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Three things said at the United Nations model Seder

נאום באום

* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin

It's nice to see pictures of "a model Seder" held in the U.N. with dozens of ambassadors partaking as they learned about the eternal story of our Exodus from Egypt. Gilad Erdan, Israel's U.N. ambassador, had organized the Seder and Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht, who led the Seder, told me last night what he said to those in attendance:

"This is the Jewish people's most popular holiday, and that its celebration is never boring for at least three reasons:

1. In each generation, we add something. Each generation adds its own chapter to this great story, and in our generation, after two thousand years of exile, all of us are privileged to see the Nation of Israel return to its land.

2. We do not merely tell the story, but experience it ourselves. Throughout the night, we sing, dance, eat matzah, hide the afikoman, spill drops of wine . . . We do not read the text but live it. In every generation, a person is obligated to see himself as if he personally left Egypt.

3. One of the most important aspects of the Seder is involving the children, especially through encouraging them to ask questions. Seder night begins with 'Why is this night different from all other nights?', and the child designated to ask this question is the youngest one sitting at the table. If the children of the next generation express curiosity, it's a sign that we succeeded in their education. If we cause them to show an interest in what is going on at the Seder, they will pass the story on to the next generation.

This is 'Independence Night' for the nation of Israel. Thank you for taking part in our story."

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