B"H

Thursday, Nissan 27, 5776 / May 5, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

Shalom. I hope you had a most meaningful and joyous Pesach holiday.  We spent Pesach in N.Y. with my father (who just turned 100, B”H) and my mother; our children, grandchildren and great granddaughter, B”H. It was indeed a wonderful Chag Sameach.

May we merit to the fulfillment of our two thousand year old wish of, “L’shana Habah B’yerushalayim” – “Next year in Jerusalem.”

By proclaiming, “Next year in Jerusalem,” we mean, Jerusalemwith the Holy Temple rebuilt. Jerusalem is not the same without the Holy Temple. Jerusalem is a beautiful and holy city, but it is not complete without the Temple. May it indeed be re-built very soon, with the coming of Moshiach. Amen.

Today, the 27^th of Nissan, has been proclaimed as “Yom Hashoah” – “Holocaust Remembrance Day.” Today, we remember the 6,000,000 Jews who were brutally murdered by the Germans and their collaborators throughout Europe only 75 years ago.

Here are statistics of the percentage of the Jewish population murdered in the following countries:

POLAND- 91%;  USSR - 36%;  HUNGARY - 74%;  GERMANY - 36%;  FRANCE -  22%; 

ROMANIA- 84%;  AUSTRIA - 35%; LITHUANIA - 85%;  NETHERLANDS - 71%;  MORAVIA - 60%;

LATVIA-  84%; SLOVAKIA - 80%;  YUGOSLAVIA -  81%; GREECE -  87%; BELGIUM -  45%;

ITALY-  17%;  ESTONIA -  44%; LUXEMBOURG -  55%;  NORWAY -  45% ….

“Who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on earth,” we say in our prayers. Even in the midst of this great turbulent destruction and upside down world for the Jewish people, it is remarkable how they made every effort to celebrate the Holiday of Freedom - the holiday of Pesach. Why? Because no one can take from us our spiritual inner freedom… The very fact that we were “we” and not “they”.. We were indeed free.. while “they” were enslaved to their beastly and murderous desires…

Here is an excerpt from the testimony of a Warsaw Ghetto survivor about the last Pesach in the Ghetto: “In April the Ghetto was rife with rumors of an upcoming deportation. Despite this, the Jews of the Ghetto continued with their preparations for Passover. Some even baked matzot, obtained wine, and koshered their dishes in preparation for the holiday…”

Another survivor describes what took place in Rabbi Eliezer Meisel's apartment, in the Ghetto, on Passover eve, the 19th of April 1943, when the Germans entered the Ghetto: “Amidst this destruction, the table in the center of the room looked incongruous with glasses filled with wine, with the family seated around, the rabbi reading the Haggadah. His reading was punctuated by explosions and the rattling of machine-guns; the faces of the family around the table were lit by the red light from the burning buildings nearby…” Indeed, “Who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on earth.”

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Tuesday, Nissan 11, 5776 / April 19, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

Today, the 11th of Nissan, marks the 114th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe - Rabbi M. M. Schneerson, of blessed memory. Although the Rebbe is not with us physically, his love for every Jew is still felt just as strongly and vibrantly as before, through his Torah teachings, through his dedicated emissaries in every corner of the globe and through the many activities he instituted and his educational networks which bring the light of Torah to every corner of the world. May his memory bring us blessings.

Q.At the Seder we ask fourquestions; drink fourcups of wine; we speak of foursons. Why is the Pesach Seder associated with the number four?

A.At the Seder we celebrate our redemption from Egyptian bondage. When G-d told Moshe to tell the Jewish people about their redemption, He used fourseparate expressions of redemption. In honor of these four expressions,  we recount the Seder with number four.

Q.  Why were cups of wine chosen to commemorate our redemption?

A.  In Scriptures, wine is associated with happiness, salvation and redemption.  Thus, we celebrate our redemption and salvation through four cups of wine.

Q. Pesach is the only holiday for which we are required to get rid of our non kosher for Pesach products. There are non kosher products which we are forbidden to eat all year, but we are not required to get rid of them. Why is the holiday of Pesach different than all other days of the year that whatever is forbidden on Pesach we have to burn or sell to a non Jew and it must be out of sight during the holiday?

A. All other non kosher products are not kosher all year long.A person will be careful not to eat them. But chametz (bread, cake etc.) is kosher all year long. They are forbidden only for seven or eight days. If we had it in the house and it was visible, it would be very easy for one to forget and come to eat it. Thus, we must take every precaution to make sure that the chametz is sold and out of sight.

Q.  What is the reason for "wrapping" the Afikoman before hiding it?

A.  In describing the story of the Exodus, the Torah tells us that at the time of the Exodus, Jews "took their dough before it was leavened.. bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders." By "wrapping" the Afikoman, we recall the fact that the dough was "bound in their clothes."  

Q.  Why do we “hide” the Afikoman?

A.  To involve the children to search for the Afikoman so that they will stay awake through the Seder looking forward to the fun and prizes for finding the Afikoman.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

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In loving memory of Moshe Altman - Moshe Aharon ben Chaim Yehuda - of blessed memory

Yartzeit was Sunday, 11th of Nissan.  May his soul rest in peace in Gan Eden.

From the family

B"H

Monday, Nissan 10, 5776 / April 18, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

The Pesach Seder is to celebrate our Exodus from Egypt. We get together with family and friends, year after year, to tell the story of Passover and the wonderful miracles G-d performed for the Jewish people.

The major players at the Seder should be our children. The Seder was set to revolve around them and to make them feel the center of the evening. This is why it is important to involve the children in the Seder. We should teach by example that the religious part of the Pesach Seder is at least as important as the delicious Pesach meal.

For the sake of keeping the Seder interesting and informative and to keep the children’s (and adult’s) interest, I put together a list of questions and answers which I will publish between now and Pesach. This will make the Seder more interesting and interactive.

Q.How many years did the Jews live in Egypt until their liberation?

A.210 years. Jacob and his family moved to Egypt 210 years before the Exodus.

Q.Who was the first of our ancestors who lived in Egypt?

A.Abraham. The Torah tells us that when Abraham first came to Canaan (Israel), there was a hunger in the land and he moved to Egypt. Abraham’s son, Isaac, was never in Egypt. But Abraham’s grandson, Yaakov (Jacob) moved to Egypt when he was 130 years old.

Q.Why did Yaakov move to Egypt?

A. Because that’s where his lost son, Joseph, ended up after being sold by his brothers.

Q.Were Jews enslaved in Egypt all 210 years?

A.While Jacob and his children were alive, because Joseph was the ruler of the land of Egypt, they were very comfortable in Egypt. Only after the last of Jacob’s children passed away, did the Egyptians enslave the children of Israel.

Q.How old were Moshe and Aaron when they led the Jews out of Egypt?

A.Moshe was 80. Aaron was 83.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

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Mazal Tov to Corinne (Bracha) Fetter & Jeffrey (Yitzchak) Weitzman on their recent engagement.

May your future together be filled with love, happiness and much blessings.