Home

CHEVII ET CHEMINI CHEL PESSAH

Les 2 derniers jours de la fête 

Samedi et dimanche 3 et 4 avril 2021

21 et 22 Nissan 5781

Hazkara: Henri Ades (zl)

Horaires des prières :

Samedi et dimanche : Chahrit à 9:00 am à la Spanish

Vendredi, samedi et dimanche soirs - à 6:30 pm à la Chévra 

The seventh and eighth days of Passover are celebrated as Yom Tov, holidays, capping the weeklong celebration that begins with the first Seder. In Israel, only the seventh day is celebrated   In Hebrew, the last two days are known as Shvii shel Pesach (Seventh of Passover) and Acharon shel Pesach (Last of Passover), respectively.

WhatHappened on the Seventh Day of Passover?

On the 15th day of the month of Nissan, the children of Israel left Egypt, where they had served as slaves for generations. Despite his original stubborn refusal, after 10 debilitating plagues, Pharaoh relented and allowed Israel to leave Egypt for a three-day spiritual retreat in the desert.

Three days later, when the Israelites failed to return, Pharaoh realized that they were gone for good, safely on their way to independence and freedom in the Promised Land. He bridled his best warhorse and called his nation to join him in pursuit of his erstwhile slaves.

After a short chase, the Egyptian army caught up with the Israelites at the banks of the red sea. The Israelites were trapped; there was nowhere to go but into the sea.

Then G‑d commanded Moses to raise his staff and the sea split, allowing the Israelites to comfortably cross on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to follow the Israelites across, the sea came crashing down on them. Chariots, riders and horses all perished in the churning sea.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Moses led the Israelites in singing the Song of the Sea. Miriam led the women in an additional song of thanks, accompanied by tambourines and drums.

This miracle took place in the wee hours of the morning of the Seventh of Passover.

What Was the Parting of the Red Sea?

The miracle of the parting of the Red Sea (keriat yam suf in Hebrew) was performed by G‑d through Moses, seven days after the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. Pharaoh and the Egyptian armies had pursued Israel to the water. Moses turned to G‑d in prayer, and G‑d instructed him to raise his staff. A strong east wind blew, and the sea parted, allowing the Israelites to walk through it on dry land. When the Egyptian pursuers attempted to follow, the water came crashing down, drowning them in its churning depths. Recognizing the great miracle that had occurred, Moses and the people of Israel sang the Song of the Sea, and Miriam led the women in song and dance. «

AZ YACHIR MOCHÉ

En fait, « le Cantique de la mer » présente deux versions, une version masculine et une version féminine. Quand Moïse et les Enfants d'Israël eurent chanté leur chant, Myriam la prophétesse,    prit le tambourin dans sa main; et toutes les femmes suivirent avec des tambourins et des danses. Et Myriam les appela: « Chantez à D.ieu, car Il est le plus Saint; le cavalier et son cheval, Il les a jetés dans la mer... »

Les hommes chantèrent, puis les femmes chantèrent, jouèrent du tambourin et dansèrent. Les hommes chantèrent leur joie devant la délivrance, chantèrent leur aspiration à une rédemption encore plus parfaite, mais quelque chose manquait. Une dimension que seule une femme pouvait apporter...

Le sentiment et la foi

Myriam, la sœur aînée de Moïse et d'Aharon, suscita et dirigea ce « Cantique de la mer », Myriam qui avait été appelée « amertume » (mar en hébreu signifie « amer ») parce qu'au moment de sa naissance, le Peuple Juif était entré dans la phase la plus difficile de l'exil égyptien, Myriam qui, lorsque le nourrisson Moïse avait été placé dans une corbeille, sur le bord du Nil, « se tenait, l'observant pour voir ce qu'il adviendrait de lui » (Exode 2, 4).

Car c'était Myriam qui, avec son puits profond de sentiment féminin, éprouva dans toute sa réalité l'amertume de l’exil. Ce fut Myriam, avec son aptitude féminine à l'endurance, à la persévérance et à l'espoir, qui se tint, seule, pour observer la petite vie tendre qui fuyait dans une corbeille au bord de la rivière monstrueuse. Et ce fut encore elle, dont la vigilance devant ce qui allait devenir et devant sa mission envers son peuple, qui ne faillit jamais.

L'image de cette jeune femme cachée dans l'épaisseur des buissons au bord du fleuve, animée par l'espoir de la rédemption, persévérant en dépit de l'amertume de l’exil dans son cœur, n'est pas sans évoquer l'image d'une autre Matriarche qui observe : Ra'hel. Comme le Prophète Yirmiahou le décrit, c'est Ra'hel qui, dans sa tombe solitaire sur le chemin de Beth Lé’hem à Jérusalem, pleure sur la souffrance de ses enfants en exil. C'est elle, plus que les Patriarches ou les leaders d'Israël, qui ressent la profondeur de notre douleur. C'est son intervention devant D.ieu qui, après que la leur ait échoué, apporte la Délivrance.

