Tag: Pesach

In the beginning of the recital of the Hagadah we reveal the Matzos and say, ‘Ha Lachma Ania.’ We refer to the Matzah as the symbol of our slavery and affliction, because Matzah was consumed by our ancestors in Egypt during their enslavement since it takes less time to bake and takes longer to digest …

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What Makes this Shabbos so Great At our Seders we recount the ten plagues that G-d brought upon the Egyptians and while doing so, we traditionally pour off some wine from our cups. A phenomenal feature of the plagues is that it never affected, disturbed or came upon any of the Jews! However, the last …

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Passover 5772 Reliving the Experience During the recitation of the Hagaddah at the Passover Seder, we come across a remarkable description of the slaying of the firstborn, which was the final plague. The Hagadah quotes verses from the Torah regarding the plague and then explains. “And I (G-d) passed through the Land of Egypt on …

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Last days of Passover 5772: Freedom in a Flash We are all familiar with the four questions asked at the Seder that begin with the words, “Mah Nishtanah – Why is this night different than other nights of the year.” What is puzzling is that the Hagaddah does not answer all the questions. It explains …

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(Passover 5773) Take It With You! One year, after experiencing the uplifting Seders and the total Passover experience, which entailed tremendous amounts of work, a particularly busy Baalabustah with a large family said, “The experience that I went through is a notch in my spiritual belt which will stay with me as time moves on, …

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(Passover 5774) Pesach! In the Hagadah during the Seder the questions of four different sons are discussed. The wise son asks, “What are all these testimonies, statutes and laws that G-d Almighty has commanded?” Rabbi Nisan Alpert o.b.m. wonders why he is asking this question specifically on Passover. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to ask …

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(Passover 5775) Open the Doors! Pesach is a special time, when family, friends, and at times random guests, gather to spend time together. This is particularly the case at the Seder where there is interaction, sharing of ideas, questions, answers and participating in the Mitzvos associated with the Seder. Sharing our tradition with others is …

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(Last Days of Pesach 5775) Miriam! The Hallel prayer of thanks and praise to the Almighty is recited on practically all holidays and semi-holidays. The blessings and chapters of the Hallel, taken from King David’s Psalms, capture a unique expression of a Jews’ thankfulness to the Almighty. In the second chapter of Hallel, we mention …

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