One word comes to mind when I read the answers
the Haggadah instructs us to give to our children's questions: 'lo'.
On October 29, 1969, the message 'lo' became the
first ever to travel between two computers connected via the ARPANET, the
computer network that would become the Internet. The truncated transmission
traveled about 400 miles between the University of California, Los Angeles, and
the Stanford Research Institute. The electronic dispatch was supposed to be the
word "login," but only the first two letters were successfully sent
before the system crashed. Many are convinced that the meaning and efficacy of
messages sent via the Internet has been declining ever since.
The Haggadah's answers are abridged versions of
the Torah's responses, and even the latter leave us wondering, "where is the
rest of the message?" How can we respond to a child's question about the
meaning of our observances and life choices with a one-sentence answer? Why
does the Haggadah offer these responses when we are about to tell the story of
our history that will answer their questions in great detail?
The reason is 'lo'. That first Internet message
may have been truncated but it led to the billions of messages sent each day.
That 'lo' nourished the growth of all electronic communication. The system
crashed. The intended text was savaged, but 'lo' was the first seed of all our
current messages.
The Haggadah's responses are the first seeds of a
process that will flourish into healthy and substantial communication. They are
only the opening salvo in a meaningful conversation.
The Torah and the Haggadah do not intend to offer
comprehensive answers to our children's questions, but to nurture the
conversations we should regularly have about our choices and way of life,
conversations we cannot afford to avoid. The Haggadah's responses are meant to
convey to the questioners that a conversation is possible; we are willing to
discuss these most important issues in our lives. The possibility of a conversation
opens the door to questions, and it is only through asking that we become
choosers.
The Foundation Stone is our 'lo', our way of saying that
conversations about every issue and question are possible. We thank you for
joining in our conversation and we hope that your Pesach is the beginning of
fruitful and meaningful conversations about the most precious parts of our
lives.
We are thrilled to announce that The Foundation
Stone
has been approved by the IRS as a 501(C)3 - tax-deductible non-profit
organization. Your contributions not only support our efforts to nurture
conversations about every aspect of Jewish life, they are also tax-deductible.
We hope you will continue to participate in the conversations with your
involvement and support.
Shabbat Shalom & Chag Kasher V'sameiachRabbi Simcha L. WeinbergPresident Go to our Blog 
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