Myriam et son chœur apportèrent au « Cantique de la mer » l'intensité du sentiment et de la profondeur de la foi spécifiques aux femmes. Leur expérience de l'amertume de l'exil avait été beaucoup plus intense que celle des hommes et pourtant leur foi avait été plus forte et plus durable. Ainsi, leur aspiration à la rédemption avait été beaucoup plus poignante. Et c'est également pour cette raison que leur joie, lorsque celle-ci se réalisa, et leur aspiration à ce qu'elle soit définitive s'exprimèrent avec encore plus d'intensité par les tambourins et les danses.

 In ancient times the rabbis decreed that Jews in the Diaspora should celebrate holidays for two days,

 because of some confusion about the correct day to celebrate. Nowadays, however, we have a fixed calendar, so why do we still celebrate two days in the Diaspora  We could ask why the custom of celebrating two days didn’t stop almost 2,000 years ago, when the Jews started using a fixed calendar as opposed to determining the months based on observations of the new moon.

In Ancient Times

Before getting to the crux of the question, Let's first start with a brief overview of how Jewish holiday dates work:

Whereas Shabbat happens every seven days without any input from us, G‑d commanded the children of Israel to fix the dates of the months and years.This means that the power to determine when the holidays fall was given to Moses and his successors—the rabbinical courts.

Originally, there was no fixed calendar. Each month, the Sanhedrin (supreme court) in Jerusalem would determine whether the previous month had been 29 or 30 days long, depending on when the new moon of the following month was first sighted.

There was no way to determine the exact day of a coming festival (Yom Tov) in advance, because every festival falls on a particular day in a month, and the month would begin only when the new moon of that month was sighted.

(The way that the Sanhedrin determined the new month is fascinating in itself.)

Once the Sanhedrin had determined that a new month had begun, the information was broadcast from Jerusalem to distant Jewish outposts via huge bonfires which were lit on designated mountaintops. Lookouts stationed on other mountaintops would see the fires, and would then light their own fires, creating a chain of communication that led all the way to Babylon, and to even more distant communities. If there was a Yom Tov that month, communities across Israel and in the Diaspora would then know when to celebrate it.

But a problem arose. The Samaritans, a sect who denied rabbinic authority and were constantly at odds with the Jews, started lighting fires on the wrong days in order to manipulate the calendar.

To prevent confusion, the fire-on-mountaintop method of communication was discontinued, and instead messengers were dispatched to Babylon and other farflung Jewish settlements.

Since news traveled a lot slower that way, distant communities would not know when Rosh Chodesh (the “Head of the Month”) had been declared in time to celebrate the festival on the proper day.

It was therefore decreed that outside of the Land of Israel people would celebrate every Yom Tov for two days: the day of the month the holiday would be if the previous month had been a 29-day month, and the day of the month it would be if the previous month had been a 30-day month.

The Custom of Your Forefathers

The fixed calendar began being used in the 4th century CE, and so everyone knew in advance when Rosh Chodesh and the festivals would occur. However, the Talmud explains that although the doubt about the calendar is no longer relevant, we are still bound according to rabbinic law to observe a second day, in case a doubtful situation were to arise again. In the words of the Talmud, “The sages sent [word] to the exiles, ‘Be careful to keep the customs of your forefathers, and keep two days of the festival, for someday the government may promulgate a decree, and yy a court that is similar or greater in number and stature to the one that made the enactment. While one would be hard-pressed to find a court that could compare to even a regular Sanhedrin, it would be impossible to find a court with the same stature as the prophets, who were divinely inspired. Thus the Talmud warns that we should “be careful to keep the customs of your forefathers,” as the custom of keeping two days of Yom Tov in the Diaspora isn’t just about satisfying a doubt, but about adhering to an enactment instituted by the prophets

Le véritable miracle de Pessah – et son impact à travers les générations – est le message puissant qu'avec l'aide de Dieu, aucune difficulté n'est insurmontable. Un tyran tel que Pharaon peut être détrôné. Une nation aussi puissante que l'Égypte peut être vaincue. Les esclaves peuvent devenir des hommes libres. Les opprimés peuvent briser les chaînes de la captivité. Tout est possible, si on ose seulement rêver de l'impossible.

