24 Mar THE POWER TO SURVIVE

“Vehi sheh’am’da la’avoseinu v’lanu……
And this is what stood by our fathers and
us…” (From the Pesach Haggadah)
This past week, a four-year-old, recognizably
Jewish boy was violently shoved to the
ground for no apparent reason by a US Postal
worker. Like so much of everything else in
our world, the entire incident was captured
on camera, and the clip went viral. Boruch
HaShem, the little boy wasn’t seriously
injured, and was able to pick himself up, and
run off.
There have been many comments about this
incident on line. All in shock. All wondering
how a Federal employee could push a little
four-year-old. There was one video comment
that really touched me. A man, a non-Jew,
commented that his “beautiful wife” picked
up on something that he was oblivious to.
She told him to look at the little boy and
observe what happens immediately following
him being knocked down. She said, “He is
just a baby, but picked up his kippa and put it
back on.” In that defining moment, a little

boy became a super hero. The commentator
continued, “That is what I admire about the
Jewish people as a whole.” The boy was hurt
and must have been frightened, yet he
instinctively reached for his yarmulke. A
young child, who was proud to be identified
as a Jew. A child who was raised and taught
to hold on to his Torah, his traditions, his
G-d. The takeaway for many was no longer
just the act of violence, but the child’s
instinctive response—his dignity, his identity,
his pride. Bruised and startled, he held on to
who he was. A small action that spoke
volumes.
Seder night is filled with layers of meaning
and teachings, many of them hidden beneath
familiar words. The commentators offer
different explanations for the word “vehi—
and this”. The Abarbanel finds a deep
meaning in each letter of the word vehi. A
message that tells us the key to our survival,
our source of strength, our protective armor.
Vehi is spelled vov-hei-yud-aleph. Vov has a
numerical value of six, symbolizing the six
books of the Mishna. Hei has a value of five,
alluding to the five books of the Torah. Yud,
having a value of ten, connotes the Aseres
HaDibros, The Ten Commandments. And

finally, aleph, one, stands for
HaShem Echad, our one and only
G-d.
Vehi Sheh’am’da, this is what keeps
us. The study of the holy books. The
belief in a G-d above. That
immersing oneself in Torah study is
paramount. A lesson my parents
taught us by example. A lesson made
part of our lives. And, as a rabbi and
rebbetzin, they inspired countless
individuals to embrace a life of
meaning and commitment,
continuing to live on as proud Jews.
My mother wrote several books on
living one’s life as a committed Jew.
Salomé, a French speaking young girl from
New Caledonia, was vacationing with her
family in France. There, she came across one
of my mother’s books, translated into French.
For her, it was a life changer. After reading
the book, she only wanted to study and learn
Torah. She came to New York, met with the
Rebbetzin, and attended Hineni Torah
classes. Salome became Shlomit, and today
she is a proud ema, raising a beautiful family
in Yerushalayim.
The power of a Torah education. We are Am
Hasefer, the People of the Book. A nation
that cherishes learning and teaching.
Rabbi Norman Lamm shares a story about
Torah learning in India. He writes about a
visit to the small Jewish community in
Fatehpur Sikri, an ancient poverty-stricken
town. He had just come out of a lecture in a
‘prayer hall’. A number of young teenage
boys crowded around him, and he was told
that they had something to ask. Rabb Lamm
wondered what the question could possibly
be. They were all barefoot. Do they want
shoes? They looked hungry. Do they desire
food? Many of them sleep in the street. Do
they want help securing a roof over their
heads? To his surprise, the answer to all
these questions was no. They turned to him,
and in a broken English, said, “Rabbi, give
us Hebrew books”. Young boys who needed
so much, but their priority at that that
moment to increase their Torah knowledge.
Vehi Sheh’am’da. Once again, it is our
nation’s love of learning, the desire for
Torah education that sustains us through the
ages.
Vehi. One small word with so many
teachings. Pesach night is our time for
ve’higgadeta l’vincha, and you shall tell
your children. A time for us to recount not
only the story of our nation’s exodus from
Egypt, but as parents, grandparents and
family, to share stories of past generations.
Each of us has our own personal ‘vehi’.
Stories of emuna and bitachon, stories of

families finding strength from their
unwavering belief in HaShem. Memories
that keep us intact and connected to Torah. It
is a night to inspire our children, enabling
them to be the leaders of tomorrow, the future
of Am Yisroel.
Vehi Sheh’am’da continues, stating
“Sheh’b’chol dor vodor omdim aleinu
l’chaloseinu, In every generation there are
those who stand up against us and wish to
annihilate us…” Haunting words in the
reality of today’s world.
There is yet another “b’chol dor vodor” in the
Haggadah.
“B’chol dor vodor…. In every generation
and generation, one is obligated to see
himself as if he personally had gone out of
Egypt.” To close our eyes, and try to imagine
what was to leave the bondage in Egypt
behind, crossing the sea, experiencing
HaShem’s miracles.
Mitzrayim, Egypt, connotes much more than
a physical land. Within the word Mitzrayim
we find the word meitzar, meaning a narrow,
confining place. There are times in life when
we experience own personal “Mitzrayim”,
when we feel stuck in a hard place, wondering
how we will ever extricate ourselves. On
Pesach night, when we remember the
mizrayim of Egypt, how HaShem helped our
nation break the shackles of slavery, that
should give us hope that we, too, will merit
being liberated from that which confines us.
We conclude the vehi sheh’am’dah with
“ve’haKodosh Boruch Hu matzileinu
mi’yadam, But HaShem, Blessed be He,
rescues us from their hands.” Vehi—through
Torah, through mitzvos, through emuna.
Through the identity we refuse to abandon,
even when knocked down. Just as that child
instinctively reached for his kippa, we too
must reach for our Torah. It is through the
teachings of Torah that our nation is able to
go from the darkness of slavery to the light of
freedom. Teachings that give us the power to
survive the ages.