Parsha Tzav
Last week, we started off with the burnt offering or Korban Olah and this week the same. So what is the difference. Last week was the theory and this week, Moshe starts the first seven days of the dedication of the Mizbayach and Mishkan. The practical meanings and workings. The Princes starting with Sheves Yehuda are bringing their gifts that will be only described in Sefer Bamidbar. The first seven days, it is Moshe working with the Cohanim and on the eight day they are to take over by themselves.
6:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law of the burnt-offering: it is that which goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night unto the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning thereby. 3 And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes whereto the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 4 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
What is described here is the stoking and cleaning of the fire on the altar. New logs are added and the ashes from the day and night before are raked out and cleaned and placed into a ritual clean place outside the Mikdash.
5 And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereby, it shall not go out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning; and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall make smoke thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.
Daily the new logs would be kindled and the Cohanim would make sure that it never went out.
6 Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.
The fire burned from the first day of the first month 2449 until around or on Tisha B’Av 3338. It was relit in the days of Ezra and Nechemiah and lasted until the destruction of the second Mikdash around Tisha B’Av.
7 And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, in front of the altar.
We are now taught the practical aspect of a meal offering and not written down is how the Kamitza is made by the thumb cleaning the flour from the index finger and the pinky cleaning the ring finger in other words not much flour at all!
8 And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal-offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meal-offering, and shall make the memorial-part thereof smoke upon the altar for a sweet savor unto the LORD.
In Pasuk 7 I explained obtaining of the flour and then oil and incense were added one to flour and the other to the flame for a sweeter smell.
9 And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. 10 It shall not be baked with leaven.
With the exception of the Korban Todah, all the other Korbanos could be offered on Pesach.
I have given it as their portion of My offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as the sin-offering, and as the guilt-offering. 11 Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as a due for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings of the LORD made by fire; whatsoever touches them shall be holy.
The meal offering could only be eaten by a Cohain and family. He had to do so in purity and holiness.
12 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 13 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening. 14 On a griddle it shall be made with oil; when it is soaked, thou shalt bring it in; in broken pieces shalt thou offer the meal-offering for a sweet savor unto the LORD.
Like the Korban Tamid was offered after sunrise and before sunset.
15 And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it, it is a due for ever; it shall be wholly made to smoke unto the LORD. 16 And every meal-offering of the priest shall be wholly made to smoke; it shall not be eaten.
While the Cohain could eat the poor man’s meal offering, his own was holy and could not be eaten.
17 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying: This is the law of the sin-offering: in the place where the burnt-offering is killed shall the sin-offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy. 19 The priest that offers it for sin shall eat it; in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
In the court of the Mishkan or Mikdash as the Chatas has a high degree of holiness.
20 Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place. 21 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken; and if it be sodden in a brazen vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water. 22 Every male among the priests may eat thereof; it is most holy. 23 And no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire.
The Korban is not like a Shlamim or Todah and is so holy that it has these special laws for higher holiness.
7:1 And this is the law of the guilt-offering: it is most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt-offering shall they kill the guilt-offering: and the blood thereof shall be dashed against the altar round about.
It is beyond me that the translation says kill instead of ritually slaughtered or properly slaughtered of course with Kavanah..
3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inwards, 4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away by the kidneys. 5 And the priest shall make them smoke upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD; it is a guilt-offering.
The Asham has other laws with the forbidden fat and lobes to be burnt.
6 Every male among the priests may eat thereof; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
Like the Chatas as the Olah was completely burnt, the place where one eats must be holy and Tahor.
7 As is the sin-offering, so is the guilt-offering; there is one law for them; the priest that makes atonement therewith, he shall have it. 8 And the priest that offers any man's burnt-offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt-offering which he hath offered. 9 And every meal-offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is dressed in the stewing-pan, and on the griddle, shall be the priest's that offers it. 10 And every meal-offering, mingled with oil, or dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as well as another.
The Cohain here gets the skin and meal offering.
