Take a moment to read the words of a lone soldier from Colorado, serving in the Israeli army, written especially for our community.
I write to you from the Be’er-Sheva bus station on the way to my base, musing about Israel over a kosher for Passover crepe. Here, there’s a Passover tradition that is new to me but is quickly becoming my favorite. Originally Persian, it has been widely adopted and is part of countless Israeli seders. During the song “Dayenu”, in addition to singing and clapping, friends and family flog each other with green onions, yelping, singing, running, and flogging each other some more. It’s awesome.
The tradition, while fun, is only a small part of why “Dayenu” is my favorite song of my favorite Jewish holiday. In the Israeli subconscious, especially today, “Dayenu” is playing on a loop. Every day, the people of Israel wake up and say “Dayenu”-“It is enough for us.” “Dayenu” means to accept what you have, feel grateful for it, and acknowledge that even if you had less, that would suffice. “Dayenu” means to live in a country at war and take absolutely nothing for granted. “Dayenu” means to appreciate every meal with your family, every crisp cherry tomato, every day at the beach, and acknowledge what immense privileges they are.
In Israel today, “Dayenu” means to actually “go without.” To have your friends and family away in the army and not see them for months, and somehow, miraculously, to still be okay. In Israel, it is to live under rocket fire, but always, always, to stay and retain hope. “Dayenu” means to accept your challenging reality, and the reality in Israel is in fact, challenging, but to continue to live and fight for what you believe in.
For me, this year, “Dayenu” meant standing out in the cold desert on guard duty during the Passover seder, and instead of wallowing, choosing to appreciate what a privilege it is to protect the country of Israel in the JEWISH army. It meant being a stone’s throw from the Egyptian border and realizing that, WOW, we have the privilege of saying “next year in Jerusalem,” and actually being able to mean it. And even if we didn’t have that privilege, we would continue to say “next year in Jerusalem” because that is the spirit of “Dayenu”.
As you all know, Israel is a complicated place, where life is often not easy. It is the “Dayenu” that keeps us going, keeps us singing, and keeps us smiling. I encourage you all to embody that too. Whenever things aren’t simple, especially when things aren’t simple, go back to “Dayenu”, like we do in Israel. Take nothing for granted. Keep practicing gratitude. Keep smiling, especially in the most challenging times.