Passover (Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pessten), Modern Hebrew: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish: Peysekh, Paysakh, Paysokh) is a predominantly Jewish holy day and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, and is commemorated by affiliated and nonaffiliated Jews alike as a time to contemplate the endurance of the Jewish people throughout history.
Seder traditions for us are an collection of practices that are Sephardic in origin, but for many of us these practices have grown and changed because they were practiced underground in either maranno or crypto-Jewish households. Remember: Sephardic Passover customs and traditions can vary from region to region, country to country, city to city, community to community, and family to family. The most basic difference between Sephardim and Ashkenazim pertains to kitniyot, which are eaten by Sephardim but not by Ashkenazi Jews. The literal translation of the word is "legumes," but the term is a catch-all for several varieties of grain or meal that are not actually chametz. These include rice, corn, millet, string beans, green peas and various kinds of dried beans, such as lentils, split peas, soybeans and chickpeas. The following is a selected list of Sephardic Passover customs and traditions: Kitniyot (Rice and Legumes at [...]
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Korban Pesach (Hebrew: קרבן פסח "sacrifice of Passover") also known as the "Paschal Lamb" is the sacrifice that the Torah mandates to be brought on the eve of Passover, and eaten on the first night of the holiday with bitter herbs and matzo. According to the Torah, it was first offered o ...
The Korban Todah (offering of thanksgiving) of a Nation. The special laws of the korban Pesach (offering of Passover) can be understood in a similar manner, for it too is an offering of thanksgiving – not for a personal case of redemption, but rather for our national redemption. Let’s review the special laws of the korban Pesach to show ...
Time to be still and reflect after the seders while we are in the middle of Pesach after the Seders and before Shabbat. Where has the Most High met you and brought you out of your Mitzrayim / Egypt this year? When we tell the stories we are telling our story, to ourselves, and to our loved ones. The story reinforces who we are, whose we are, and in ...
Countdown from the Omer to Shavuot The presentation of the omer initiates a countdown of seven weeks, culminating in Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) immediately after the 49th day. “And you shall count to you from the morning after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven weeks shall be comple ...
Towards the last day of Passover: Happy Yom Tov! And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seve ...
Weekly Sidra: Bo (Go) Torah Portion: Shemot / Exodus 10:1-13:16 Haftorah: Yermiyahu / Jeremiah 46:13-28 …It is the sacrifice of HaShem’S Passover, for that He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.’ And the people bowed the head and worshippe ...
Chol HaMoed Pesach or Chol Ha-Moed Pesach (also transliterated from Hebrew as: Hol HaMoed Pesach or Hol Ha-Moed Pesach) refers to the intermediate or middle days of the Passover or Pesach festival as well as another Jewish festival, the autumn harvest festival of Sukkot. Literally-speaking, Chol HaMoed means "The Non-Holy Appointed Time" ...
Shabbat HaGadol ("Great Shabbat" שבת הגדול ) is the Shabbat immediately before Passover. There is a special Haftarah reading on this Shabbat of the book of Malachi. Traditionally a lengthy and expansive sermon is given to the general community in the afternoon. Various reasons are given for ...
Chametz is any food that contains wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye that has fermented. These particular grains will ferment by themselves in the presence of water. This process can begin in as little as 18 minutes. Obvious foods such as breads, cakes, pastries, pasta, cookies, crackers, pretzels, breaded foods, etc. must be consumed or disposed o ...
At Pesach many people are invited to family gatherings but there is no reason why you cannot do it yourself should you find you are "it". The good news is that you may already have the "manual" or can buy one – the Haggadah normally tells you what to do as you go along. However here are a few tips: Firstly do not worry too ...
A Passover Seder involves the whole family. It’s an evening filled with stories and symbols to celebrate a Festival of Freedom from slavery in Egypt. Our Rabbi, Maran Yeshua later turned these promises of Israel’s deliverance to a message of deliverance from our own slavery to sin. It is a telling witness to what He has done and is doin ...
Weekly Sidra: Pesach (Passover) Torah Portion: Shemot / Exodus 12:21-12:51 Maftir: Bamidbar / Numbers 28:16-28:25 Haftorah: Yehoshua / Joshua 5:2-6:1 This week’s portion is Chol HaMo’ed Pesach. The morning Torah reading of Shabbat Chol Ha-moed consists of selected portions from Parshas Ki Tisa. The conclusion of the ...
Chag Sameach Pesach, Happy Passover to All. This is a wonderful week to reflect on the freedoms HaShem has brought into our lives. It also is a period to focus on what pleases the Holy One, Blessed be He. When the intermediate days include a Shabbat the reading is Shemot or Exodus 33:12 – 34:35. The portion begins with Moshe pleading with the ...
It is a curious fact that many of the stories in the Passover Haggadah are not from ancient Israel and not from the time of Israel’s exodus and wilderness wandering. Many are from the second century and the emerging Judaism of the time between the Jewish wars with Rome and after the destruction of the temple. I have a small but growing collec ...
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