Dr. Martin Luther King - "I Have Been To The Mountaintop"

BONNIE:

We are about to send you off to your festive meal after which, we hope you might enjoy using this Haggadh as you:

Find the Afikomen

Open the door for the Prophet Elijah

Make El Al Paper Air planes and sing Hatikvah and think about Next Year In Jerusalem.  

There are also some poems and activities.  But before you go, in blessed memory of Jon Davis, who with his wife, Jane and a bunch of hippies in The Peace Corps made the Haggadah which inspired me to start making my own, and much love to Hadley Davis - who shared that Haggadah with me.  Dov will share a final reading from Dr. Martin Luther King.  

DOV:

April 3rd, 1968 - Memphis Tenesee

"Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world. And you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" I would take my mental flight by Egypt and I would watch God's children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there.

...

Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee -- the cry is always the same: "We want to be free."

Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. 
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.

And I don't mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! 

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man! 

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

BONNIE: 

"A Zissen Pesach" everyone.  We love you!


haggadah Section: Conclusion