In every generation each person must see him/herself… This statement should not be understood literally. People often assume that it means that had their ancestors not left Egypt they would still be slaves there. But if this is the meaning of this statement then it is equally true for all the other miracles in history that God performed for the Jewish people. For instance, the same statement could be said concerning Purim (we should see ourselves as if we were personally saved from Haman…). Yet for other deliverances, it is customary to make a blessing in which one says, “Blessed are you…who redeemed our ancestors...” One does not say “and for us,” as we do in the Pesach Haggadah.
What we are stating here is not that each person should see themselves as if they went forth from slavery but rather that each person should see themselves as if they were personally redeemed from Egypt to become participant in the covenant. While we did not personally experience slavery and redemption, we all can say that because our ancestors were redeemed from slavery, we have the privilege of being Jews and living by the Torah. In is in this sense that we are all connected to the Exodus and not in an experiential sense. We did not experience Egypt in an immediate sense as our ancestors did but the fact that our ancestors were redeemed has shaped our identity. That is our connection to the past
(3) In every generation one is obligated see themselves as if they had personally left Egypt, etc, and after, the Haggadah says "and took us out". And it appears that it is through this that the faith that there is an Egypt in every generation is revealed. And the Maharal wrote that there is a general assumption that every one that was in the coming out of Egypt is obligated only to see as if they had come personally out of Egypt, see there. And one could say also as above, that it is through belief that one enters into the general assumption, and obviously, in the general assumption that there was a coming out of Egypt for the life-force point [that exists in every Jewish soul], that from there flows life to every Jewish person, and through faith we come to that. And after that [it is possible to] see oneself as if they came out of Egypt. And one knows and believes that the understanding that one has can only exist because of coming out of Egypt. And this is the explanation in the telling of the story of coming out of Egypt, even if we are all wise etc, since even if one is very wise and connected to God, one's life exists so he will know that all this is due to the coming out of Egypt, because in truth it is so, and one needs to clarify this through faith. And 'telling' really is 'clarifying' and 'revealing' since in every generation there is a coming out of Egypt, according to what is happening in that generation, and all this happened in the time of the Exodus. And according to a person's faith as if one came out, it is revealed in one's life, and one can feel the coming out of Egypt of this moment, and one is able to come out from their own constricted place [their Egypt].
כְּשֶׁיָּצָאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם
When I came out of Egypt
זָחַלְתִּי עַל גְּחוֹנִי
I crawled on my belly
אַרְבָּעִים יָמִים וְלַיְלָה
For forty days and forty nights
לֹא יָדַעְתִּי מִי אֲנִי
I did not know who I was
כְּשֶׁיָּצָאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם
When I came out of Egypt
לֹא יָדַעְתִּי עוֹד לְאָן
I did not even know where to go
הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה יִקַּח אוֹתִי
This desert took me
יִקַּח אוֹתִי מִכָּאן
Took me from here
וּמֵאָז אֲנִי לֹא עָצְמַת עָיִן
And since then I do not open my eyes
הַלֵּילוֹת כָּאן חֲשׂוּכִים
Nights here are dark
וּמֵאָז אֲנִי לֹא עָצְמַת עָיִן
And since then I do not open my eyes
מֵהַפַּחַד שֶׁמְּצָרִים, הִיא עֲדַיִן בְּתוֹכִי
Because the fear of Egypt, is still in me
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ
We were slaves
הָיִינוּ עֲבָדִים
Slaves, we were
עֲבָדִים עֲדַיִן
We are still slaves
עֲדַיִן עֲבָדִים
Still, we are slaves
שָׁם בֶּחָרָבָה הֵבַנְתִּי
There, on the dry land I understood,
בֵּין קִירוֹת יָם גּוֹעֲשִׁים
