Dayenu for our Day

Much like the many miracles preformed by G-d needed to bring the Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery and all the way to freedom in Israel, the decades-long process of confronting, the modern Pharaoh of our day, Saddam Hussein and delivering freedom and Democracy to the Iraqi people, has required many difficult and costly commitments by the people of the United States of America.

If we had only led the 1991 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait after Saddam occupied that sovereign country, but had not established No-Fly Zones to protect against future transgressions, it should have been sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we had only established No-Fly Zones to protect against future transgressions, but not created a UN sponsored inspection regime for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to protect against International Terrorism, it should have been sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we had only created a UN sponsored inspection regime for WMD, to protect against International terrorism, but not prompted the implementation of UN sponsored economic sanctions to force Saddam to abandon his WMD programs, it should have been sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we had only prompted the implementation of UN sponsored economic sanctions to force Saddam to abandon his WMD programs, but not targeted 450 cruise missiles against Saddam’s WMD installations in response to UN inspectors being evicted in 1998, it should have been sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we had only targeted 450 cruise missiles against Saddam’s WMD installations in response to UN inspectors being evicted in 1998, but not returned to the UN Security Council 18 times over 12 years in order to demonstrate international unity against Hussein, it should have been sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we had only returned to the UN Security Council 18 times over 12 years in order to demonstrate international unity against Hussein, but not led a military coalition of 34 free republics to liberate the Iraqi people from 35 years of tyrannical Baathist rule, it should have been sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we had only lead a military coalition of 34 free republics to liberate the Iraqi people from 35 years of tyrannical Baathist rule, but were not paying for and rebuilding a modern infrastructure, school system and security force to better the lives of average
Iraqi citizens, it should be sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we only were paying for and rebuilding a modern infrastructure, school system and security force to better the lives of average Iraqi citizens, but were not carefully rooting out terrorist activity and bringing peace, prosperity and security to modern Iraq, it should be sufficient, Dayeenu!

If we only were carefully rooting out terrorist activity and bringing peace, prosperity and security to modern Iraq, but were not bringing together historically antagonistic factions (Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds & Turkmen) in order to form the first Arab democracy in the World, it should be sufficient, Dayeenu!


Imagine how different our world would be if G-d had gotten cold feet along the way? When the going got tough, G-d didn’t “cut and run” on our forefathers. Each situation that the ancient Jewish people encountered, required a particular response and another miracle toward the ultimate goal of establishing a population of former slaves as free and independent people in their own homeland.

So it is true of our efforts today in Iraq. We cannot know what lies ahead and what new commitments will be required of us. We do know that when the Israelites lost their way, G-d was there to pick them up and put them back on the right track. G-d had faith in us and our future, should we have any less faith in the people of Iraq?

Staying the course in Iraq is the Passover message of our day. Anyway you look at it, coulda, woulda, shoulda, in the end our efforts in Iraq must be sufficient, Dayeenu!