11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one may offer unto the LORD. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked. 13 With cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering with the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving. 14 And of it he shall present one out of each offering for a gift unto the LORD; it shall be the priest's that dashes the blood of the peace-offerings against the altar. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
The Shlamim is eaten not only by the Cohanim as they get the right leg, stomach, cheeks etc. that are of the 22 gifts for Cohanim. But the one bringing the peace offering and some of his friends can eat outside of the Mikdash in Yerushalayim until the crack of dawn or per the Rabbanim, until midnight.
But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a freewill-offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice; and on the morrow that which remains of it may be eaten. 17 But that which remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.
A Shlamim was eaten quickly and within two days’ maximum.
18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be at all eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offers it; it shall be an abhorred thing, and the soul that eats of it shall bear his iniquity. 19 And the flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean may eat thereof. 20 But the soul that eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
If a Korban has become out of time or place it is called Pigul and forbidden to be eaten any more doing so would involve Kares.
21 And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, whether it be the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean detestable thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
For his Tuma has defiled the Mikdash.
22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Ye shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. 24 And the fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of beasts, may be used for any other service; but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25 For whosoever eats the fat of the beast, of which men present an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eats it shall be cut off from his people. 26 And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whosoever it be that eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
Chelev or forbidden fat, the fat of the tail and the blood of an animal are forbidden to eat but not of a fish.
28 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: He that offers his sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD shall bring his offering unto the LORD out of his sacrifice of peace-offerings. 30 His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire: the fat with the breast shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave-offering before the LORD. 31 And the priest shall make the fat smoke upon the altar; but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32 And the right thigh shall ye give unto the priest for a heave-offering out of your sacrifices of peace-offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offer the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion. 34 For the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving have I taken of the children of Israel out of their sacrifices of peace-offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons as a due for ever from the children of Israel. 35 This is the consecrated portion of Aaron, and the consecrated portion of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when they were presented to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;
These are gifts given to the Cohanim.
… 22 And the other ram was presented, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23 And when it was slain, Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24 And Aaron's sons were brought, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot; and Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about. … 30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. 31 And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons: 'Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting; and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying: Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32 And that which remain of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled; for He shall consecrate you seven days.
All this was done during the first 7 days of the consecration of the Cohanim.
34 As hath been done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35 And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not; for so I am commanded. 36 And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
There is no Shabbos HaGadol Drasha for if you have not prepared for Pesach,
A Drasha at this time is too late. I have already covered the Halachos
And other laws over the weeks since Purim.
It is assumed that by now you have sold your Chametz,
Purchased food for the Chag, Checked your house for Chametz,
Annulled the Chametz, Burnt the Chametz
Last time for eating Chametz Israel 10:12, Burn or annul by 11:29 Friday 11:28 Shabbos
NOTE FRIDAY MORNING ISRAEL GOES TO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME.
Three Trailblazing Jewish Women by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Three-Trailblazing-Jewish-Women.html?s=hp3
Throughout Jewish history, Jewish women have sustained our people, giving us hope and maintaining the high moral and spiritual standards of Jewish communities around the world. Today, Jewish women are continuing this tradition, fighting to improve conditions for others
Here are three trailblazing Jewish women making a difference today.
Fleur Hassan-Nachum deputy mayor of Yerushalayim:
Fleur Hassan-Nachum grew up in Gibraltar and made aliyah (moved to Israel) 20 years ago with her husband. “I was a Zionist from the age of 14 when I first visited the Jewish state,” Hassan-Nachum explained in an Aish.com interview. “To be in a situation where the Jewish people have their own land for the first time in thousands of years, I knew I wanted to be here.”
On their second date, Ms. Hassan-Nahum told her husband-to-be that she envisioned herself living in the Jewish state. He agreed and the couple moved in March 2001, in the midst of the Second Intifada. Well-meaning friends and relatives pointed out that it seemed too dangerous to move to Israel. “We said if we waited until a good time, that moment will never come,” Ms. Hassan-Nachum remembers. The couple moved to Jerusalem and have never looked back. “My four children received the gift of being born here. Moving here was the best decision I ever made.”
A lawyer by training, Ms. Hassan-Nachum worked first as a barrister in Britain, then later expanded her career by working for major Jewish charities, founding her own communications firm, and becoming involved in Jerusalem politics. In 2018, she became deputy mayor of Jerusalem, where she holds portfolios for the Capital’s foreign relations, economic development, and tourism.
