Pesach: Commemorating Freedom of Speech
by Rabbi Yitzchak Shurin It is very curious that the mitzva of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim is expressed by Chazal as one of verbosity. The Gemara tells us that the matza is called Lechem Oni,” she’onim alav devarim harbeh”. This is reinforced by the author of the Haggada, who stresses from the outset, “Vechol hamarbeh lesaper […]
Pesach Reward and Redemption
by Rabbi Yitzchak Hirshfeld – Rosh Yeshiva Shapell’s To the human eye, and indeed to the eyes of angels, the fact that the Jewish people merited redemption from Egypt was perplexing. The angels’ complaint, “These are idol worshippers and these are idol worshippers,” underscores the stark reality that the Israelites were on the verge of […]
Pesach Pain and Liberation
by Rabbi Yitzchak Hirshfeld – Rosh Yeshiva Shapell’s We are truly an abnormal people. Pain and suffering are an essential element of our national history. Foretold to our father Abraham and accompanying us to this very day, gloom and doom seem to be the constants of our existence. Here we are with yet another Pesach […]
Pesach The Burning Bush: A Message for Today
Rabbi Yitzchak Hirshfeld The Navi (Micah 7:15) tells us, “As in the days when you left Egypt I will show you wonders,” the process of the final redemption will parallel the departure from Egypt. Let us look at one point in the narrative of the exodus. The story of our departure from Egypt has its […]
Pesach Matza: Bread of Poverty, Bread of Freedom
Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky A common term used in the Haggadah to describe matzah is “lechem oni.” It is usually translated as “the bread of affliction,” or “the bread of poverty.” This explanation is based on the the Ramban’s commentary on Devarim (16:2) (and reflected in most commentaries on the Haggadah) which says that poor people […]
Pesach Educating the Wicked Son: “Blunt his Teeth”
by Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky, Shlita Nisan 5772 Responding to the questions of the Four Sons at the Pesach Seder serves as a paradigm for educating our children – and ourselves. Knowing how to give appropriate answers to the relevant questions of the wise son, the mocking questions of the wicked son, the most basic questions […]
Purim Mordechai: Another Kind of Tzaddik
Humility Alongside the Jewish romantic image of the humble tzaddik — self-effacing, slightly bent-over, hidden, and devoted to all — is an alternate type of Jewish figure — powerful, unbending, strong, and even stubborn. Moshe, when pleading the case of the Jewish people after the sin of the Golden Calf, uses the term stiff-necked people […]
Purim The Megilla for Pshat Lovers
Six Straightforward Insights into the Megilla (From Harav Chaim Aryeh Leib of Yedwabna’s Shaar Bat Rabim collection) 1. Esther’s Family and Nation 2. Sending the Messages 3. The Fifty Cubit Gallows 4. You and Your Father’s House 5. Slaves vs. Destruction 6. The Converts After the Purim Miracle Esther’s Family and Nation (Emunat Chakhamim 23) […]
Purim Esther’s Secret
Rabbi Yitzchak Lerner In Perek 2, Pasuk 18 of Megillat Esther, we learn that after choosing Esther to be his queen, Achashverosh prepared a great feast in her honor and “he granted a relief in taxes and sent gifts according to the state of the king.” Pasuk 20 follows to tell us that Esther, heeding […]
Purim The Month of Adar: End and Beginning
Mrs. Deena Nataf, Midreshet Rachel v’Chaya Adar is the last station on the yearly cycle that begins with Nissan. It symbolizes the end…yet also the potential for rebirth, as we emerge from Adar into Nissan. Its zodiac sign is Dagim, fish. Just as fish live under the sea, concealed from the eyes of man, so, […]
