Monday was the first night of Passover. I celebrated at a seder on the Upper East Side (thanks, M. family!) It was a really fun night of laughter, conversation, brisket, and of course - matzoh.
Seder means "order," referring to the specific order in which the Passover meal unfolds. There are different elements (foods, songs, prayers) intended to recall particular moments of the story of Passover - when God led the Israelites away from slavery in Egypt and towards the promised land.
Every year, something in the Passover story catches my attention in a new way. This year it was the Dayenu, a song of thanksgiving for God's provision. Each verse recounts a way that God provided for his people, after which everyone sings "dayenu" ("It would have been enough for us").
So if God had only brought us out of Egypt - dayenu. Or if God had only just divided the Red Sea to let us pass through - dayenu. But not only that, God let us pass through on dry land - dayenu. And then God provided manna while we wandered in the wilderness - dayenu.
Each act would have been enough, in and of itself. But then God did more. He kept on providing, leading, instructing, and caring for His people.
As we went through the verses of the Dayenu at the seder on Monday, I was able to set aside (for a short time, at least) all the things I am pining for, my 'Wish List for God' that is the subject of most of my prayers, and focus instead on what God has provided.
The way God delivered the people of Israel. The way God delivered me.
It was enough. It is enough. It is more than enough.
Happy Passover!
1 comment:
beautiful.
Thanks for sharing that!
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