“For many people, politics is a very alien thing, a very aggressive thing,” Ms. Hassan-Nachum notes, acknowledging that there’s some truth in the perception that politics can be a tough business. Ms. Hassan-Nahum grew up in a political family and was familiar with political life: her father was Sir Joshua Hassan, first mayor and Chief Minister of Gibraltar. Sir Joshua’s long years of public service opened Ms. Hassan-Nahum’s eyes to the immense good that can be done in a political career. “You can improve people’s lives and move things forward,” she observes. “You can change things.”
As a woman, Ms. Hassan-Nahum has witnessed sexism first-hand. “Women certainly have to work harder to get anywhere,” she notes. “I think women in politics are underestimated. But when you’re underestimated nobody sees you coming.” In her own career she recalls a rival politician telling her that she wouldn’t last long in politics. Years later, she’s still working in politics, working hard to improve the lives of Jerusalemites while the male politician who predicted the end of her career is no longer in public office.
Ms. Hassan-Nahum believes it’s vital that women work in politics. “Women bring a more consensus-driven decision making style to politics and bring an important perspective that’s necessary to make policy.”
Ms. Hassan-Nahum points to her previous work as head of a committee governing Jerusalem’s preservation of heritage sites as an example of the skills female politicians can bring to the table. “Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. This is a tense committee, balancing economic interests and historical preservation interests. I’m proud to say that never in my whole time as head of this committee did we pass a decision that wasn’t a consensus,” something that wasn’t the norm.
Moving to Israel ended her legal career but not her desire to help others. “I didn’t speak a word of Hebrew at first,” she explains. Since so much of legal work is dependent on understanding the nuances of language, Ms. Hassan-Nahum switched gears, leaving the legal field and working for non-profits instead. “When I went into the non-profit sector, I saw it as another way of advocating – I was advocating for marginalized groups in society. I’ve always used my voice to strengthen other people.”
In the past year, as the global pandemic has ravaged the world, Ms. Hassan-Nahum has turned Jerusalem’s pandemic response into a model for the world. “We created a task force of volunteerism,” she explains, tapping into Jerusalem’s dynamic network of volunteer organizations to recruit nearly 20,000 people to step up and help during the crisis. Volunteers phoned home-bound people to check in, delivered food and medicines to those in need, brought games to families who were quarantining at home, and raised money for emergency food and other items. Ultimately, the volunteer initiative reached 70,000 Jerusalemites: “Nobody who needed help didn’t get help” if they requested aid from the municipality during Israel’s lockdown, Ms. Hassan-Nahum notes with pride.
Ms. Hassan-Nahum’s advice to other women who want to work in public service is to seize opportunities to aid others. “I’m a religious woman,” she explains. “I have a lot of faith that when God gives you the opportunity to do a mitzvah and step up to the plate – helping your neighbor, helping your city, helping your street, or school – whatever God gives you the opportunity to help others – you step up to the plate and just do it.”
Miriam Ament founder of No Shame on U.
Fifteen years ago, Miriam Ament, a successful professional with a demanding job, was hospitalized three times for depression. Shockingly, she found that instead of extending support and concern, as is typical when a friend suffers from a serious illness, some of her friends and acquaintances were judgmental instead, and seemed to view her illness as something to be ashamed of.
“During my second hospitalization, one of my best friends called and said ‘I only want to talk to you when you are happy’,” Ms. Ament recalls. She wound up never speaking with that friend again.
For years, Ms. Ament didn’t share her experiences with depression with many people. Then seven years ago a coincidence led Ms. Ament to an unexpected lunch date with a celebrity. Ms. Ament’s entered a charity auction and won a lunch with the actress Glenn Close. Ms. Close is outspoken about mental health issues and that lunch changed Miriam’s life.
“I told her about my mental health journey. I realized that if I could tell Glenn Close – a total stranger – about my experiences with depression, then I could tell other people.”
“Research shows that one of the best ways to eliminate mental health stigma is coming into contact with people with a lived experience of mental health concerns,” Ms. Ament notes. She realized that if she were to open up about her own experiences she could help de-stigmatize mental illness. “By opening up I realized I could really have an impact.”
