05.g+Getting+Beyond+the+Straits+and+Narrow

=Getting Beyond the Straits and Narrow= How could so many people leave at one time? Amazingly, in our own day we have already forgotten that “Hundreds of thousands of... refugees streamed homeward...”14 Refugees all over the world seek shelter and comfort. And when our ancestors left Egypt, they were pursued by Pharaoh, his horsemen and chariots. We found ourselves trapped between the Egyptians and the sea. The Hebrew name is ים סף//Yam Suf// or possibly //Yam Sof//: a Sea of Endings. At times each one of us becomes a refugee, perhaps not political, but emotional. We flee pain and darkness that threaten us. We stand before the sea, pursued by our fears, either imagined or real. Then, the Midrash tells us, one man, Nachshon by name, displayed his commitment to freedom by walking into the sea. Only at the moment when the water reached his neck, when he could go no further on his own, did the sea part. His act of faith and courage opened the way from Egypt to freedom. He enabled us all to be reborn into freedom.

‡ Take turns around the table, each person offers (depending on the appropriate age of those gathered): a. a value learned from the experience of slavery: 15 b. an object beginning with the first letter of their name:

§ I’m leaving Egypt and I’m taking with me a:

//Where is this place “Egypt,” is it the Egypt we know?// Yes, though only the name of the place is the same, the people have changed. In fact we are at peace and allied with the Egypt of today. The Egypt of the Haggadah is more than a place, it is more than a nation state, it is a state of mind. Our Hebrew word for that place is “Mitzra’yim” מִצְַריִם, that is: the straits, or narrows. The geographical Mitzra’yim is a pinched green strip of land in the midst of desert along the shores of the Nile River. The metaphorical Mitzra’yim is any restriction. We have all come through that tight passage, split the waters of what seemed to be an ending, only to begin anew, to search for a new way, often struggling for as long as forty years. As with Nachshon, so also for us, we can only achieve our salvation through our own willingness to take risks. What risk might I take to help us achieve our goals? When our ancestors crossed the sea triumphantly, Miriam led the women in song. Today, we sing:

Miriam’s Song 16
Chorus: And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song. Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted, Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long. And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety, The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history, With every strand and every thread she crafted her delight, A woman touched with spirit she dances toward the light. Chorus When Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea, The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe, Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand, And we would pass to freedom and march to the promised land. Chorus And Miriam the prophet took her timbrel in her hand, And all the women followed her just as she had planned, And Miriam raised her voice in song She sang with praise and might, We’ve just lived through a miracle, we’re going to dance tonight.

דינו Dayeinu: It Would Have Been Enough!
􏰅מִּמִצְַריִם: ַדּּיֵנ 􏰅ִמ ִּמצְַר ִים, הֹוצִי ָאנ 􏰅הֹוצִי ָאנ ,􏰅הֹוצִי... הֹוצִיאָנ 􏰅אִּל 􏰅אֶת הַ ַׁשּ ָּבת: ַּד ֵּינ 􏰅אֶת הַׁשַּּבָת, נָתַן לָנ 􏰅ָנ ַתן לָנ ,􏰅ָנתַן, ָנתַן לָנ 􏰅אִּל 􏰅ֶאת ַהּתֹוָרה: ַדּּיֵנ 􏰅אֶת הַּתֹוָרה, ָנ ַתן ָלנ 􏰅ָנתַן לָנ ,􏰅נָתַן, ָנ ַתן לָנ 􏰅אִּל 􏰅לְאֶֶרץ יִׂשְָראֵל: ַדּּיֵנ 􏰅לְאֶֶרץ יִׂשְָראֵל, הִכְנִיסָנ 􏰅הִכְנִיסָנ ,􏰅הִכְנִי... הִכְנִיסָנ 􏰅אִּל Ilu hotzi, hotzianu; hotzianu miMitzraim; hotzianu miMitzraim: Dayeinu. Ilu natan, natan lanu; natan lanu et haShabbat; natan lanu et haShabbat: Dayeinu. Ilu natan, natan lanu; natan lanu et haTorah; natan lanu et haTorah: Dayeinu. Ilu hichni-hichnisanu; hichnisanu l’eretz yisrael, hichnisanu l’eretz yisrael: Dayeinu. If only the Holy One had taken us out of Egypt...; given us Shabbat...; given us Torah...; brought us into the Land of Israel...; Dayeinu!

“Lo Dayeinu”—It Would Not Be Enough!
We have come so far, received so much. We live in a world rich in wonders and delights. Though we sing “It would have been enough,” we know that life goes on. New, often unanticipated situations challenge us. Frequently, our way narrows and we need to immerse ourselves in the struggle to reach the clear shore. The specific tasks for each one of us may differ, but in every generation we have so much more to do.

We Shall Overcome
We shall overcome, We shall overcome, We shall overcome some day! Deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome some day. We’ll walk hand in hand... We are not afraid... The people shall be free... We shall live in peace... We shall overcome....