Can there be a Passover Seder anywhere in the world where “Dayenu” isn’t sung? The catchy melody, apparently with roots in medieval Germany, has been a hand-me-down for generations of Jews. Sung just before the eating of the Seder meal, it is meant to be an uplifting sound bite to take us into the joys of freedom, the essence of which is an appreciation of how we got there. Dayenu, meaning in Hebrew “it would have been enough,” is a demonstration of the many ways we benefited from God’s blessing on our way out of Egypt all the way to the Promised Land. It is not just the plagues and the crossing of the sea, but lots of little steps along the way.
In Israel, Dai (the root of Dayenu pronounced “die”) is an emphatic “enough” as in “enough already.” It is often used in casual conversation, especially between kids. Unlike the Dayenu of the Passover Seder, Dai is a complaint lodged to stop and reconsider. Sometimes the end of Passover brings out the Dai in the Dayenu, making us cognizant of the many ways the world is unjust and that, even today, we can feel enslaved. Remember it was just after the crossing of the sea that Israelites began the tradition of complaint, also known as murmuring, begging God to return us to Egypt. It is important that we find a balance between the joyous Dayenu sung at the Seder, and the harsh Dai of everyday conversation. For, while we may never find full release from pain and suffering, we must also recognize the many, many blessings we have been given over the course of our lives.
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom,
Last Updated on 04/14/2017 by wpadm