.RabbiWolpe: This is the true meaning of Passover
a very worldly picture of redemption: “In that era there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife, because good will emanate in abundance and all delightful things will be accessible as dust. The one preoccupation of the entire world will be solely to know God.”
There are several times Elijah’s arrival is anticipated in the Jewish ritual cycle: most notably at a brit milah , at the end of the Sabbath, at the end of Yom Kippur and on Passover. All of these times we have signs and symbols that await Elijah, or we sing a song anticipating his arrival. Each holiday has specific reasons for Elijah’s possible arrival: At the birth of a male child we recall that Elijah once accused the Jewish people of breaking the covenant with God, and God therefore decreed, according to tradition, that Elijah should be there to witness the enactment of the covenant and the true fidelity of Israel. On the Sabbath, we celebrate a perfect day that is a taste of redemption. On Yom Kippur we are cleansed of sin.
More powerfully, these times have something in common—they are all family times. For a brit milah, it is customary for family and friends to gather to celebrate the ushering of a child into the community of Israel. At the end of Sabbath and Yom Kippur, families gather together for the concluding service of havdalah. And Passover is the quintessential family holiday, with questions for children at the beginning, songs for them at the end, and a ritual meal for all to share.