שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻלּוֹ מַצָּה. On all other nights we eat hametz and matzah, tonight only matzah. (Mishnah Pesakhim 10.4) Happy new year! The Jewish month of Nissan began on Saturday evening, and with it, the calendar year of our people. The first of three harvest festivals is only twoContinue reading “Pre Pesakh Primer: All Things Hametz”
Tag Archives: matzah
Shabbat HaGadol: The Bread of Jewish Resilience
This Shabbat is called Shabbat haGadol, “the Great Shabbat” and it is always the Shabbat that directly precedes Pesakh. Today, erev Shabbat, is 9 Nisan, and as 15 Nisan begins next Wednesday at sundown, Jews everywhere will observe the beginning of the oldest Jewish holy day. Our tradition urges us to see every day asContinue reading “Shabbat HaGadol: The Bread of Jewish Resilience”
Shabbat HaGadol: It Matters Now, Too
This Shabbat is called Shabbat HaGadol, the “great Shabbat,” possibly echoing the content of the special Haftarah chanted on this day, which speaks of a “great and terrible day” which is coming. הִנֵּ֤ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם ה’ הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃ Here, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before theContinue reading “Shabbat HaGadol: It Matters Now, Too”
Shabbat Pesakh I: What is this Matzah?
Tonight at sundown over 70% of all self-identifying Jews will observe the beginning of Pesakh (Hebrew for “Passover”). At the very least, they will all have matzah, the symbolic bread of affliction, on their tables – gluten free, locally made, even homemade, matzah is the ultimate symbol of the holy day period. Hag haMatzot, “The FestivalContinue reading “Shabbat Pesakh I: What is this Matzah?”
Getting Ready for Pesakh: What Is Matzah Really About?
It’s all about the matzah. The official name – and the most ancient name – of our early spring festival is Hag haMatzot, the Festival of Matzah. Eating matzah is a mitzvah, an obligation for every Jew. But what if you’re gluten free? this question has of course already been answered by the matzah industry:Continue reading “Getting Ready for Pesakh: What Is Matzah Really About?”
Pesakh: You Must Remember This
The following is a teaching of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger (1847-1905), author of the Sefat Emet, a book of his insights into the parashat hashavua and also the Jewish holy days. This is an edited paraphrase of one of his Pesakh teachings: Of Pesakh it says, “this day will be a remembrance for you” (Ex.12.14) and “so thatContinue reading “Pesakh: You Must Remember This”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 