The Fourth Cup of Wine

The Fourth Cup of Wine - To Jerusalem (Peace)

Traditionally the fourth cup of wine is dedicated to Jerusalem. In addition to being a city in Israel, Jerusalem also means "you shall see peace".

Most of us live in relative peace and freedom here in the United States, although, since 9/11, our sense of peace and security has been badly shaken. Moreover, the burgeoning national debt threatens to enslave our children with the burden of paying it off.

All around us, others are even worse off. Residents of our own inner cities are plagued by poverty and violence; The people of Dafur are threatened with slavery; people in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from the the U.S. invasions that freed them from despotic regimes but have not yet given them democracy. We mentally spill another drop of wine for them. Sadly, neither Israeli statehood nor Palestinian elections have brought either peace or freedom to the peoples of Jerusalem.

The Passover story resonates with us today because if we have it "pretty good", in some sense we are still in Egypt. Like the ancient Israelites, we yearn for a better place, a promised land. And like them we must join together, sometimes marching and sometimes stumbling through the desert. We don't know if we'll ever reach our destination, or even if we're getting any closer. Yet, we are still compelled to make the journey.