At the time Ms. Ament was working managing large-scale projects for a large law firm. This demanding job gave her the tools and experience necessary to start a not-for-profit. “It also helped me realize that I could do this.” In 2014 Ms. Ament founded No Shame On U, a charity dedicated to “eliminating the stigma associated with mental health conditions and raising awareness in the Jewish community and beyond,” with the goal of helping people who need it, provide support and education to family members and friends.
The National Institute of Health estimates that nearly one in five Americans live with a mental illness. A 2017 study found that two thirds of people in Britain experienced mental ill health at some point in their lives. The need for an organization supporting those facing mental health struggles – and de-stigmatizing mental health in the community – was sorely needed.
In the past year, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down much of the world and negatively impacting so many people’s mental health, No Shame On U has grown in scale, filling a crucial need. Based in Chicago, No Shame On U’s clientele has expanded greatly during the pandemic, now reaching people across the United States and internationally.
“Especially now, in pandemic times, we’ve been reaching people all over the world,” Ms. Ament notes. Offerings include online check-in sessions for vulnerable teens, programs geared for people who live alone, a weekly support group for people over fifty, teen awareness groups and mental health forums, mindful yoga and art classes, online presentations by experts, blog posts and daily social media updates about mental health. No Shame On U is currently offering “double or triple” the amount of programming it did a year ago, before the pandemic upended so much of life. Over 115,000 people currently receive the organization’s daily social media posts and updates, a huge increase in the number of subscribers before the pandemic began.
No group of people is immune to the harmful mental health effects of pandemic. Young people have missed out on the socialization and milestones of in person school. Many people are suffering after losing their jobs. Older people living alone have suffered from extreme isolation. “Unfortunately the list goes on and on,” Ms. Ament observes. Strategies for improving mental health, resources and information can be found at www.noshameonu.org. (The tab “resources” offers phone numbers for crisis hotlines if you are experiencing a mental health crisis right now.)
Ms. Ament has some advice on how we can all work to make the world a better place, no matter what our abilities or backgrounds. Fifteen years ago she never would have pictured herself running a major mental health organization. “You never know how who you meet can change your life; you never know where life will take you. Be open to whom you meet and how you connect with them and how they connect with you.”
Baroness Ros Altmann, Ph.D.
Baroness Ros Altmann began her career as an academic, studying pensions and end-of-life issues. After a career in corporate finance, she served as Britain’s Minister of State for Pension from 2015 to 2016. (She was made a Baroness and appointed to the House of Lords in 2015.) She’s spent much of her career exposing financial injustice and promoting pensions reform. In a recent Aish.com interview, Baroness Altmann highlights her vital work helping create Britain’s Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme – both of which protect British workers’ pensions – as some of her proudest professional achievements.
An Orthodox Jew, Baroness Altmann has prioritized her family and her religious faith throughout her long and distinguished career. “I have never hidden my religion or religious values,” she notes, and “decided to move into self-employment when I had my three children, so that I could spend time with them while they were growing up, rather than...missing out on their early years.”
“I would always stop work for Shabbat and Yom Tov,” she recalls, “and quite frankly, I don’t know how I could survive without this ‘downtime’ and time to relax with family and friends. I thank God every Friday for the wonderful gift of Shabbat. I think professionals could all benefit from realizing that the world does not come to an end if you switch off your phone and computer for twenty-five hours and think of other things than work.”
Baroness Altman credits her Jewish faith and values with leading her to work on behalf of poorer workers and the elderly in Britain. “I believe that my commitment to social justice and concern for those in society who may be less well off, or least able to fend for themselves, or just need some extra help, comes from my Jewish beliefs and values.”
Growing up in a traditional Jewish home, Ros remembers her mother as the family’s driving force in religion, attending synagogue each Shabbat and ensuring that the family enjoyed a beautiful Shabbat dinner. Ros became even more religiously observant as an adult, and has been outspoken about her embrace of Jewish life. She’s publicly explained that she follows the mitzvah (commandment) of donating a portion of her salary to charity: she gives away fully 20% of her salary.
“I may have been very lucky,” she notes, “but I truly have not found that being observant has posed any problems in achieving high office and in rising through the ranks when I was in the City (London’s financial hub). I have always told people before taking on any role that I am an Orthodox Jewish woman and that means there are certain constraints that I have to work around.”