“Pharaon assis sur un char, une couronne sur la tête et une épée à la main, traversant les eaux divisées de la mer Rouge à la poursuite des Israélites : des rayons jaillissant d'une colonne de feu à travers les nuages, symboles de la présence et de l'ordre divins, se reflétaient sur Moïse, debout sur le rivage, les mains levées au dessus de la mer qui submergea Pharaon

L'importance de la foi

On dit que le pessimiste est celui qui ne croit pas en une “aide invisible”.

L'optimiste juif, quant à lui, croit fermement en une aide qui vient “d'en-haut”, d'un Dieu attentionné. C’est cette foi en un Dieu bienveillant qui nous donne confiance en nous, en notre futur et en notre capacité à changer le monde.

Le Dieu du Sinaï n'a pas dit “Je suis l'Eternel ton Dieu qui a créé le ciel et la terre” mais “Je suis l'Eternel ton Dieu qui t'a fait sortir du pays d'Égypte, de la maison de servitude.” En théorie, le Dieu de la Création aurait pu délaisser ce monde une fois sa tâche accomplie. Mais le Dieu de l'Exode, Lui, nous a bien fait comprendre qu'Il est constamment impliqué dans notre histoire et qu'Il s'engage pour notre survie.

L'histoire de Pessah véhicule également le message que l'histoire n'est pas le fruit du hasard. Elle suit un plan Divin, un ordre prédestiné. “Ordre” en hébreu se dit “Seder” - et c'est pour cela que le rituel principal de Pessah répond à ce nom. Le hasard n'est pas un concept juif. Le hasard, c'est le biais par lequel Dieu a choisi de rester anonyme.

La foi en Dieu nous donne la certitude que malgré nos difficultés, l'histoire avance vers la délivrance finale. C'est ce qui nous a toujours poussés à croire au progrès et en la perfection du monde (tikkoun olam).

L'importance de la famille

Pessah nous enseigne une autre grande vérité : parfaire le monde commence chez soi, par sa propre famille.

Dieu a construit sa nation non pas en donnant l'ordre de rassembler des centaines de milliers de personnes sur une place publique mais en demandant aux juifs de transformer leur foyer en un lieu de culte familial, et ce autour d'un seder dont l'activité centrale est de répondre aux questions des enfants.

C'est l'évidence même ! Les enfants sont notre futur. Ils sont ceux qui ont le plus besoin de notre attention. Et le foyer est le premier endroit où ils se forgent une identité et des valeurs.

Plus que dans les synagogues, c'est dans nos foyers que nous plantons les graines de notre futur et assurons notre continuité. Il n'est donc pas étonnant que nos commentateurs nous font remarquer que la première lettre de la Torah est le beth, la lettre qui signifie “maison”. Ainsi, la Torah prend tout son sens une fois que l'on intègre l'importance primordiale de la famille. 

Le monde peut bien se gausser de la surprotection des parents juifs et de leur mode de vie centré sur les enfants, mais ce sont ces mêmes parents qui sont à l'origine des accomplissements extraordinaires de leur progéniture.

À la table du Séder, on encourage donc les enfants à être les “stars” de la soirée et leurs questions sont traitées avec respect. Voilà la première étape pour développer le génie juif.

Dès leur plus jeune âge, chaque enfant juif s’identifie à cinq concepts puissants qui sont au cœur de la fête et du message de Pessah. Et c’est précisément parce que le souvenir, l’optimisme, la foi, la famille et la responsabilité sont devenus les traits de caractère essentiels de notre peuple, que nous avons été capables d’accomplir toujours plus et de repousser les limites de l'impossible.(aish,fr)

Passover last days Torah reading Quiz

Q. Why is the 7th day of Pesah different than all other days?

    A. The 7th day of Pesah is a special day in the holiday because traditionally, it is the day of the splitting of the sea and the completion of the Exodus from Egypt. They left Egypt on the first day of Pesach (15th Nissan). After three days they were supposed to return to Egypt. On the fourth day Pharaoh’s servants told him that they ran away and did not return. They chased after them on the fifth and sixth days, and the sea split on the seventh day of Pesach at daybreak. (This is why we wake up early on the seventh day of Pesah and have a special reading of the beautiful poetry in our Bible, in honor of the day.) When the sea closed, drowning the Egyptians, the Exodus which began on the first day of Pesah was complete and the threat of the Egyptians was finally gone. It is at this point that the people have a real belief in God and Moshe.

2) Q. How often do we read the portion for the 8th day of Passover?

     A. The portion read today is the same portion that is read on the last day of Sukkot (Shemini Atzeret) and Shavuot. It is not read in Israel on the holidays, as we only read it on the “added” day of the holiday outside of Israel.

3) Q. What does it mean that Bnei Yisrael left Egypt “Hamushim”?

     A. According to Onkelos the P’shat (basic interpretation) is that they left fully armed with weapons. According to the Midrash, Hamushim means one-fifth. Only One-fifth of Bnei Yisrael left Egypt and the other four-fifth died during the plague of darkness.

