Pesach Tzedakah Opportunities
When the afikomen is found, instead of giving the finder a gift, why not allow him/her to ransom it for a ten dollar (or more) contribution to a tzedakah recipient of his/her own choice? This way, the prize will reinforce the Pesakh concept of acting on behalf of the oppressed in our day.
Instead of storing away your non-Pesakh foods, bring your (unopened) items to the Tzedakah Shopping Cart, located in the religious school...Read more...
You Can Definitely Conduct Your Own Seder
It's not as hard as you think. And the little effort you put in will yield you, your family and friends, great enjoyment and satisfaction. Here are some helpful suggestions:
First, put away the Maxwell House Haggadah! There are so many better-written and more beautifully illustrated versions. And for a wide variety of age groups, too. The rabbis can recommend which version might work best at your Seder.
Second, don't miss out...Read more...
Adding Creative Readings To Your Seder
If you like your Haggadah but you just want to add something new every now and then, the Dreskin family has lots of resources for you. They include additional readings, a Pesach funbook, and silly songs. Read on for more!
If you like your Haggadah but you just want to add something new every now and then, the Dreskin family has lots of resources for you. They include:
1) Additional Readings. Across the years, the clergy...Read more...
Let's All Eat Matzah Together
Eating matzah during Pesach links us to Jews all over the world. The festival commemorating the Exodus from ancient Egypt reminds us of our ancestor's flight from slavery.
How often do we hear, “Why should I eat matzah for seven days? I can barely make it during the seder!” Pesach sounds a clarion call for religious freedom across the globe. Matzah is the “bread of the poor” and provides a way to identify with people in need...Read more...
To Eat or Not to Eat ... What to Eat Is the Question
“You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats what is...Read more...
Who Left Moses Out of the Haggadah?
The traditional haggadah refers to Moses only once. The Reform movement’s haggadah omits him entirely! But wasn't he the same Moses who challenged Pharaoh, led the Israelites out of Egypt, and brought them to Mount Sinai?
Yes, all true. But the ancient rabbis feared that Moses might become deified as a result of his great leadership. Moreover, the rabbis wanted to emphasize that God was responsible for Israel's redemption. So Moses...Read more...
How Many Days Do We Celebrate Pesach?
The Torah commands a Pesach observance of seven days. This is followed by Reform Jews and those who live in Israel. Conservative and Orthodox Jews outside of Israel celebrate Pesach for eight days. Around the seventh century BCE, people were notified of a holiday's beginning by means of an elaborate network of mountaintop bonfires. To guard against the possibility of error, an extra day was added to many of the holidays. By the time a...Read more...
Thinking About Pesach
If there's just one piece of information that every Jew knows, it's that once we were slaves and then we became free.
Rabbi Larry Hoffman, Professor of Rite and Ritual at HUC-JIR, speaks of the Pesach Seder as a mysterious magnet. Over thousands of years, the force at this magnet's center has attracted many hundreds of particles of human experience. It holds them all — our people's customs, memories, laws and legends —...Read more...
Sat, April 27 2024
19 Nisan 5784
