by Rabbi Tuvia Bolton From www.ohrtmimim.org
Some years ago a young Chabad Chasid was invited by a Chabad House in Russia to make a Passover "Seder" in a nearby town. The young man, recently ordained as a Rabbi, arrived several weeks before the holiday. He went, together with the Chabad representative that invited him, to the mayor of that town to look for a suitable place to hold the festive ceremony. They were expecting several hundred people and needed a big hall.
After a few minutes the mayor decided that the only place in his town that would serve their purposes was the former Communist meeting hall. The rabbis and the Mayor went and had a look, and sure enough the place was perfect.
Posters were put up, people were invited personally, and food was bought and prepared. The building had to be completely cleaned, "koshered" and decorated. All the work paid off. Some three hundred people arrived! Young and old, men and women, all dressed in their nicest clothes and with shining faces. Some came from nostalgia, some from curiosity, some for a good time. But everyone, whether they knew it or not, came because they were Jews and tonight was Passover.
It took a while to get everyone seated and settled. The rabbi made a short welcoming speech telling them what to expect. For some of them it was their first "Seder" in fifty years, and for many the first in their lives. Hagadas translated into Russian were handed out, cups were filled with wine, Matzot were distributed, and the evening began.
Everyone did what they were told with joy, and listened to the Rabbi's explanations with great interest. They all read aloud from their books about how G-d did great miracles thousands of years ago, and how He took the Jews out of Egypt. They all ate the matza, drank four cups of wine, finished their holiday meal, sang, and even danced at the proper times.
Everything went smoothly until the cup of Elijah. This symbolic "extra" cup of wine is poured at the end of the meal to remind us of the immanent arrival of Moshiach. The young Chabad rabbi explained with enthusiasm how this fifth cup stood for Moshiach who will arrive any moment to gather all the Jews and make a beautiful new world with the revelation of G-d everywhere, etc.
Suddenly one of the older men stood up, tapped on the table and said in a booming voice, "Young man! Excuse me please young Rabbi!" The place went silent and just as they all had listened to the rabbi they now turned to the new speaker. He waited a few seconds and continued.
"We are very grateful to you for this beautiful evening with the wonderful food and wine. Everything is very nice. Very beautiful and very tasty." Everyone in the room turned to one another, shook their heads in agreement and wondered what he was getting at.
"Everything you said is also very interesting and nice." The man continued. "Beautiful stories; G-d took the Jews from Egypt, made miracles... very nice Bible stories. We all love stories.
"But what you said about some Messiah coming and making a utopia, building a Holy Temple and all this. Please, Rabbi, we are grown up people. We are not little children that we believe such nonsense! You are a very nice man and we are very grateful, but please save such foolish superstitions for your children not for intelligent grown-ups. Please understand us, dear Rabbi, nothing personal but you are a naive person. You have been locked up in Yeshiva (Rabbinical College) and we live in the real world."
Everyone again shook their heads in agreement. And looked sheepishly at the Rabbi as though to say "We are sorry, but he's right."
The young rabbi however did not loose his composure. He waited a few minutes and before the man sat down he replied. "My friend," he said with a warm smile, "my friends!" he opened his arms and looked around the room.
"Do you realize where we are? Do you realize what we are doing? Do you realize what you are saying!? If someone would have told you 20 years ago that you would make a Passover seder in the Communist Meeting Hall, would you believe them?
"Why, 20 years ago there was nothing more powerful and secure than Communism, and nothing weaker than Judaism! Communism was the complete opposite and biggest enemy of G-d and everyone in Russia was sure that Communism was right.
"But here we are! The impossible has happened! Communism has not only fallen, it is becoming transformed to Judaism! So is it really so far-fetched that Moshiach can change the entire world?"
The man looked at the crowd then back at the young rabbi, straightened up, smiled broadly and said..."BRAVO!!" And the entire crowd broke into applause.
