If God had brought us out from Egypt
and not given us the Torah,
Dayenu. It would have been enough.
If God had given us the Torah
and not the Temple in Jerusalem,
Dayenu.
If we built the Temple in Jerusalem
but not the rabbinic academies,
Dayenu.
If we enjoyed the fruits of the rabbinic academies
but not the Golden Age of Spain,
Dayenu.
If we innovated and created during the Golden Age of Spain
but not in the yeshivas of Russia and Eastern Europe,
Dayenu.
If we toiled in the yeshivas of Russia and Eastern Europe
but did not launch the great Jewish immigration to America,
Dayenu.
If we had the great Jewish immigration to America
but not to Palestine…
It would not have been enough.
For in this world, we need more than one great center of Jewish life.
To hold each other up. To remind each other of our duties to history and ourselves.
Now the real work begins.
If we use our power to bring peace to the Middle East,
It will be enough.
If we remember and act upon our mandate to be stewards of the Earth,
It will be enough.
If we welcome the stranger and protect the widows and orphans,
It will be enough.
If we transmit our heritage and values to our children, so that they, too, will have a tree to hold fast to at all times,
It will be enough.
Happy Passover.