Between the stormy walls of sea water,
לְכָל אִישׁ יְשָׁנָה מְצָרִים
That every person has her own Egypt
אַף אֶחָד הוּא לֹא חוֹפְשִׁי
No one is free
וְיָצָאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם
And I came out of Egypt
וְחָצִיתִי אֶת הַיָּם
And I split the sea
וְאוּלַי גַּם זֹאת מִצְרִים
And maybe this is also Egypt
וַאֲנִי נִשְׁאַרְתִּי שָׁם
And I remained there
וּמֵאָז אֲנִי לֹא עָצְמַת עָיִן
And since then I do not open my eyes
הַלֵּילוֹת כָּאן חֲשׂוּכִים
Nights here are dark
וּמֵאָז אֲנִי לֹא עָצְמַת עָיִן
And since then I do not open my eyes
מֵהַפַּחַד שֶׁמְּצָרִים, הִיא עֲדַיִן בְּתוֹכִי
Because the fear of Egypt, is still in me
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ
We were slaves
הָיִינוּ עֲבָדִים
Slaves, we were
עֲבָדִים עֲדַיִן
We are still slaves
עֲדַיִן עֲבָדִים
Still, we are slaves
וְהִגַּדְתִּי בְּלַחַשׁ
And I told, in whispers
וְצָעַקְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם
And I screamed out loud
אֱלֹהִים הַזֶּה שָׁכַח אוֹתִי
This God forgot me
הוּא לֹא יַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם
He won't save y'all
אָז הִשְׁאַרְתִּי בִּמְצָרִים
Therefore I left behind in Egypt
אֶת לִבִּי וְאֶת כְּבוֹדִי
My heart and my honor
וְיָצָאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם
And I came out of Egypt
לְגַמְרֵי לְבַדִּי
Completely alone
וּמֵאָז אֲנִי לֹא עָצְמַת עָיִן
And since then I do not open my eyes
הַלֵּילוֹת כָּאן חֲשׂוּכִים
Nights here are dark
וּמֵאָז אֲנִי לֹא עָצְמַת עָיִן
And since then I do not open my eyes
מֵהַפַּחַד שֶׁמְּצָרִים, הִיא עֲדַיִן בְּתוֹכִי
Because the fear of Egypt, is still in me
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ
We were slaves
הָיִינוּ עֲבָדִים
Slaves, we were
עֲבָדִים עֲדַיִן
We are still slaves
עֲדַיִן עֲבָדִים
Still, we are slaves
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ
We were slaves
הָיִינוּ עֲבָדִים
Slaves, we were
עֲבָדִים עֲדַיִן
We are still slaves
עֲדַיִן עֲבָדִים
Still, we are slaves
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך מִצְרַיִם - אמנון ריבק
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ
אֵיזוֹ מִצְרַיִם,
לִהְיוֹת מֹשֶׁה עַצְמוֹ מִתּוֹכָהּ
בְּיָד חֲזָקָה,
אוֹ בַּחֲרִיקַת שִׁנַּיִם.
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך אֵימָה וַחֲשֵׁכָה גְּדוֹלָה,
וְנֶחָמָה, וְהַבְטָחָה, וְהַצָּלָה,
שֶׁיֵּדַע לָשֵׂאת עֵינָיו אֶל הַשָּׁמַיִם.
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך תְּפִלָּה אַחַת,
שְׁתֵּהֵא שְׁגוּרָה אֶצְלוֹ עַל הַשְּׂפָתַיִם.
אָדָם צָרִיך פַּעַם אַחַת לְהִתְכּוֹפֵף -
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך כָּתֵף.
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ אֵיזוֹ מִצְרַיִם,
לִגְאֹל עַצְּמוֹ מִמֶּנָה מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים,
לָצֵאת בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיִל אֶל מִדְבַּר הַפְּחָדִים,
לִצְעֹד הַיְשֵׁר אֶל תּוֹך הַמַּיִם,
לִרְאוֹתָם נִפְתָּחִים מִפָּנָיו לַצְּדָדִים.
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך כָּתֵף,
לָשֵׂאת עָלֶיהָ אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף,
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך לְהִזְדַּקֵּףְ.
כָּל אָדָם צָרִיך שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ
אֵיזוֹ מִצְרַיִם.
וִירוּשָׁלַיִם,
וּמַסָּע אָרוֹך אֱחָד,
לִזְכֹּר אוֹתוֹ לָעַד
בְּכַפּוֹת הָרַגְלַיִם.
Every person needs Egypt - Amnon Ribak
Every person needs to have a
certain Egypt,
To be as Moshe themselves inside it,
with a strong arm,
or with grinding teeth.
Every person needs terror and great darkness,
and comfort and promise and redemption,
that they would know to look up at the sky.
Every person needs one prayer,
that would constantly be on their lips.
A person needs to bend one time –
Every person needs a shoulder.
Every person needs to have a
certain Egypt,
to redeem themselves from it, from the house of slavery,
to go out in the middle of the night to the desert of fears,
to march straight into the waters,
to see them open before them to both sides.
Every person needs a shoulder,
on which to carry the bones of Joseph,
Every person needs to straighten their backs.
Every person needs to have a
certain Egypt,
and a Jerusalem,
and one long journey,
that they will forever remember
in their feet.