, joins me in wishing you and yours a kosher and happy Pesach.

Rabbi Zaklos Fishel serves at Chabad Jewish Center of Naples.