Taking advantage of the time that all our kids were home for Pesach, my family took a hike this week up to Cervidae Peak.
Well, we all began the hike up the mountain… All fourteen of us started. Little Chana, who just turned one and a half today, also joined us – walking and being carried lovingly by her siblings. Unfortunately, I was under the weather and called it quits early on. But, most of the crew made it most of the way. Turns out, it’s a rather steep climb for little ones. Despite mastering Lion’s Head recently, the younger ones decided to call it quits. Only the older children made it to the peak.
When starting out on a hike, you gotta have the long game in mind.
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As we reach the end of Pesach, I’m reminded of the Long Game.
We began the holiday talking about the Exodus from Egypt. Slavery, suffering, and oppression are embedded in Jewish history. Freedom, safety, and success are also familiar words in our linear lexicon.
However, they are merely part of the picture. They only focus on the past and the present.
The Jewish story is not only about the past. And, it isn’t only about securing a safe and wonderful present.
Said otherwise, if antisemitism would disappear today and Jews would be able to practice their faith freely all over the world – it would still be a dismal failure.
Jews believe in a purpose and destiny – for themselves and for the entire world. G-d didn’t create a world with no game plan. The real Game Plan is the coming of Moshiach.
Yes, we Jews invented that word. Because it’s key to everything we believe in.
We believe that G-d created the world with the potential to be a perfect world. A world without hunger and warfare. A world without poverty and strife. A world where we all love each other and seek the betterment of ourselves and others.
That’s what the world will look like in the Messianic Era.
And, that is exactly what Jews have prayed, hoped, and aspired for in every generation.
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At Passover, we don’t only reflect on past troubles and triumphs. We have our eyes set firmly on the future. We declare at the end of the Seder, “Next Year in Jerusalem!”
And, the final days of Passover are all about the future. The culmination of Pesach is all about the culmination of exile, once and for all. It’s about the long game – recognizing that all of our valleys and peaks are part of a journey to the highest peak of all – the heights of Redemption.
This promise has given us hope for centuries.
Perhaps more importantly, it has given us purpose and kept us future-oriented.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that we are ever-closer to that special era. And, that each one of us can – and must – do all we can to make this world more Moshiach-oriented.
Let’s keep our eyes on the ball and celebrate the future!
Happy Pesach!