A 2000-year old document such as our Haggadah offers more than its share of puzzles and mazes, hidden corners and mysteries. Join us in tackling a few of them...
Matzah represents the bare necessities of life. The Passover offering represents luxuries whose function is solely to give pleasure. Maror represents a middle ground between these two extremes...
A mitzvah is a commandment - G-d instructing man what He desires for man to do or not do. Understandably, then, virtually all of the Torah's 613 mitzvot are unilateral declarations of divine will
Those who offer the korban Pesach on the 14th of Iyar follow the same basic procedure as those who brought it one month earlier, on the First Passover. There are, however, several legal and procedural distinctions between the two Passovers, the most important of which concerns the prohibition against leaven.
One camp proposed to throw themselves into the sea. A second group advocated return to Egypt, a third wanted war, a fourth prayer. G‑d rejected all four strategies . . .
As a rule, important dates on the Jewish calendar are celebrated according to the day of the month. The war of the firstborn occurred on the 10th of Nissan, which was also the Shabbat before Passover. So why does the commemoration of this miracle follow the day of the week rather than the day of the month?
Much of our personality, self-image, and life-goals consist of molds or definitions that are based on how things ought to be. When the small details of life don’t match up, we experience pain, aggravation, and unhappiness...
Nissan is the first month, but it comes six months after the beginning of the year; Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the year, but it falls in the seventh month. Makes sense? It does, if you’re a Jew.