Going from Observer to Participant – A Rest Stop on the Exodus from Egypt

By Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, Conservative Yeshiva Director

The Torah tells us that Am Yisrael left Egypt in a rush (“b’chipazon”, Deut 16:3).  One way Lel HaSeder recalls the Exodus is that it, too, is often rushed.  This is a short text study which can provide a pause en route, “food for thought,” to stimulate deeper engagement with the Haggadah than the typically hurried recitation allows.  It can be done in pairs (chevruta style) or by all together.  3-5 minutes, then “back to the journey.”

Going from Observer to Participant (pdf)

By  Dr. Josh Kulp, Senior Talmud Instructor

Rich Matzah, Poor Matzah E-Shiur Sourcesheet
Rich Matzah, Poor Matzah E-Shiur for Printing

Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. the central symbol of the seder is clearly the matzah. Indeed already in the Torah, the festival is called “The Festival of Matzot.” What then exactly is matzah? What does it signify? In this shiur we will explore what the Rabbis understood matzah to be and how that shaped the halakhot that defined what type of matzah one can use at the seder to fulfill the biblical commandment to eat matzah on the first night of Pesah.

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By Rabbi Shmuel Lewis, Rosh Yeshiva

The prohibition of hametz is unique – even to own a small amount is to transgress, and it is forbidden to all Jews to have any benefit from hametz that was Jewish-owned during Pesach. The Torah itself annuls all Jewish ownership of hametz on Pesach: the only halakhic meaning of a Jew keeping it in his possession is that he thereby transgresses the prohibition of not retaining it. This has given rise to many symbolic interpretations – hametz is the yetzer hara, for instance, which we must eliminate entirely to become true servants of G-d.

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By Dr. Josh Kulp, Talmud Instructor

Since I began writing historical commentary on the Haggadah (The Schechter Haggadah), word has gotten around that I am “the Haggadah guy,” and people have begun to approach me for my evaluation of their understanding of particular points in the Haggadah and Seder. Occasionally these are creative readings of certain texts, at other times they are discussions of the structure of the Seder. My first reaction to most of these suggestions is to flinch, for they are rarely correct representations of the original texts and customs of the Haggadah. They are usually creative, the person who suggested them has put a lot of thought into them, but nevertheless, they are historically inaccurate.

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Jews are commanded in two mitsvot concerning recalling the exodus from Egypt. We are commanded to mention it every day, and we are commanded to recount the story on the night of the fifteenth of Nisan.  For the daily mitsvah, a mere mention to oneself is sufficient; for the night of the seder one is supposed to tell the story in detail to someone else, and to recite special praise (Hallel) at its conclusion.  Hence the shape of the seder – the story is told in response to the four questions and concludes with Hallel.  Peoples of many traditions celebrate the day they gained freedom, but not many include in their celebrations communal consideration of what it means to be free.  Fulfillment of the mitsvah to recount the exodus on the fifteenth of Nisan requires some description of the condition of the Israelites prior to acquiring their freedom. We are called upon to recall what servitude is like, its hardships and despair.  After we have told each other the story in this way, we sing G-d’s praises (see Mishnah Pesachim 10:4-5).

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By Dr. Joshua Kulp, Talmud Instructor

The Pesah Seder is full of threes and fours. In this brief article I would like to deal with a “five”—what I term the fivefold history of the celebration of Pesah. Dividing the Jewish celebration of Pesah into five historical periods provides us with an overall perspective of the history of the holiday, where it came from and where it is now.

The earliest stage is clearly the Temple-period. During this period Jews came to the Templein Jerusalemto celebrate the holiday with a sacrifice. The sacrifice might have been accompanied by wine, song and celebration, but we don’t know of any formal “seder” or “haggadah” that occurred during this period. We also know very little of how Pesah was celebrated at that time by Jews outside theTemple.

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By Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, CY Director

On Wednesday, April 8, 2009, the Jewish world celebrated not only Leil HaSeder, but also Birkhat HaChama (the Blessing of the Sun).  This ritual is done every 28 years, to mark the return of the sun and the earth to their original alignment (time and day) as it was at Creation.  The spring of Year 5769 marks the 206th completion of this solar cycle and the start of the 207th.

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