Monthly Archives: ‍‍ Adar II / Nisan 5768 - April 2008

Defining Ge’ulah

R. Shimon said: When the Holy One, blessed be He [-- HQBH], came to create Adam, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups and parties. Some said, “Let him be created,” while others urged, “Let him not be created.” Thus … Continue reading

Posted in Eschatology, Holidays, Pesach | 3 Comments

Sipur

There are three words for counting that factor prominently in the Torah. Parashas Pequdei gets its name from Moshe Rabbeinu’s accounting of all the material collected for the mishkan. The root \פקד\ has three meanings altogether: To count out inventory … Continue reading

Posted in Pesach | Leave a comment

Hagaddah

A couple of years ago I collected some of my own thoughts and others from around the web into a commentary on the Haggadah shel Pesach. I took special care to give the seider a definite structure, as in this … Continue reading

Posted in Pesach, Yom Tov | Leave a comment

Tam, what does he say?

The text of our Haggadah for identifying the third son is somewhat ambiguous. The word “tam” means “simple”. It could refer to someone who is simple minded. And this is the interpretation assumed in most translations of the Haggadah — … Continue reading

Posted in Faith and Proof, Pesach | 1 Comment

Sweet Charoses

(Version II of an earlier thought.) Charoses poses a paradox. On the one hand, the Rambam writes, “The charoses is a mitzvah from the Sofrim, as a commemoration of the mortar that they worked in in Egypt.” (Laws of Chaomeitz … Continue reading

Posted in Pesach, Shabbos, Yom Tov | 1 Comment

Shetir’u baTov

(10-Apr-2008: Added a significant point near the end.) The Bostoner Rebbe (of Boston) commented once on the expression “Shanah tovah umsuqah – a good and sweet new year”, which is related to the famous custom of having apple and honey … Continue reading

Posted in Middos | 2 Comments