B"H

Monday, Adar 20, 5780 / March 16, 2020

Passover this year will begin Wednesday night, April 8.

The Passover Seder is a unique experience in that we follow a particular order throughout the Seder. We recite passages from the Hagadah telling the story of our freedom and perform special mitzvot, like drinking four cups of wine, eating matzah, maror and afikoman.

Q.  Why is the night of Pesach different than other holidays, where after reciting the Kiddush over the wine, we enjoy the holiday meal. But on Passover we recite passages from the Hagadah and tell the stories of the Exodus before the meal?

A.   The Torah (Exodus Chapter 13) commands, “Remember this day when you went out of Egypt, from the house of bondage, for with a mighty hand G-d took you out of here… And you shall tell your son on that day saying, ‘because of this (the matzot and maror) G-d did this for me when I went out of Egypt.. “

On other holidays we celebrate a miraculous event of the past, but the Exodus is an ongoing miracle.  We say in the Hagadah, “If G-d would not have taken our forefathers out from Egypt, we would still be enslaved there.”  Even if we wouldn’t be enslaved physically, we would be enslaved spiritually. 

The miracle of the Exodus was not only that G-d took us out of Egypt, but that He took Egypt out of us!  This we have to remember forever. Thus, we have a special mitzvah on Pesach to tell and re-tell the story to ourselves and to our children and grandchildren, so that, they too, will feel part of this great miracle.

Q. Why is the book from which we recite at the Pesach Seder called, “Hagadah”?

A.    “Hagadah” means to “Tell.”  As mentioned above, the Torah commands “And you shall TELL your son on that day (Passover).”  Because it is the book from which we recite this special mitzvah of telling the story of Passover, it is called “Hagadah.”

Q.  What is the reason and significance of the four cups of wine which we drink at the Seder?

A.  According to one opinion in the Talmud, they represent the four expressions of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7) which G-d used regarding the liberation from Egypt.

The four expressions are: "I will bring you out... I will deliver you... I will redeem you... I will take you."  They represent four different stages in the redemption.  We commemorate and celebrate the four expressions of our redemption and freedom through the drinking of four cups of wine.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Friday, Adar 24, 5780 / March 20, 2020

I hope and pray that you and your families are all in good health, following doctors’ orders during this difficult time of the covid-19 virus. May G-d watch over us and grant us all only good health.

In light of this situation, this Shabbat will be a personal Shabbat for us all. A Shabbat in which synagogues and places of worship will be closed. It will be a Shabbat in which every home will become a personal house of prayer. This Shabbat we are all united in isolation. An Isolation to help others as well.

This Shabbat we read the last two Parshiot of the book of Exodus, Vayakhel & Pekudei. Vayakhelmeans to gather together. In it the Torah tells us that Moshe gathered the entire congregation of Israeland commanded them about the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

The building of the Mishkan was a community project in which everyone was involved. The Mishkan was a dwelling place for G-d through which His glory rested among the Jewish people. Our sages tell us that in order for G-d to rest among us and send us His blessings it is only through peace and unity among us.

This Shabbat at the conclusion of the Torah reading (wherever a minyan is permitted) the entire congregation announces in unison, “Chazak, Chazak, Venischazek” – “Be strong, Be strong and we shall all be strengthened.”

In light of these difficult times the wish of Chazak, Chazak, Venischazek, has so much more significance.  May Hashem indeed bless us all with strength and good health. May all who are sick battling the covid-19 virus have a complete and speedy recovery. Amen.

Our sages tell us that every good or negative deed we perform affects not only us but also the entire world. One of the lessons we can take from this situation is how every deed and action of each individual can affect the entire world. If a negative action can spread throughout the entire world, how much more so the good deeds we perform.

Our rabbis give us the following parable to illustrate this point. A boat full of people was sailing on the ocean. When suddenly one of the passengers decided to bore a hole under his seat.

“STOP! What are you doing?” everyone screamed. “But this is my seat. I paid for it and I can do whatever I feel like it,” he told them. “But what you’re doing will affect not only you. It affects all of us.”

The same is with the world as a whole. All of humanity are in the same boat. Whatever one does affects everyone. Let’s try and do more good deeds and mitzvot and may G-d bless us all with only good health.

“Corona” in Hebrew means “light.” To counter the negative factor of Corona, I suggest that all women and girls light the Shabbat candles this Friday, in order to bring the healing lights of Shabbat into our homes.

SHABBAT  SHALOM

Montreal candle lighting time: 6:49 / Shabbat ends: 7:53

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In memory of Margaret Zoldan Z'L who left us 13 years ago on Adar 26.

Always remembered and missed for her beautiful ways and words and her devotion to us.

May the Neshamah have an Aliyah.

Andre, Esther, Zachary, Benjamin, Jonah.

B"H

Monday, Adar 27, 5780 / March 23, 2020

Q.  The traditional good wishes before and on a holiday are; Chag Same’ach (happy holiday). Before Pesach we wish each other, Chag Kosher v’Same’ach (a Kosher &happy holiday).  

Why do we add Kosher in the Pesach holiday wishes?

A. Throughout the year there are certain foods which we are permitted to eat (kosher foods) and those we are prohibited to consume (non Kosher foods).

The holiday of Pesach is different than all other holidays of the year. Foods which are kosher all year, like bread and cake, are prohibited on Pesach. In fact, (it may surprise you), the prohibition of eating chamets (bread etc.) on Pesach is much stricter than the prohibition of eating pork!

Not only eating, even the possession of chametz is prohibited on Pesach. All the chametz we intend to keep for after Pesach, must be sold to a non-Jew, before Pesach so it will not be ours during Pesach. Because these items are Kosher all year long, yet prohibited (non kosher) during the Pesach holiday, we need to be extra careful to make sure we do not come in contact with them during Pesach. Thus, we add to the regular “Chag Same’ach”, the word “Kosher”,  wishing each other that the holidays should pass in a most Pesach-Kosher way.

Q.We hear the term kosher so much. There are many products today with a “kosher” symbol. What is the meaning of the word “Kosher”?

A.“Kosher” in Hebrew means “fit” or “worthy.” A kosher product means that it is fit for eating. Kosher fish and animals are those which are fit, permitted and worthy of being eaten. Non-kosher are those which a Jew is not permitted to eat, thus, they are not fit to be consumed.

All year long it’s much easier to keep the laws of Kosher and refrain from non-Kosher foods. But, as mentioned above, on Pesach we are prohibited to eat many of the items which are Kosher all year long. We need to take extra special care and protection to make sure that whatever we buy or cook for Pesach, should be 100% Kosher and fit to be eaten on Pesach. Many foods or medicines may contain non Kosher for Passover ingredients.

A small story, with a big moral lesson: Rabbi Akiva Eiger, one of the great Torah scholars of his day, would invite many poor people to his Seder and did everything he could to make them feel at home. Once, a guest accidentally spilled his cup of wine all over the new white Pesach tablecloth. Everyone at the Seder was shocked and the poor man became very embarrassed. 

Thinking quickly,  Rabbi Akiva Eiger “accidently” knocked over his own cup of wine and exclaimed,

"It seems that the table is not very sturdy..."

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AN SUCCESSFUL DAY