Yes, it’s that time of year again! As we clean out the cabinets, sweep the floors, and make all the necessary preparations for the Holiday of Pesach, how important it is to remind ourselves of the many meanings and values enveloped in this special time.
“Let my People Go”
As many of us are familiar, when finally agreeing to let the Jewish People leave the unrelenting circumstances of Misrayim, Pharaoh instructs Moshe “Go and serve Hashem, your God –but first–Mi Vami Ha’holchim?” – “Just who will be leaving?” to which Moshe replies:
“BeNa'arenu U’bizkenenu Nelech.”
“With our young and our old we will go”.
And so, the question arises:
In his reply, why is it that Moshe chose to mention the young before the old? It is no secret that we, as Jewish People, always give precedence to our elders. Why, then, the uncharacteristic choice of phraseology?
The answer, as you will find, is one of the essential principles of Passover, and Jewish tradition over-all.
Pharaoh indeed agreed to let the Jewish People go, but before giving Moshe the absolute ‘green light’, he needs to know precisely who will be going. Men? Women? Children? For he fears Moshe will take his most preferred category of Jewish People: The children.
Well aware that Pharaoh fears the emancipation of the young, Moshe first stresses “BeNa'arenu", “Indeed, we will be taking our young”. Pharaoh thus withdraws his sanction.
The Evil Strategy
Although this may shed light on Moshe’s choice of words, one cannot help but wonder – Why? What exactly is so significant about the Jewish children that Pharaoh will not let them go?
We find a similar interest taken by King Ahashverosh in the story of Purim. There, the King throws a tremendous party, inviting everybody “Mi’gadol Ve’ad Kattan” both great and small, young and old. But is it not strange? Surely most people would choose not to have children running around a party of such magnificence and grandeur! And so, again we wonder: Why the invested interest in our kids?!
It is the night of Pesach when we truly understand the intention of Pharaoh, Ahashverosh, Adolf Hitler, and all of the wicked men who have tried so desperately to annihilate us.
Throughout history, our enemies have realized that the key to both the construction and destruction of the Jewish People is largely dependent on one major entity: The youth. “If we get the kids,” they muse, “the rest is history.”
The frightening truth remains that this tactic has not disappeared with history. Modern-day villains likewise prey on the innocence of the young. In fact, a recent study proves more than 75% of ISIS and Al Qaeda members recruited from the United States are teens!
Both past and present tyrants understand that Jewish children are the lifeline of the Jewish faith; the future of our Holy Torah and traditions. To deprive them of their ancestral rites would undoubtedly wreak havoc on the future of Am Yisrael.
The Seder Night
One might ask, perhaps it is more apropos to transmit our story on the Holiday of Succot, where we leave the comfort of our own home to reside in booths? Surely that is deserving of a “Mah Nishtana?”. Yet it is only on Pesach that we entice our children to ask questions, and teach them the story of our redemption.
It is on the night of Passover that we are commanded “Ve’higadeta Le’bincha”, to ‘Tell’ our children. On the surface, the instruction seems fair and reasonable: Give the kids a nice lesson in Jewish history. This, of course, is incorrect.
With the recital of the Haggadah we achieve far more than a mere history lesson. We are eradicating precisely what Pharaoh and others so wickedly schemed to do to our People; ensuring that Pharaoh and those who seek our destruction don’t have their way by infecting the pure minds of youth. This is why we tell the age-old story of our exile and redemption from Egypt exclusively on Passover.
Transmitting Our Story
When we realize the wicked intention of Pharaoh, it can inspire us to have a more meaningful Seder. Knowing that it is our own children that are at the core focus of all who seek our demise, we should do our best to transmit our heritage with pride. Enlighten your children with the gratitude they should feel -not only for being part of the Jewish Nation- but for belonging to such a unified community.
It should be, above all, an enjoyable experience!
