The mystics taught that there is a cyclic quality to time. Each of us has experienced moments of joy and moments of sorrow, moments of loss and moments of triumph.

And so, too, said the mystics, there is a cycle to the Jewish year. Every Shabbat, every holiday, they said, is an opportunity to get close to a different aspect of God.

And so, tonight, we celebrate our holiday of faith. We remember that we were slaves in Egypt, and that God brought us out. In every generation, we say, we have experienced hard times. And like our ancestors before us, God will being us out.

Passover, wrote Netivot Shalom, is a time to remember that life can get better, that our fortunes can change. And in fact, wrote Netivot Shalom, the seder is a moment when we have a unique opportunity to change the world.

We sit at our seder tables with the matzah and the morror in front of us, and we tell the story to our children. Every year, even if our children our wiser than we are, even if we have nothing new to add, we tell our children the story.

We sit there, with the matzah and the morror in front of us, and we become part of a tradition going back countless generations. And whatever we believe, however we understand God, we face the reality that the Jewish people are still here, that painful times can lead to redemption.

And we remember that small things can change the world, that the Exodus started with a sigh, and that sigh became a cry, and eventually, that cry led to freedom. Hope, memory, the willingness to cry out can change the world.

Tonight, taught Netivot Shalom, we will tell the story to our children. And God will tell the story to His children. God will say to each of us, “I have faith in you. I’m longing to bring you out of your pain. Just sigh, just acknowledge how hard life can be, and we will redeem the world together.

As we sit at our seder tables tonight, may we hear God’s voice. And together, may we redeem the world.