B"H
Tuesday, Nissan 1, 5784 / April 9, 2024
Today is Rosh Chodesh Nissan - the first day of the month, Nissan.
As in every Rosh Chodesh the morning service is longer than usual. We recite the Hallel, we read from the Torah and recite the Musaf prayer.
In the five Books of the Torah, the months have no names (the names for the months were given later). In the Torah the months are identified by numbers. The Hebrew calendar begins with Nissan which is called the "first month".
The Torah tells us that the holiday of Pesach (Passover) is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month. Rosh Hashana is on the first day of the seventh month and Yom Kippur on the tenth day of the seventh month. The reason that all the months are referred to by number is also connected with the holiday of Pesach and the Exodus.
The Torah commands us that we must remember the Exodus all the days of our life. It is one of the six remembrances which a Jew must remember each day.
In the Haggadah, after recounting the enslavement and liberation of our people in Egypt, we recite, "In every generationone is obligated to view himself as if he has gone out from Egypt..."
One way to remember and integrate the Exodus into our daily activities is by counting the months by numbers. In this way, each month is in relation to the first month, Nissan. For example, Tishrei is the seventh month from Nissan. Thus, we always remember the month of Nissan and, by implication, its significance, the Exodus from Egypt.
On this day, Rosh Chodesh Nissan, in the year 2448 (in the Hebrew calendar), which was two weeks before their Exodus, Jews in Egypt were given their first mitzvah, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh. Rosh Chodesh signifies the power of the moon, which becomes visible on Rosh Chodesh. Jews are compared to the moon. We saw the power of the moon yesterday with the eclipse, as it blocked out the mighty sun.
On Rosh Chodesh Nissan in the year 2449, a year after the Exodus, Moshe erected the Mishkan and dedicated it. The month of Nissan is a special month. We do not recite the prayers of supplication (Tachnun) during the entire month.
The word "Nissan" comes from the Hebrew word "Nes" - "miracle". Indeed, this is a special month in which the greatest of all miracles took place for the Jewish people. The Talmud tells us that if someone sees the word "Nissan" in a dream, then miracles will happen to him. May this "Nissan" truly be a month of miracles for everyone, especially for our brothers and sisters in Israel, in all aspects of their lives. May the hostages be freed and return to their families to celebrate Pesach together. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY & WONDERFUL CHODESH
UNITED WE STAND IN PRAYER FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ISRAEL
& FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAPTIVES. MAY THEY BE RELEASED NOW.
B"H
Monday, Adar2- 29, 5784 / April 8, 2024
Questions & Answers about the Pesach Seder
Q. On Shabbat and holidays, we eat the meal right after reciting the Kiddush. Yet, at the Seder after the Kiddush we recite the Haggadah before the meal. Why don't we eat the meal immediately after the Kiddush and then recite the Haggadah?
A. The rabbis instituted this order to make sure that the participants stay awake for the entire Seder. If we eat the meal first, there is a good chance that people will become drowsy and not perform the Seder properly. Performing the Seder and telling the story of Passover is a very important mitzvah, thus, we perform this important mitzvah first and then eat the meal. Many people make the mistake of emphasizing the Seder meal and making the religious part of the Seder secondary. The reverse is the proper way. While the delicious meal is important, the religious park of the Seder is most important.
Q. Why is it customary for the children to hide the Afikoman at the beginning of the Seder?
A. The children are a very important part of the Seder. We encourage the children to hide the Afikoman in order to keep them awake throughout the Seder. The excitement of receiving a reward for returning the Afikoman towards the end of the Seder, will keep them awake.
Q. Why is it important to eat the Afikoman before midnight?
A. The matzah eaten for the Afikoman represents the Passover sacrifice which we had at the time of the Temple. The meat of the Passover sacrifice had to be eaten before midnight.
Q. Why do we eat the Afikoman matzah after the meal?
A. As mentioned before, the Afikoman represents the Pesach sacrifice which was brought in the time of the Temple. It had to be eaten at the end of the meal, in order that the taste of the Pesach meat would remain in the person’s mouth. This is symbolic of the fact that the experience and message of the Seder should stay will us long after we have finished the Seder. For this we eat the Afikoman at the end, so that the taste of the Afikoman, which represents the Pesach sacrifice, stay with us.
Q. What is the significance of the hard-boiled egg on the Seder plate?
A. One reason is that the egg is a sign of mourning. It is the first meal that a mourner eats after a funeral. At the Passover Seder the egg reminds us that, although we are celebrating our freedom, we still mourn the loss of our Beth Hamikdash (Holy Temple). This is especially significant in light of the fact that the first Seder night is always on the same night of the week as Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) - the day of the destruction of the Holy Temples. May we merit the coming of Moshiach immediately. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
UNITED WE STAND IN PRAYER FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ISRAEL
& FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAPTIVES. MAY THEY BE RELEASED NOW.
B"H
Thursday, Iyar 19, 5783 (Hakhel Year) 35th Sefirah / May 11, 2023
This Shabbat we read the last two Parshiot in the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) – Parshat B’Har& Parshat B’Chukotei.
Parshat B’chukotei begins with G-d telling the Jewish people, "If in My statutes you will walk, and My commandments you will keep, then I will give you rain in the right time, the Land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will produce fruit... you shall eat your bread with satiety and dwell in safety in your land. And I will give peace to the land and you shall not be afraid... You will chase away your enemies and they will fall by their own swords… I will place My dwelling in your midst… I will walk among you. I will be your G-d and you will be My people!”
G-d promises the Jewish people that if they observe the commandments, they will merit His many blessings. Later in the Parsha the Torah details the many sufferings which the Jewish people will experience if, G-d forbid, they do not obey the commandments.
The blessings take up 10 verses and the punishments over 25 verses. In reality, the blessings outnumber the punishments as they are general blessings which include many individual blessings.
The purpose of mentioning the punishments is to impress upon us the importance of obeying the mitzvot, thus avoiding the punishments, as G-d truly wants to bless us always.
G-d says, "And I will walk among you." This is indeed a special blessing to recognize that G-d walks among us at all times – in good times as well as in difficult times.
The following tale explains it beautifully and is worthwhile giving some thought when we go through difficult periods in life, which we all go through one time or another.
A person, who through his lifetime experienced difficult periods, returned his soul to its maker, when the time came. In heaven he was shown a replay of his entire life. He was shown all the steps he took throughout his life; where he went and what he did. To his amazement he saw four footsteps, instead of only two. “But I have only two feet? Why do I always see four footsteps?” he asked the angel.
“Two are yours. The other two are G-d’s. He walked with you wherever you went!” replied the angel.
“But why, as I watch the difficult times in my life and the difficult steps I went through, I see only two footsteps? Where was G-d then?”
The angel looked at him and smiled, “You’re mistaken. The two footsteps you see during your difficult journeys through life are not yours! They are G-d’s footsteps! During those times G-d carried you!”
A powerful message indeed worth remembering!
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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