Vehi Sheamda
וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ. שֶׁלֹא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר, עוֹמְדִים עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם
Vehi She’amda, La’avotainu Velanu Shelo Echad Bilvad, Amad Aleinu Lechaloteinu Ela Sheb’chol Dor VaDor Omdim Aleinu Lechaloteinu V’HaKadosh Baruch Hu Matzilenu Miyadam.
And it is this [covenant] that has stood for our Forefathers and us. For not just one enemy has stood against us to wipe us out. But in every generation there have been those who have stood against us to wipe us out, and the Holy One Blessed Be He saves us from their hands.
To hear this passage sung:
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/847035/jewish/Vehi-Sheamda.htm
The values of the Torah are timeless and so every generation finds a new way of interpreting the Haggadah which has meaning in it for them.One explanation is that the Torah is alluded to in the word Vehi as each Hebrew letter refers to a different part of our written and oral law:
Vav = numerical value 6, refers to the six tractates of Mishna.
Hei = numerical value of 5, stands for the five books of Moses.
Yud = numerical value 10, stands for the Ten Commandments.
Aleph = numerical value 1, stands for the one God.
This explanation implies that it is the Torah, and our connection with it, that has always given us strength, direction and hope.
Every Jew has an internal spark. Our enemies can try and extinguish this spark. They might enslave us as Pharoah did, they might try and annihilate us physically as Hitler did, they might try and take away our Jewish identity as Stalin did, but they can never take away our hope and the Jewish spark within us. By keeping the Jewish traditions and learning about who we are, we keep this flame alight.
By understanding that our soul is from the Divine, and that we have the strength to fulfill our mission of Tikun Olam, to make this world a better place, we can rise above the most challenging situations.
The soul is like a flame; even a small light can disperse a whole room of darkness. Just like a flame does not get extinguished when it lights another wick, we all have the ability to strengthen others, and inspire our surroundings. This does not diminish our light, but in fact strengthens us and the world around us.
A college student once asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe what is his job. The Rebbe gestured to the ceiling of his room and replied:
Do you see that light bulb? It is connected by wires to a power plant that powers the whole of Brooklyn. And that plant is connected to turbo-generators at Niagara Falls that power the whole of New York State and more.
Every one of us is a light bulb wired in to an infinitely powerful generator. But the room may still be dark, because the connection has yet to be made. Our job is to turn on the switch.
We are not alone, we have traditions, our moral convictions and our beliefs that we need to tap into. We need to take the inspiration and ethical principles outline for us by the Torah and use them to illuminate the world, to create a place that is better because we are here.
When we understand that the “Vehi” is within us, we will indeed have the power to overcome all odds, to be a source of inspiration when the world is dark, and to pass on this strength to future generations.
