I am writing this, while thinking of the holiday of Pesach, even though I know that it
will be over by the time you read this. This year because of the timing of the 4th
Miracle Mission to Israel, I will get a chance to complete the reasoning behind the
Exodus from Egypt and the re-living of the slavery and freedom experience, offered
by the Passover Seder.
In the seder four cups of wine are used to separate out sections of the Hagadah.
The Torah uses four expressions to describe our redemption from Egypt: G-d said to the
Jews in Egypt (Exodus 6:6-8):
The verses on which the four expressions of deliverance are based apparently also
contain a fifth expression of deliverance, which I will get to later. But because of
this fifth expression, there is an opinion in the Talmud which states that five cups
of wine, not four, are to be drunk at the Seder. In practice we follow the majority
opinion and drink only four cups. In deference to the minority opinion, however, we
pour the Fifth Cup of wine even though no one drinks from it. So, we fill the fifth
cup, but we don't drink from it - the perfect Jewish compromise. We call the fifth
cup "the cup for Elijah."
Elijah the Prophet occupies a fascinating place in Jewish historical consciousness.
Our tradition teaches that as history approaches the climactic era of universal peace
and brotherhood, it will be Elijah the Prophet who will announce the heralding of the
messianic era. Additionally, when the Talmud is unable to definitively resolve certain
questions of law or practice, it often states that the question have to wait for Elijah.
With the advent of the final era, one of Elijah's roles will be to resolve all those
lingering scholarly quandaries. This Fifth Cup of wine bears the name of Elijah because
it is he who will eventually resolve this question, as well as many others.
One year the Kotsker Rebbe promised his Chassidim that Elijah the Prophet would be
revealed at his seder. On the first night of Passover, the Rebbe's dining room was
crammed with Chassidim. The air was electric with anticipation and excitement. The
seder progressed, the cup of Elijah was filled and the door opened. What happened
next, left the Chassidim speechless. Nothing. Nothing happened. There was no one there.
The Chassidim were crushed. After all, the Rebbe had promised them a revelation of
Elijah. The Kotsker, his face radiating holy joy, perceived their bitter disappointment
and inquired as to what was the problem. They told him. " Fools!" he thundered. "Do you
think that Elijah the Prophet comes in through the door? Elijah comes in through the heart."
The true light of redemption comes from within. Miracles provide inspiration and cause
us to direct our attention and efforts to spiritual truths. The ultimate miracle, however,
is not the abrogation of nature, but the transformation of the natural into the Godly.
Although the redemption from Egypt came from "without" -- it was orchestrated and produced
entirely by the Almighty -- our Sages tell us the future and ultimate redemption will be the
product of our own effort. Indeed, the whole point of liberating us from Egypt was to
provide us with the opportunity to refine ourselves and the world around us to the extent
that Divine Will which is the hidden source and root of all of existence becomes openly
manifest. Every small, private, inner step on the path to spirituality and goodness is a
step toward the Redemption. The Torah-study, good deeds, and character refinement with
which we occupy themselves all year open the door of the heart to Elijah the Prophet and
all that he represents.
So back to that fifth expression of redemption; "Veheveiti" (and I will bring you
into the Land of Israel). This is seen as a reference to the future redemption, to be
announced by Elijah the Prophet, when G-d will gather the Jews from the "four corners
of the earth" and return them to their Land. In order to fulfill the promise of our
redemption from Egypt, we must find our way to the land which was promised to our
ancestors and to us. When you read this, the mission will be over, and I will have
returned with around 40 B'nai Moshe members, who joined me in the final statement of
redemption, promised in the Exodus story, brought upon, as the saying goes, by the
product of our own and many other's efforts - Veheveiti, and I will bring you into
the Land of Israel.
We didn't go from a slave nation to being the Chosen People at Mount Sinai overnight.
There were different stages of redemption. The above phrases described these different
stages. Each cup of wine represents one of these levels.