Among the most iconic rituals of the Passover Seder is the drinking of four cups of wine. Given the evening's rich symbolic structure—including the Four Questions and the Four Sons—it may not surprise us that wine too appears in a set of four. But what lies behind this particular number?

In Judaism, we generally recognize two primary categories of sacred texts. The first is the Torah—whether in its original scroll form or printed editions—which represents God’s communication to us. The second is the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book, reflecting our attempts to communicate with God. This raises an intriguing question: where does the Passover Haggadah fit within this framework? Is it a text to be recited like a prayer book, or studied and analyzed like Torah?

The four mitzvot of Purim are widely known as the four "mems", meaning that each one of the mitzvot begins with the Hebrew letter מ—"mem"... I would like to propose for Purim 2025 a fifth mitzvah beginning with the letter מ—משפחות החטופים (mishpachot ha-chatufim)—the families of the hostages. On the one hand, we must celebrate Purim this year as in every other year. Anything else would be an admission of defeat. On the other hand, this Purim we simply cannot ignore the plight of our brothers and sisters still being held hostage in horrific conditions inside Gaza, and of their families around the country who have been going through a living hell, every minute of every day for the past 17 months.