SING A SONG

     I feel, personally, that the Yom Tov of Pesach is most inspirational - the seder, the family, the beautiful negunim and the many customs brought down from one generation to another.  As the Yom Tov came to a close, I began to reminisce about the beauty of this holiday experience and the impact it has on me from one year to another.  I echo the words of Warner Wolf   "Let's go to the video tape" so we can relive, for a few moments, the highlights of the Holiday.

     My mind at this moment is focused on two paragraphs of the Hagadah that relate the most important aspects of retelling the story of the Exodus;

      "בכל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים"

"In every generation one must look upon himself as he, personally, came out of Egypt."

    The idea being, that when one sees himself in the same Mazav as the other person he can better relate to the story . This experiental exercise, in being part of a historical experience, will have greater affect upon him and will then lead him to recite the next paragraph with greater feeling; 

    " לפיכך אנחנו חייבים להודות להלל לברך....."

"Therefore it is our duty to thank and praise in song and prayer and extol Hashem for all the miracles He performs for us."

    It is true that when we, personally, experience the miraculous intervention of Hashem we can  lift our voices in spontaneous  song and sing the Hallel, praising the Almighty G-D.

    This feeling must accompany us in a very concretized way as we move forward toward that magnificent Yom Tov of Shavout - a time of recognizing the Blessings of Hashem that we receive constantly. With that realization we need to raise our voices in song  of Hallel  and to move forward from our Galut to our full Geulah to bring about a שירה חדשה,  a new and a vibrant Song of Redemption and Peace, not only for the  land of Israel but for the entire world .

    Let us  begin to sing songs of beauty and inspiration, and let our voices sing the praises of Hashem for all the Chesed He bestows upon us and let us complain less and appreciate more all the Blessings of life.

    When we appreciate more - than I am confident we will receive more -bringing greater enhancement to our lives.

      We can extend the idea of חייב אדם לראות - those who receive Blessings from G-D must demonstrate their gratitude and appreciation for them.  In this way we will come to realize and feel the Hashraat Hashechina in our lives bringing about a more intimate encounter with Almighty G-D.