The word Dayenu comes from the Passover story and refers to a song that celebrates the Exodus of the Jewish slaves from Egypt where they were held captive by the pharaoh and compelled to work without ceasing at the whim of the taskmaster’s whip. When they were freed, they expressed gratitude that God had not only granted them their sovereignty but had given them many blessings. Dayenu translates to “It would have been sufficient.” Or “It would have been enough.”

It came to me in the wee hours this morning, that the world may be ready for a new Dayenu and a wake-up call.

Had the alarm bells begun to ring when the most contentious election that this nation has ever seen elicited more hate than this country has ever seen…..it should have been enough.

Had we been alert to the encroaching dark forces that threaten safety and security of the world….it should have been enough.

Had we as citizens been more aware of the goings on in government on all sides of the political spectrum….it should have been enough.

Had we put the needs of the entire planet before individual greed, our clean air, water, and soil would have a greater chance of being sustainable, (that regardless of political beliefs) we all require to survive….it should have been enough.

Had we not shrugged off the ‘locker room banter’ of the one who now holds the Oval Office, women’s safety would not be in greater jeopardy than ever before and trauma not re-triggered…it should have been enough.

Had we not normalized racial and religious bigotry, our doors (as heralded in The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus November 2, 1883)

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

would not be slammed shut.  Lady Liberty would stand as more than just a symbol….and it should have been enough.

Had we not seen the political goings on as ‘business as usual’….it should have been enough.

Had we not seen ‘the other’ as ‘the enemy…..it should have been enough.

Had we not used our personal religious beliefs as liberty to dictate what others ought to believe….it should have been enough

Had we seen every child as precious, we would not condemn them to a life of deprivation and fear and we as adults would do all we can to leave them a beautiful planet on which to live….and it should have been enough.

Had we paid attention to the promises of a man whose worldview extends not much further than his own desires to occupy a building that was meant to be a place of inclusivity…it should have been enough.

Had we found it unacceptable that he chose to surround himself with people who share his perspective of power over and not empowerment for all….it should have been enough.

Had we not looked the other way and shrugged our shoulders when he and these same people threatened to rescind hard-won rights for LGBTQ folks and those of color and those who came from other countries who hold divergent religious beliefs….it should have been enough.

Had we all found his self-aggrandizing, wound licking tweets less vital than learning a job that he is unprepared to do….it should have been enough.

Had we refused to accept walls that keep people in and not out and be expected to pay for it….it should have been enough.

Had we done more than rolling our eyes at his bombastic statements on the campaign trail that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not “lose any voters.”…..it should have been enough.

Had we said sooner, “Not on my watch will hatred thrive, will people be less valued, will the environment and those who protect it be assaulted, will services that sustain life be cut, will men be the arbiters of what women can do, will pro-life really means pro-birth,”…it should have been enough.

Had we been outraged when #45 mocked a disabled reporter….it should have been enough.

Had we been more than a little shocked when he insulted the press and placed restrictions on what could be transmitted…..it should have been enough.

Had we not ‘hired’ a man whose vocabulary seems not to have progressed beyond that of a 6th grader (no insult meant to 6th graders), and whose ability to directly respond to straightforward questions without deflecting and finger pointing…..it should have been enough.

Had we not needed to remind him that his job is public service, not the other way around…it should have been enough.

Had we not welcomed someone whose attempts to shred the Constitution would have the Founding Fathers rolling over in their graves….it should have been enough.

Had we found it unacceptable that he called for gag orders on various governmental departments….it should have been enough.

Had we been appalled at the daily onslaught that has had many succumbing to physical and emotional dis-ease….it should have been enough.

Had we been shocked at the ‘post-truth’ world with ‘alternative facts’ that has us scrambling to validate what we hear and see…..it should have been enough.

Had we not taken a ‘wait and see’ and ‘give him a chance’ attitude…..it should have been enough.

Had we not opened Pandora’s Box and unleashed ‘the evils of the world’….it should have been enough.

Remember that Hope was left at the bottom of the box. The same hope that has sustained the world through some of the darkest moments in history.

When will enough be enough?

Now that many of us on both sides of the political spectrum are showing up, standing up and speaking out, putting ourselves on the front lines, with our fervent words, our marching bodies, our protesting values….it is becoming enough.

The country that this granddaughter of Russian Jewish immigrants loves and honors, who became an interfaith minister who says that “Love is my religion and God’s too big to put in a box,” can become more than enough. Together we are a Force to be reckoned with.

I invite you to stand with me and all world citizens, as we acknowledge our common humanity, no matter who you voted for. The survival of our beautiful planet is on the line. We need each other. We are all US. We are enough.