Dear Council Members,

 

Pesach carries both the memory of slavery and the yearning for freedom, yet at its heart lies the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The Seder night is devoted to this memory, and on the Seventh Day of Passover (Shevi’i shel Pesach) we specifically recall and read about the parting of the Red Sea.

 

A Hasidic interpretation of the Exodus explains the name Egypt (Mitzrayim) as representing a multitude of constraints — a narrow, restrictive, and pressuring place (Sefat Emet). The Exodus we recount on Seder night is rooted in the recognition of the unbearable condition of slavery, alongside the faith and hope that things not only can, but must, be better.

 

Over the past year, each of you has chosen to answer the call and embark on the VOP journey — a call that many have joined, taking responsibility for shaping the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

What does it take to ‘leave Egypt’ in our time?

 

Leading our generation’s exodus requires humility, trust in our collective abilities, a shared sense of responsibility, and the courage to ‘step into the water’ — believing that the sea will indeed part.

I want to thank each and every one of you for embodying these values.

As we approach the Seventh Day of Passover and remember the Exodus, we share a heartfelt prayer in the words of Shali Sham-Tov, the mother of Omer Sham-Tov:

 

“May it be Your will that all the expressions of redemption be fulfilled in every captive: ‘I will bring you out’ — ‘I will save you’ — ‘I will redeem you’ — ‘I will take you’ — ‘I will bring you’; and may they all be worthy to return to the embrace of their families, healthy and whole. May we all merit to welcome them with joy beyond measure, speedily in our days, Amen.”

 

חג חירות שמח!

 

Prof. Michal Muszkat Barkan, Chief Content Advisor