Pesach First Day: Why Elijah?

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Published on: 4/4/15

Pesach and Brit: Is There a Connection?

What is the common denominator between the Passover and a Brit? Elijah of course.

Did Elijah come to your Passover Seder? Did Elijah come to your Brit, or to any Brit you attended?

Well, even if you didn’t see him, rest assured he was there. Because he must be there. Have you ever wondered why? And why specifically at those two events – the Brit Milah and the Pesach Seder?

We read in the Haggadah that while still in Egypt and before they received the Torah, the Jews were naked and bare – that is they were bare of mitzvot, disconnected from God. So, to re-establish the connection, God commanded them to do two things: to circumcise all males and to offer the Pascal lamb as a sacrifice.

Why these two mitzvot?

Both involve the blood of life and, within them, lies the secret to our intrinsic connection to our Creator.

And here is where Elijah comes in – his presence at every single Brit and every single Pesach Seder testifies to us and to the world that our bond with God is eternal.

This sermon also includes a story about Elijah’s presence at one unusual Brit Milah, an explanation to the mystery of the missing Seders – why we did not celebrate 40 Seders in our history, and a lesson relevant to modern-day life.