Ensuring our Freedom
“…If the holy one, blessed be he, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children, and our children’s children would have remained enslaved to pharaoh in Egypt…” – The Haggadah וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם – הגדה של פסח We acknowledge in the Haggadah […]
The Shabbos That Made It Big – Shabbos Hagadol
Shabbos HaGadol was the beginning of the Redemption and the miracles (Shulchan Aruch Harav, Orach Chaim 430:4) בשבת הגדול היתה התחלת הגאולה והנסים – שלחן ערוך אדה”ז סת”ל סק”ד A number of miraculous events are attributed to the Shabbos that preceded the exodus from Egypt, earning the Shabbos before Pesach the title Shabbos Hagadol, the Great Shabbos. Yet the Alter […]
Pesach: What Spring Teaches You about Winter
The Torah commands us to structure the calendar in a manner that ensures a spring arrival for the 14th of Nissan, the day Pesach begins. The emphasis placed on the timing of this holiday for the springtime highlights the uplifting message conveyed by the season of spring. During the months of winter, there are almost no visible signs of plant […]
Dayeinu will Not Suffice
“…If He had brought us out from Egypt and had not carried out judgments against them, it would have sufficed for us!….” (The Haggadah) אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים דַּיֵּנוּ… – הגדה של פסח It is our custom to recite the fourteen stanzas of the Dayeinu hymn without interruption, discussing its commentary and explanation only beforehand or afterward. […]
Don’t Make Yourself Too Comfortable
“…And he went down to Egypt” (Devarim 26:5)—forced by Divine decree…” – (The Haggadah) וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה אָנוּס עַל פִּי הַדִּבּוּר – הגדה של פסח The Haggadah asserts that Yaakov descended to Egypt against his will, compelled by Divine decree. This statement seems self-contradictory. Yaakov, as we know, was devoted to G-d with all his being. If he knew that G-d […]
Courage Works Miracles – Shabbos Hagadol
The Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos Hagadol, the great Shabbos, because a great miracle happened on this day. (Tur, Orach Chaim 530) שבת שלפני הפסח קורין אותו שבת הגדול והטעם לפי שנעשה בו נס גדול – טור או”ח סתק”ל One of the miracles attributed to Shabbos Hagadol is recorded in the Midrash (cited in Machzor Vitri 259 and elsewhere): […]
Ensuring our Freedom
“…If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children, and our children’s children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt…” – The Haggadah וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם – הגדה של פסח We acknowledge in the […]
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