Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name],
Passover, also called Pesach (/ˈpɛsɑːx, ˈpeɪ-/;[1] Biblical Hebrew: חַג הַפֶּסַח, romanized: Ḥag hapPesaḥ, lit. 'Pilgrimage of the Passing Over'), is a major Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.[2]
According to the Book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood, in addition to instructions for consuming the lamb that night. For that night, God would send the Angel of Death to bring about the tenth plague, in which he would smite all the firstborn in Egypt. But when the angel saw the blood on the Israelites' doorframes, he would pass over their homes so that the plague should not enter (hence the name.) The story is part of the broader Exodus narrative, in which the Israelites, while living in Egypt, are enslaved en masse by the Pharaoh to suppress them; when Pharaoh refuses God's demand to let them go, God sends ten plagues upon Egypt. After the tenth plague, Pharaoh permits the Israelites to leave.[3] Scholars widely believe that the origins of Passover predate the biblical Exodus, with theories suggesting it evolved from earlier semi-nomadic or pre-Israelite rituals and was later transformed through religious and cultic traditions.[4]
This story is recounted at the Passover Seder by reading the Haggadah. The Haggadah is a standardized ritual account of the Exodus story, in fulfillment of the command "And thou shalt tell [Higgadata] thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt."[5]
Pesach starts on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which is considered the first month of the Hebrew year. The Rabbinical Jewish calendar is adjusted to align with the solar calendar in such a way that 15 Nisan always coincides with Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The Hebrew day starts and ends at sunset, so the holiday starts at sunset the day before.
-Wikipedia
Table of contents
1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour
2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) By Hazzan David Azerad -
Tell Your Child Peninei Halacha
3) Holy Jokes!
4) For KIDS
This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour
Parashat Sav- Accepting Criticism
The prophecy read as the Haftara for Parashat Sav comes from the Book of Yirmiyahu (7), and in this prophecy, Yirmiyahu criticizes the people for offering sacrifices without undergoing a process of repentance and change. Parashat Sav speaks about the sacrifices, and this prophecy reminds us that sacrifices alone do not suffice. In order to achieve G-d’s atonement and favor, the sacrifices must be accompanied by a genuine commitment to improve one’s conduct.
Yirmiyahu here bemoans the fact that Beneh Yisrael had acted "according to the will of their evil heart" (7:25), and that when G-d sent prophets to criticize the people and urge them to repent, "they did not listen to Me, they did not turn their ear; they made their necks stiff, and were worse than their fathers" (7:26). The people refused to accept the prophets’ rebuke, stubbornly persisting in their wayward conduct.
Rav Avraham Pam (1913-2001), in discussing this Haftara, elaborates on the importance of humbly accepting criticizing. Our instinct upon hearing criticism is to reject it, to insist that we are correct and that we have no need to change anything. But if we never accept criticism, we will never grow. There are many improper things that we do of which we are unaware until somebody draws our attention to the fact that we act wrongly. Thus, we cannot possibly hope to change and become better if we refuse to accept criticism, to listen with an open mind and ear when people point out to us our mistakes and wrongdoing.
Rav Pam related a humorous story about his father, Rav Meir Pam (1879-1969), who served as a Rabbi in Brownsville. Once, Rav Meir found it necessary to harshly rebuke the congregation, and delivered a sermon critical of their conduct. Afterward, one of the members approached him and said, "Wow, Rabbi, you really gave it to them!"
"I had to bite my lip not to laugh or say anything," Rav Meir later told his son. "He was exactly the person I was talking to!"
This exemplifies the natural tendency that we all have when it comes to criticism. It’s uncomfortable to admit that we act wrongly, so we prefer to deflect it, to insist that our behavior is perfect and beyond reproach, and it is everyone else who needs to hear criticism.
We did not come into this world perfect, nor will we ever achieve perfection. Our goal, however, must be to constantly grow and improve. And in order for this to happen, we must keep our minds open, humbly acknowledging that we are far from perfect, and being prepared to accept the uncomfortable criticism given to us by others. If we live this way, then we will continually grow and become better, thereby fulfilling our purpose here in this world.
Halachot this week are selected and Translated by Hazzan David Azerad
Tell Your Child Peninei Halacha
There is a positive mitzva to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nisan. The more one embellishes the telling, elucidates the great kindness God showed us by saving us from the Egyptians and avenging us upon them, interprets the signs and wonders that God performed at that time and place for our sake, delves into the laws of Pesaḥ, and gives expansive gratitude to God – the more commendable it is. The essence of the mitzva is to tell the children, as it is stated: “Tell your child on that day: ‘It is because of this that God did for me when I left Egypt’” (Shemot 13:8). Even one who is childless is commanded by the Torah to recall the Exodus on Pesaḥ night, as it states: “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, of the house of bondage; how, with a mighty hand, God took you out of there” (ibid. 3).
Two mitzvot in the Torah require us to educate our children: the first is to teach them the written and oral Torah, so they understand the world correctly and may live according to divine guidance. Part of this mitzva is to habituate and familiarize children with the observance of mitzvot, as it is impossible to teach about Shabbat, kashrut, and the like without training for their observance. The second mitzva is to tell our children about the Exodus from Egypt on the Seder night.
At first glance, this is puzzling. Is narrating the Exodus not part of the general mitzva of teaching Torah? In that case, what is different about the Seder night? The purpose of the stories told to the children on Seder night is to convey the fundamentals of faith that logically precede Torah study: they must know how the nation of Israel was formed, that God chose Israel to be His special nation, and that He gave them a special duty to receive the Torah and rectify the world. Parents, of course, do not live forever. The next generation will have to bear the torch of tradition, the great and awesome task that God intended for Israel, until the world has been fully repaired. This is the lesson of the Seder night. All of its mitzvot lead to that end.
Note that the obligation to study Torah is derived from the verse: “Teach them to your children, to speak of them” (Devarim 11:19). The Sages explain that one who must teach his son Torah must himself study Torah (Kiddushin 29b). It is only through the personal example of parents studying Torah with love and diligence that the value of Torah study is imbued within the children. The mitzva to instruct the children teaches us that the fundamental goal of the Torah is to positively influence others and add life to the world, not just to elevate the individual who studies Torah. Therefore, the Torah emphasizes in this commandment the obligation to teach the children, for the essential goal of the Torah is to influence the entire people of Israel in every generation. What is more, when one studies to teach others, their study is more thorough and profound. Likewise, the purpose of the mitzva to tell the story of the Exodus is that the memory of the Exodus and the great destiny of the Jewish people will be so deeply and palpably alive in the hearts of the parents that they will be able to pass it on to their children. To that end, parents must delve into the meaning of the Exodus and the mitzvot of the holiday and serve as personal examples for their children of how to say the Hagada and fulfill the mitzvot of Pesaḥ. Thus, they will be able to tell them the story of the Exodus and guide them toward fulfillment of the mitzvot of the Seder night.
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
Chag Pesach Kasher Vesameach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
Selection of funny snippets, loosely related to this weeks parashah or current events, to brighten your day
4) FOR KIDS
Click on the image to open the youtube video
