Personal & Communal Reality Check
Back at the Seder, we said: In every generation, a person is obligated to see himself as if he came out of Egypt. Earlier in the Seder, we spoke of the RASHA and declared that had he been in there (in Egypt) he would not have been redeemed. We are taught that 80% of the people of Israel in Egypt never made it out. Apparently, the "had he been there..." applied to many people.

So the question, the hard question that we each must ask ourselves is: Had I been there, would I have been redeemed? This is part of the B'CHOL DOR VADOR. Our picturing ourselves as coming out of Egypt, presupposes that we would merit being part of that group. Would we? One hopes that they (now acceptable as a singular form meaning he or she) would. But the question requires some serious introspection.

And the questions continue. How would you have reacted facing the Sea, with mountains to the right and left, and the Egyptian army in hot pursuit? As Nachshon b. Aminadav, or "Why did you take us out of Egypt to kill us here?" And three days after Yam Suf when we were so thirsty, and came upon a pool of undrinkable water? 

The questions do not stop. In the third month out of Egypt, on THIS DAY, they came to Midbar Sinai. What kind of Jew is each of us? How would we each react to G-d's offer of a Torah way of life? How would we react to the whole Sinai experience? What would we do and say 40 days later when we thought that Moshe was possibly not returning?

The questions are countless. And probably impossible to answer with certainty. But each question is reflected in our lives today. What kind of Jew would I have been? What kind of Jew am I? That's almost the same question. And one need not answer the question with words. Just see what kind of Jew and person you are. Do you like what you see? Is there room for improvement? 

And to further complicate matters, let's not forget that each of us is part of Klal Yisrael. And as such, all the above questions have to be re-asked in the context of the community. This is not meant to allow an individual to slacken of by saying, what can I do to affect the whole situation. On the contrary. The challenge becomes greater. Because each of us CAN have an influence on others, and on all of Klal Yisrael. 

These are thoughts for all times, but at Holiday time, especially at Shavuot, when reliving Matan Torah prompts these hard but necessary questions.