The first Pesah was a leil shimurim, a night of watching, a night of fear and uncertainty. Amid darkness and screams, the fate of the Israelites hung in the balance, with hopes of redemption and freedom in their hearts. They were asked to believe in a God they didn't know and to set out on a journey with no destination in sight. Amazingly, they trusted in God and they followed Moshe out of Egypt. What does it mean to believe today in a moment of great uncertainty and doubt? What is the source of faith and in what must one have faith to believe?
This lecture was delivered in memory of Jerome L. Stern z"l in April 2024.
Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/SternPesahLecture2024StrausbergChildrenBelievers.pdf