Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu
Rabbi Shmuel EliyahuEliran Aharon

In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu spoke about the deeper meaning of the Pesach (Passover) holiday and matzah.

"For me, Pesach is what the prophet Jeremiah said - that the redemption we have now is greater than the exodus from Egypt," Rabbi Eliyahu said. "'Therefore behold, days are coming when it will no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives, Who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.' But it will say, 'As the Lord lives, Who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries.' (Jeremiah 16:14)

"There are many commentators who explain why the current ingathering of exiles from more than 102 countries is greater than the ingathering from just one country, Egypt.

"One of the reasons is that the Jews in Egypt were redeemed after 210 years, and this ingathering follows an exile of 1900 years. It's much more amazing.

"Matzah's purpose is to help us feel the difficult challenge our fathers had in creating a state and realizing its purpose. The leavened bread is our own feelings. Sometimes we think the ones who made this country were Theodore Herzl and David Ben Gurion.

"We don't understand that it's in our ancestors' merit, that the State of Israel was created because G-d made a treaty with our forefathers.

"The feeling of 'I did this, I built this' leaves a sour taste in your mouth. It's true, we need to recognize and acknowledge those who worked hard and accomplished things. But this country cannot survive for a single moment without G-d's blessing and help. We would not have won the wars in 1948 and 1967, and we would not survive with all the wolves around us, if G-d were not helping us.

"Thank G-d, G-d gives us incomprehensible strength - economical, agricultural, cultural, military, in immigration and construction and everything else.

"Thank G-d, we work hard. But we succeed because of G-d's blessing.

"May we merit to see G-d's Divine Presence within us, and realize our accomplishments are not just because of us."