This time last year, I crossed the border from Egypt to Israel. I didn’t understand why I had chosen the land crossing, but a few days ahead I realised that I was crossing the border on the day of Passover – the day that Israel left Egypt centuries ago. The night that I arrived, I spoke with a couple of ladies in my hostel. They couldn’t believe that I had travelled from Cairo to southern Israel on that particular day. The bus system in Israel stopped for the holiday. They asked me, “How did you get across?” My response, “I walked”.
The hostel provided a seder (commemorative) meal that evening, but it was sold out and I couldn’t join in. The ladies had scouted around earlier in the day and found one restaurant that would be open that evening. They invited me to join them. Off we went. They played a CD in the car and reminisced about singing these Passover songs with their families. I listened. The songs were unfamiliar to me.
I have been curious about the seder meal for years. I know that it is still celebrated every year, but what is the unique process and meaning in the meal? This week I joined a zoom call explaining the meal and during the call, one man sang a couple of the traditional songs. One of the songs captured me and I had to share it with you.
The song? Dayenu.
The translation? It would have been enough for us.
The meaning? Even when things are unfinished, there is reason to be thankful.
That is a profound statement. We often grumble in the midst of something because we haven’t seen the completion of the process. This song challenges that attitude.
The song recalls different parts of the Passover story and says that if this one thing happened without the rest, that would have been enough for us. Not that we would be satisfied, not that it would have been complete with just that bit, but we would have had enough reason to be thankful in just that one intervention. My paraphrase of just one stanza: If the sea had parted and we hadn’t got to cross it on dry ground, that would have been enough for us.
That doesn’t make sense on its own. If the sea parted and you didn’t get to cross it, you would still be in exactly the same place and still in danger. What is the point of parting the sea if no one is going to cross it… do you see the logical arguments here?
This song is not about logical arguments. It is about embracing being in the midst of something with all its uncertainty and being thankful for what you do have, for what has happened. They weren’t safe yet, but a miracle had already occurred.
Now, take this concept and place it in the midst of relationship.
I lost a loved one: I got to love them, that is enough for me (to be thankful for).
My father is being difficult: He played a part in bringing me into the world, that is enough for me.
My children have gone off track: I have someone to be there for, that is enough for me.
My friend hurt me: I get/got to call them friend, that is enough for me.
My partner doesn’t understand: I had opportunity to explain, that is enough for me.
My boss is overbearing: I have provision, that is enough for me.
Obviously, these are simplistic examples. I’m not trying to trivialise pain or suffering. I’m inviting you to hold on to the aspects that you can be thankful for, even before relationship is restored.
Grieve, have the conversation, help where you can, apologise, forgive, look for opportunities, but even before things are resolved, look for things to be thankful for.
Anyone who is reading this from a faith perspective might be glaringly aware of the hole in my explanation so far. Another part of the teaching was how during this special meal, there is no explicit mention of Moses’s name. If you know the story, Moses was the one that lead the people out of Egypt. To not mention his name in the retelling of the story seems a major omission. It is a major omission. An omission with purpose.
The retelling of the story is not focused on Moses and what he did. Moses played his part at the leading of God himself. Moses was not the ultimate leader. God was. It was God that gave the instruction, God that enabled the miracles, God that called the people out. As the meal is eaten, God, I am that I am, is remembered as the centre of the story.
When we find things to be thankful for, we might feel different, but it takes our thankfulness a step further when we express our thanks to someone. It might be a one liner: “I’m so thankful that you’re a part of my story”.
As we express our thanks, we feel it more deeply. The one who overhears or receives our gratitude, directly or indirectly, also experiences a lift.
We can express our thanks to God. He appreciates it and it draws us into deeper relationship with him. That may seem presumptuous, let me explain.
There is a verse in Psalms that describes how to approach God. Enter with thanksgiving and praise.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Psalm 100:4
We’ve talked about thankfulness. What does praise look like?
Praise is acknowledging who a person is or something they have done.
When you find something to be thankful for, you can think of that thing as a gift. If you’re thanking God for a gift, what does that gift reveal about him.
Thank you God for giving me kind neighbours. You are kind and generous.
Thank you God for work in this challenging time. You are provider.
Thank you for the opportunity to carpool. You are creator. You created us to be in relationship, meeting each other’s needs.
The other thing I want to share with you about the Passover meal, is that during that meal, the home becomes the place of meeting with God. In the temple, offerings were consumed within the temple. On the night of Passover, the meal is offered and consumed within the house.
If you want to meet with God at this special time of year, I encourage you to express thanks and praise to him and draw close. You can do that in the privacy of your home or in community with others.
Meeting with God is not about having it together. It’s not about coming to a point of completion or satisfaction before you approach. It’s about finding something to be thankful for amidst the mess. Facing the reality of what is, right alongside the longing for something better.
If I had listened to that seminar, that would have been enough, but I am so thrilled to have shared some of it with you. Thank you for reading.
May you too, find something that is enough to be thankful for this week.
It would be wonderful if things in your life came fully into order and felt complete, but even if they don’t, may you find enough in the midst of your situation.
