REACHING OUT

    The  Hasidic sage Menachem Mendel , the Kotzke Rebbe, was troubled by the phrase in Shemot, which says that Pharaoh's daughter saw the basket in which Moshe was placed stuck in the rushes "ותשלח את אמתה ותקחה" - "She sent her maidservant to fetch it."

    Our Chachamim noted that the word אמתה is ambiguous. It can mean either her handmaid, the usual translation, or her arm. Our Sages say that the basket was beyond her reach, but a miracle happened and her arms were extended for that moment enabling her to rescue the child, Moshe.

    The Kotzke Rebbe asked why Pharaoh's daughter would even try this  rescue, knowing fair well that the basket was too far to reach?

    He answered, "When it comes to doing a Mitzvah, particularly the supreme Mitzvah of saving a life, it is not for us to make any calculations but rather we must try to do whatever we can, even if the odds seem to be against us.  We must have faith and hope that Hashem will do the rest."

   Miracles do happen and we may be able to achieve more than we ever thought possible.

                    As Chazal  says:לא עליך המלאכה לגמר ולא אתה בן חורין להבטל ממנה

"It is not your duty to complete the task, but you are not free to desist from it"

    This thought is especially true when it comes to showing compassion to others. Too often we experience "compassion  fatigue" and it's exactly at that moment we need to go the extra mile and extend our arms, as Pharoah's daughter did and to do what ever we can and leave the rest to G-D.

   There is so much pageantry to the Yom Tov of Pesach that enthralls me every year. This truism is present because this Yom Tov is unique in a very intriguing way. It is a Yom Tov, par excellance that centers around so many invited guests who truly enhance the Seder experience.

    The best compliment we can pay our past is to prophetically and kindly face today and tomorrow. However, more than these invited guests, Pesach brings together other guests, though we may not see them or count them among the living. They are our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, with whom we share this Holy evening as we use their dishes, their Kiddush cups, their Matzoh covers and above all their stories which we relive with beautiful and fond memories. 

     This is our glory: living in the present, but at all times bringing along the past in looking towards a glorious future.

      The arms of our past are reaching out to us with a great sense of compassion and saying,"Please remember our glorious heritage. As you retell the story of the Exodus, always include the stories from our personal past. In this way our presence will be felt in a most inspirational way."    

      When we will open the door and stretch forth our hands to welcome Eliyahu Hanavi we will do so with great hope and faith that he will herald the true Messianic period in our timel