Every year, around the Seder table, Jewish families sing “Dayenu,” it would have been enough. It would have been enough, we proclaim, 

if God had brought us out of Egypt but not wrought judgment on our oppressors; 
if God had split the sea but not guided us through it; 
if God had given us the Torah but not brought us to the land of Israel. 

It’s a joyous refrain celebrating the miracles of Jewish history, complete with table-slapping (and sometimes green onion-slapping): “Da-dayenu, da-dayenu!” It would have been enough! 

But this year, as we stare down our second Passover without the return of all the hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, I have to wonder… is it really enough? In the face of continued antisemitism and the sense of injustice and uncertainty that surrounds us daily…is this really a time of miracles?

I know from my own family history that we are not the first generation to face this struggle. Every year at the seder, my father would share the story of his “redemption from Egypt.” As we would recite the passage, “B’khol dor vador – In every generation one must regard oneself as having left Egypt,” he would tell his story of leaving Germany in 1939, arriving in New York the week before Passover. The miracle of an entry visa, and a passage across the sea. And while he celebrated his freedom, he also recalled family members, including his disabled brother, who were left behind in Europe and murdered by the Nazis.

Judaism is constantly reminding us that we can hold more than one emotion, or one truth, at the same time.  The Torah (Deuteronomy 16:3) tells us that the matzah is both “Lehem oni – the bread of slavery,” and, in the next phrase, “Ki b’hipazon yatzata me’eretz mitzrayim – the bread we ate in a hurry in our rush to freedom.”  Freedom and slavery in every bite.

Which brings me back to this Passover in 5785. Over the past year and a half of war in Israel and Gaza, we have seen many miracles. Every hostage returned home so far has been a miracle. Every day of continued life for hostages in captivity is miraculous. The unceasing determination of the entire Jewish people is a miracle. Dayenu!

And yet, Lo Dayenu… it’s not enough until every hostage comes home. It’s not enough until there are no more empty seats at seder tables where our beloveds should be. It’s not enough until all in the region can live in security, dignity and peace. 

And the poetry of Dayenu  – the way it leads from one miracle to the next – encourages us to believe more miracles are not just possible, but inevitable. Past miracles imply future ones. Appreciation reinforces anticipation. Faith inspires perseverance.

This Passover, and beyond, may we and our descendants have the blessing of adding a few more verses of Dayenu for the miracles in our lives, and our era, too. 

Chag Kasher v’Sameach,

Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal 

PS:  Remember the hostages through an empty chair at your seder, and recite this prayer for their return.
PPS:  You may have noticed that Passover starts on Saturday night after Shabbat, an unusual occurrence that changes how we prepare!  Here’s our guide from Exploring Judaism to help you celebrate.
PPPS:  In honor of Passover, vote for religious pluralism and freedom in Israel.  Go to votemercazusa.org.