In the Egyptian exile we learned another freedom – the freedom to believe that good will win the day. This is what happened when the people of Israel decided to return to their land against all odds. Three years after the Holocaust, the Jewish people in exile gathered and defeated the invading Arab armies time after time. The nations of the world acknowledged the independence of small and brave Israel. We drained swamps, we made the desert bloom, and we paved roads. We built a magnificent country, prosperous and strong, that fulfills the 2,500-year-old vision of the prophets of Israel, the ingathering of the exiles. The lighthouse of freedom of our people, whose light was cruelly extinguished and remained dark for 2,000 years, proudly shines again in our country.
To our dear soldiers and commanders: You are the ones who makes sure that this torch will stay aflame, and that its light will shine throughout our country, and in the darkest corners of the world.
Happy Passover!