A full heart and a heavy heart on Passover

As Jewish people around the world gather to celebrate Passover —they commemorate the deliverance from slavery into freedom. They celebrate with full hearts and heavy hearts. There are still 59 innocent soul’s held hostage by Hamas. Each one is a world onto itself and is living a nightmare. The existence of even one hostage is a moral outrage and a national travesty. There have been countless stories written, podcast, interviews and speeches given reminding people that Passover is the holiday of freedom and that people ought to be focused on the hostage’s lack of freedom on this holiday. As tragic as the hostage crisis is, it must not be allowed it to obscure the stunning, historic victory that Israel has achieved in recent months. As people gather with family this Passover they would benefit from a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the true deliverance of Israel and the Jewish people from the jaws of despair into the light of redemption and triumph. This Passover more than any other in the last 50 years, people can relate to the Israelites who left Egypt from slavery and were delivered into freedom. The totality of the last 18 months has provided an opportunity for several generations to identify with the struggles and triumphs of previous generations of Jewish people in a way that before-hand had become more of a distant tale told by people from older generations…

While the pain of the hostages is real and must never be minimized, it cannot be allowed to eclipse the extraordinary, history-altering victory of epic proportions that Israel and the Jewish people are experiencing right now.

Let’s be clear: Israel has defeated a modern day genocidal enemy, a trifecta explicitly committed to its annihilation. An enemy powered, funded, and weaponized by a modern-day Haman — the Islamic Republic of Iran. And yet, through unparalleled resilience, sacrifice, and strategic brilliance, Israel has not only survived, it has prevailed and continues to prevail.

This is not hyperbole. In a recent talk given by Elliot Brand, Executive Director of AIPAC he recently described a moment in time in October 2024 when a dark and paralyzing cloud fell over Israel. He said “There was doubt about whether Israel would recover, whether its enemies would escalate, and whether its people could ever feel safe again. Today, just months later, that cloud has lifted. What we’re witnessing now is the return of light — of pride, of power and of purpose.” We are witnessing a modern day miracle and it deserves to be celebrated.

When weighing what Israel’s next strategic moves ought to be, the majority of focus should be on the current and future security of the 10 million Israelis who are living in Israel over the 59 hostages who are currently held in Gaza.

In many public conversations — especially outside of Israel — there’s a growing reluctance to acknowledge this moment of triumph. Some suggest the war should be paused or even ended for the sake of the hostages. Others warn that expressions of joy are inappropriate while even one Israeli remains in captivity. People often talk about their “values” to legitimize surrendering the objectives of the war in favor of returning the hostages. It is not an admirable value to trade the current and future livelihood of 10 million people for the current livelihood of 59 people. It is in fact illogical; that kind of moral confusion is not compassion — it’s chaos. No military, no country, no people has ever sacrificed collective victory for individual pain — not because the individuals don’t matter, but because the welfare of the whole trumps the welfare of the few.

Our tradition teaches us to hold two truths at once: to cry over suffering and to celebrate over deliverance. This Passover, let us do both. Let us pray for the hostages, let us fight for their freedom, but let us also rejoice — unapologetically — in Israel’s strength, survival, and future. This holiday presents an opportunity to share with all the generations the uniqueness of this time in this place as is said “Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has given us life , sustained us, brought us to this moment”