Had Gadya: A Parable for Our Times (A Passover Message)
Dear Hevre/community, Most Passover seders end with a version of the song Had Gadya . It is a long song, but one with which we can also have some fun. As a child, I remember my mother and her sisters always competing to see who could sing each verse the fastest. By the time they got to the loooooooong final verse, the three of them were usually laughing so hard that they couldn't finish. Today, I still try to compete with their memories to see how fast I can sing it without tripping over the words or laughing. However, the meaning behind Had Gadya isn't so funny, as it tells the story of how nation after nation has tried to destroy the Jewish people. However, since in the end, we always prevailed, we can sing about it. Even after the tragedy of the Holocaust (which occurred long after the song was written) we were eventually able to have fun with the song, because laughing as a response to danger has long been a Jewish response. Just look at the holiday of Purim , just on...