4) Q. If all the Egyptians’ animals died during the plagues, where did they get horses for their chariots to chase after Bnei Yisrael?

      A. From those Egyptians who feared the word of Hashem and kept their animals inside during the plagues.

5) Q. Why did “fear seize the inhabitants of Pelashet”? (15:14)

     A. The Midrash teaches us that Efraim escaped from Egypt, before the time for the exodus had come. The inhabitants of Pelashet fought them and won. Therefore, they feared vengeance for this act.

6) Q. Which laws did the Jewish People receive at Marah?

     A. The Midrash teaches that three laws were given to the people at Marah: Shabbat, Red Heifer, and Judicial Laws. Other commentaries disagree, and state they simply received the concept of laws in general.

7) Q. Which miracle was greater, ‘splitting of the sea’ or the Mann?

    A. According to Ibn Ezra, the miracle of Mann was far greater than any of the other miracles that occurred, even the splitting of the sea since it remained with the Jewish People without fail for 40 years while the others were ‘one-time’ events.

8) Q. What was Moshe’s reward for taking the bones of Yosef with him out of Egypt?

    A. Moshe was the greatest man in Bnei Yisrael, and according to the midrash he personally took out Yosef’s bones. Hashem rewarded him Mida K’neged Mida - measure for measure. When Moshe died, the greatest person should have taken care of his body, but since there was no one greater than him, Hashem took care of Moshe’s body.  

English proverbs

1. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. |

2. Fall seven times, stand up eight. |

3. Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. |

4. Words should be weighed, not counted. | Yiddish Proverb

5. If you can’t live longer, live deeper. | 

6. Do good and throw it in the sea. |

7. Where love reigns, the impossible may be attained. |

8. It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness. | 

9. A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning. | 

10. Still waters run deep. |

11. He who does not travel, does not know the value of men. | 

12. The night rinses what the day has soaped. | 

13.  

14. Measure a thousand times and cut once. | 

15. A spoon does not know the taste of soup, nor a learned fool the taste of wisdom. |

THE SHABBAT SMILE

During a new television Quiz program, Miriam, one of the contestants, is asked by Isaac the Quiz master, "OK Miriam, what category of question would you like me to start with?"

"Famous People," replies Miriam.

"OK," says Isaac. "As you know, my questions will start very easy and get very much more difficult as you progress. Are you ready for the first question, then?"

"Yes I am," replies Miriam.

"OK," says Isaac, "Who was the first man?"

Miriam instantly replies, "Even if you were offering me one million dollars for this answer, I would never ever tell you. I'm keeping it secret and it is not your business.

Sophie and Shirley, two elderly widows in a Florida adult community, were curious about the latest arrival in their building; a quiet, nice - looking gentleman who kept to himself.

Shirley said," Sophie, you know I'm shy. Why don't you go over to him at the pool and find out a little about him. He looks so lonely." Sophie agreed, and later that day at the pool she walked up to him and said, "Excuse me, mister. I hope I'm not prying, but my friend and I were wondering why you looked so lonely." "Of course I'm lonely, he said, "I've spent the past 20 years in prison." "You're kidding! What for?"

"For killing my third wife. I strangled her."

"What happened to your second wife?"

"I shot her."

"And, if I may ask, your first wife?"

"We had a fight and she fell off a building."

"Oh my," said Sophie.

Then turning to her friend on the other side of the pool, she yelled, "Yoo hoo, Shirley! He's single!"

Chabbat chalom  et Hag Sameah

Maghen Abraham

La maîtresse explique aux enfants qu'une personne précoce c'est quelqu'un qui fait des choses bien plus tôt que la plupart des autres personnes. Puis, elle demande :

- Qui peut me citer une personne précoce ?

- Moi, madame, répond Toto. Il y a Mozart !

- Très bien. Et pourquoi peut-on dire que Mozart était précoce ?

- Parce qu'il est mort à trente-cinq ans !

Une blonde dit à son mari :

- Ce matin, ma collègue Brigitte m'a dit qu'elle était enceinte, et qu'elle attendait des jumeaux. Je ne voudrais être à sa place pour rien au monde !

- Ben...pourquoi ?

- Ce doit être hyper long une grossesse de 18 mois, non ?

LA FÊTE SE TERMINE À 8:12 PM  LE DIMANCHE 

NE PAS MANGER DU HAMESS AVANT QUE LE RABBIN RACHÈTE VOTRE HAMESS 

(ENVIRON UNE VAINGTAINE DE MINUTES)

CHABBAT CHALOM ET HAG SAMEAH 

Celebrate a lifecycle event with us by sponsoring a Kiddouch