The Blogs: Passover and the ceasefire with Iran.

The story of Passover teaches us not to worry about this ceasefire with Iran.

No, we are not warmongers looking to continue a war for the sake of fighting a war. But there are many people who have expressed great concern about this ceasefire with Iran. That it’s premature. It’s bad timing. It shouldn’t have happened.

But I believe there is a very important and barely-discussed detail of the Passover story and holiday that can help us see and understand this new development of this war in an entirely different way.

The question is asked: Why, after the great miracles of the 10 plagues and the Exodus from Egypt, did the Israelites also need the miracle of the Splitting of the Sea seven days later?

Couldn’t total freedom come in one great act of divine involvement?

The answer, of course, is yes.

But…the Exodus unfolding in phases and stages was meant to be a very important lesson for all future generations, including ours.

Especially ours.

That freedom, redemption, world peace doesn’t happen in one moment. Not even in one phase or stage.

It’s a process.

And there are often multiple steps that must take place to bring about the eventual and desired goal.

A temporary ceasefire now is not the end of the story.

The desire and the plan to get rid of the evil regime of Iran is still very much on the table.

It’s just more complicated than most civilians who are not involved with political and military decisions understand.

Israel’s War of Independence also included a couple of ceasefires before the war came to an end and Israel had better and more defensible borders than it had at the beginning of the war.

So too now.

I understand the desire to just keep going, don’t stop until it’s done attitude.

I understand the desire to have things unfold the way we want them to unfold.

But life usually doesn’t happen according to our plans and desires.

Including now.

I think we all need to tap even more deeply into our inner reserves of patience and faith and see this is not a disaster. Not as a farce. And not as a twisted evil plot by the powers that be.

This is a process.

A process of good overcoming evil.

And a process like this takes time.

Along the way, there are movements forward and there are movements backwards. And there are also pauses.

May we help each other strengthen our patience and faith and together believe that this will turn out for the most incredible good for the entire world.