Over the course of history, countless thousands of editions of the Passover Haggadah – the liturgical text at the heart of the Seder – have been published or produced in manuscript. More become available with each passing year, a blessing for collectors and ordinary Seder... Continue Reading ⇒
Among the many symbolic foods associated with the Passover seder, and intended to dramatize the retelling of the Exodus, is saltwater. Bowls or cups containing saltwater (or Passover vinegar) are placed around the seder table.
According to the Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles, 1530-1572), the saltwater... Continue Reading ⇒
Rabbi Chanina taught: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear of Heaven [yirat shamayim]” (Berachot 33B). We must take ultimate personal responsibility for our own spiritual condition, our souls, our relationship to God, to Torah, to Jewish Tradition. Our “fear of... Continue Reading ⇒
“Shomer Peta’im Hashem” (“The Lord protects and keeps the simple.”) This verse (Psalm 116:6) is cited by the Sages to justify a number of behaviors that are otherwise considered to entail risk to life or limb. (See Shabbat 129B regarding bloodletting; Yevamot 12B for a discussion... Continue Reading ⇒
The Rabbis teach: “One should always take special care to recite the afternoon (Minchah) prayer” (see Tur O.H. 232). Why the particular concern about Minchah, as opposed to morning (Shacharit) or evening (Ma’ariv) services? Perhaps because morning and evening worship is conveniently routinized: we allot... Continue Reading ⇒
Among the Mitzvot associated with the observance of Purim – the most joyful day of the Jewish year – is Mishloach Manot: the sending of “portions” of food to friends (Esther 9:19). Tradition mandates that we each bestow a gift of at least two types... Continue Reading ⇒
Holidays (feasts and fasts) lend substance and character to the Jewish year… embodying some of the most important values of Jewish Tradition. What would the Jewish approach to repentance and self-improvement be without Yom Kippur? What would Jewish devotion to freedom be without Passover?
Mi-shenichnas Adar marbim b’simchah – When the month of Adar begins, we increase our joy” (Taanit 29A). Why the specific instruction to intensify joy in the weeks preceding Purim? For a holiday replete with singing, feasting and drinking, costumes and carnivals, joy seems a natural,... Continue Reading ⇒
With months to go before Passover, is it too early to be thinking about the Seder?
The Haggadah describes “Four Sons.” It is the obligation of parents to teach their children the significance of Passover in a personally tailored pedagogical manner appropriate to the specific... Continue Reading ⇒
Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, is remembered as the Biblical character with the longest lifespan: 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Apparently owing to the prodigious dimensions of his age, Methuselah’s name is also used to designate over-sized wine bottles: those containing six litres (203 ounces) and... Continue Reading ⇒
