This week’s parsha, Tzav, opens with a striking image:
“Aish tamid tukad al haMizbeach, lo tichbeh” — A constant fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall never go out. Even though a miraculous fire came down from Heaven, the Kohanim still had to place wood on it every single morning. Why? Because that’s our avodah. Hashem sends the fire — but we have to prepare the mizbeiach. Redemption is Divine. But it still asks something of us.

Which brings us to the Seder table. We sit down to relive the miracles, surrounded by wine, matzah, and memory. But one cup remains untouched — silent, waiting.

We know there are four cups of wine, each one tied to a lashon of geulah in Sefer Shemot (6:6–7): “והוצאתי… והצלתי… וגאלתי… ולקחתי” — I will take you out… I will save you… I will redeem you… I will take you as a nation… But then, one more lashon: “והבאתי אתכם אל הארץ” — And I will bring you to the Land. So is it four or five?

Chazal debated. Today, we compromise. We pour a fifth cup… but we don’t drink it. Why pour a cup that stays full? Because it’s not just a tradition. It’s a declaration. We call it the Kos shel Eliyahu — but it’s really the Cup of Bitachon. A reminder that the story isn’t over. That just as Hashem fulfilled the first four leshonot… He will fulfill the fifth.

And here’s something wild: The final lashon — “והבאתי” — has the same gematria as משיח בן דוד. The filled cup is not a symbol of hope. It’s an act of certainty.

Pesach is not a history class. It’s a journey through time — from “Avadim hayinu” to “L’shana haba’ah b’Yerushalayim habenuyah.” From exile to redemption. From past miracles… to future geulah.

And just like the aish tamid — the eternal flame — we keep showing up. We keep pouring the wine. We keep preparing the mizbeiach. Because we believe. Because we’re not waiting passively. We’re getting ready.

Chazal teach us that just as we were redeemed from Mitzrayim in the merit of the emunah of righteous women, we will be redeemed again through emuna. Emuna is not just a feeling — it’s action. It’s preparation. Like the righteous women in Egypt who packed tambourines — not as a wish, but as a certainty. They knew they’d need them.

Today? We do the same. We pour that fifth cup not because it’s cute or customary… but because we believe geulah is coming.

And this time, when Eliyahu shows up? We‘ll be ready. We’ll be standing — cup in hand — ready to drink the Kos Yeshuot.