On this Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat before Passover, Rabbi Oren Hayon weaves a Syrian Passover custom into a powerful meditation on Jewish memory, identity, and hope for the future. Beginning with a child hoisting a bundle of matzah over their shoulder, he asks the core questions of our people: Who are we, what are we carrying, where have we come from, and where are we going?

Rabbi Hayon reflects on the stories and memories we bear—our ancestors’ journeys, the founding vision of Congregation Emanu El, and the courage to keep singing through exile and uncertainty. Marking the 10th anniversary of his rabbinate at Emanu El, he invites us to see our community as a kehillah kedoshah that knows who we are, draws strength from what we carry, and believes that “the best is yet to come.”

Recorded on Shabbat HaGadol, just days before Passover, this sermon is a reflection on faith, resilience, and a future of promise—expressed in the simple Hebrew phrase “Emanu El,” God is with us.