When we say "happy Pesach" - this is not a declarative or descriptive statement, but a blessing and a wish. In other words, we are hopeful that this Pesach will be a happy one.

But for many of us it is not. The events of October 7 hang heavily on our hearts. Israel is at war; Israeli civilians are being targeted from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran; antisemitism is on the rise world-wide; Palestinian non-combatants are dying in Gaza; and there are still many Israeli hostages being held in captivity in Gaza. Is this the time to be celebrating the festival of freedom?

I'd like to suggest two answers. First, we always need to remember that things could be much, much worse. If we keep in mind not only the conditions under which our ancestors labored 3,000 years ago but also the circumstances of the shoah just 80 years ago, and compare it to our condition today in which a sovereign State of Israel is allied with a friendly and powerful United States of America, we can appreciate how far we have come and realize how much we should be thankful for.

Second, there has always been a tension on Pesach between our celebration of the past redemption - that of so many years ago from Egypt - and our prayers for a future redemption (ge'ulah le'atid) and a better tomorrow. It is no coincidence that we conclude the Seder with the words "l'shanah haba'ah biy'rushalayim hab'nuyah". It is the reason Pesach - a holiday of happiness and freedom - has been celebrated even in the worst of times, during war and in concentration camps.

And still, many of us feel the need to mark this year as different. This is entirely appropriate. Some of us may leave an empty seat by the Seder table - a seat left open for those who are missing because they are held hostage. We might want to designate the seat for a particular hostage - and we can read about many of their personal stories from Israeli websites such as the Times of Israel. Or we might want to use the Seder Plate - the centerpiece of the communal meal in which every element holds symbolic significance - to express our concern. (A broken shankbone? An egg split open?)

The Aviv Hadash community prays for a good outcome for the tribulations of our time, and wishes us all to have a happy Pesach.