What is your favorite Jewish holiday? I am sure we have each been asked this question at least once. My answer has always been … Passover. A response that was always met with quizzical looks and follow up questions like, “Don’t you mean Hanukkah?” or “You like matzah?” I love the holiday because growing up, the first seder was always hosted by my grandparents and my entire family was in attendance. There were silly family competitions, like who could sing Chad Gadya faster, or read Hebrew better, and of course who would find the prized afikomen, but the best thing of all was that we were all together.

The holiday celebrates the many miracles performed by G-d in his aid to free the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and bring us into the promised land of Israel. Much of our liturgy surrounds this moment in our collective history. No matter your level of practice or ability to read Hebrew, everyone always rejoices at the singing of Dayenu. “If He had only taken us out of Egypt, Dayenu, it would be enough.” The singing of Dayenu takes place shortly after we finish eating, which I find very apt as most people are ready to say, “Dayenu, Enough” to the seder itself after eating dinner.

Dayenu consists of 15 stanzas taking us from slavery in Egypt to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. After each stanza, we sing the chorus, Dayenu, enough, meaning that if G-d had only done that much for us as a Jewish people that would have been enough. This always made me wonder, was it really enough? If G-d had only taken us out of Egypt, but didn’t give us the Torah and bring us to the Land of Israel, would that really have been enough? Would the Jewish people still exist today? What about if we had been brought to Mt. Sinai, but not given the Torah, would that have been enough? I argue no, that would not have been enough. In fact, we have written proof that it would not have been enough in the story of the golden calf. While wandering through the desert, we see time after time that the Jewish people kvetched, going as far as to say they would have been better off remaining slaves in Egypt. So how is it that we can sit and sing joyously each year that it would have been enough?

Living in a capitalist society often makes it difficult to judge what enough is. I know that personally I have told myself many times that if I just had [insert current “need”] that would be enough, but as soon as I have it I am looking for more. While it is certainly important to push ourselves and strive for more, it is equally important to appreciate what we already have. The song Dayenu teaches us just that. While it may not have literally been enough for G-d to have simply freed us from bondage in Egypt, we need to take a moment, especially on this holiday that celebrates the Exodus to be thankful for each of the not-so-little things that led us to becoming a strong cohesive Jewish people.

Here at the J we operate on a similar premise, always trying to reach out to new people and offer new exciting programs, but I would like to take this moment for us to appreciate what we already have here at the J; a community, friends, and programs that inspire and enrich our lives. I am thankful to be a part of such a thriving and welcoming community. I wish us all a happy Passover!

Nicole Andronescu has worked in the Jewish nonprofit world for 5 years, she is the Israel and Jewish Engagement Center Coordinator at the Merage JCC. Contact Nicole at [email protected].