Passover: Saw you in Egypt From the Passover Haggadah

בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם

In each and every generation a person must view themselves as though they personally left Egypt

On seder night we relive the exodus through the magic of the seder, experiencing the feeling of redemption for ourselves, imparting the memory of the exodus to the next generation. To see oneself as if they were personally taken from slavery to freedom only by the grace of God – this is the goal. Perhaps we take our freedom for granted, but not on Passover. To see oneself as if they were personally taken out of Egypt is to see the world through the eyes of one who crossed the red sea. It means we look at the world and know – not believe, but know that miracles are possible. To see oneself as if they were a slave in Egypt means to know what it feels like to be a stranger in a strange land. To welcome in the stranger with a heart open to the suffering of others, that is the goal. The importance of Passover is in the story – not in its mere telling, but in remembering what it was like to be there and living with its implications.