“A few weeks each year I will need to finish work on a Friday afternoon and I am never available to work on a Friday evening or Saturday up to nightfall. If that is something that people are not comfortable with, I would rather not work there, so I want them to know beforehand. I have never found it a problem. When I was Minister, the support for my religious beliefs could not have been stronger.”
Baroness Altmann’s parents escaped Nazi Europe, and much of her family was wiped out. Growing up with this knowledge has shaped her outlook. She is alarmed at the rising levels of anti-Jewish hatred she’s observed. “We have to guard against a resurgence of hatred and stand up against both anti-Semitism and other forms of racial hatred where we can,” she cautions.
“There are also internal threats to our community, from splits between religious factions,” Baroness Altmann notes. “It always upsets me so much when I see one group of Jewish people criticizing or vilifying others, especially in public. We have enough enemies outside, surely we don’t need to fight each other. Let’s each respect each other and if we don’t agree with different groups, we are still all Jews.”
When Ros Altmann was made a Baroness in 2015, she got to choose a motto for her coat of arms. She selected a Hebrew quote from the Torah: Ve’Asita Hayashar v’HaTov: “You shall do what is fair and good (in the eyes of God)” (Deuteronomy 6:18). “I try to live by this motto.”
Baroness Altmann has a message to her fellow Jewish women on International Women’s Day – and every day. “I would like to suggest to all Jewish women that they should feel proud to make a difference,” she says. “Believe in yourselves and make a contribution in whatever way you can. You can combine family, religion and high achievement if you want to, and you can also contribute to community life.”
These three trailblazing women are models for Jewish women. Their work ethic, commitment to Jewish values and their determination to do good on behalf of others is a powerful reminder of what it means to be a Jewish woman: always working to better ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.
Video from Aish how to make your Pesach more meaningful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELcySJdYCc
Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s Daily Omer Meditation
https://www.aish.com/h/o/t/48969716.html
A practical guide to becoming great in 49 days.
With the mitzvah of counting the 49 days, known as Sefiras Ha'Omer, the Torah invites us on a journey into the human psyche, into the soul. There are seven basic emotions that make up the spectrum of human experience. At the root of all forms of enslavement, is a distortion of these emotions. Each of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot is dedicated to examining and refining one of them.
The seven emotional attributes are:
2. Gevurah ― Justice and discipline
3. Tiferes ― Harmony, compassion
The seven weeks, which represent these emotional attributes, further divide into seven days making up the 49 days of the counting. Since a fully functional emotion is multidimensional, it includes within itself a blend of all seven attributes. Thus, the counting of the first week, which begins on the second night of Pesach, as well as consisting of the actual counting ("Today is day one of the Omer...") would consist of the following structure with suggested meditations:
Upon conclusion of the 49 days we arrive at the 50th day ― Matan Torah. After we have achieved all we can accomplish through our own initiative, traversing and refining every emotional corner of our psyche, we then receive a gift ('Matana' in Hebrew) from above. We receive that which we could not achieve with our own limited faculties. We receive the gift of true freedom ― the ability to transcend our human limitations and touch the divine.
Not in the Beit Medrash Chol HaMoed if you have a little free time take a look.
I did border patrol in this area during a relatively quiet time. From time to time a Syrian spy would try his luck penetrating and scouting the area. This is a true story of one of the most miraculous battles that took place in the Yom Kippur War. We got down to our last two shells and knocked out two more Syrian Tanks. The heroic few that saved the country from the Syrians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okhd_ijkI6k
I received the following PDF I hope it works. Dr. Russel Hendel puts out a Rashi made Simple for the past 18 or 19 years. I suggest you check out the website below and print it.
I suggest going directly to the colorful site.
Passover Issue –The Four Sons-One Pager Series https://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule3424.pdf
Adapted from The Rashi Newsletter, (c) Rashiyomi.com Mar2022, Dr. Hendel, President,
Full statement of copyright is found at www.Rashiyomi.com/copyrights.htm
➢The (Cynical) Wicked son: Ex12-25:28. Your sons (1), when they (1)say (2)to you, “What is this service to you” He says it in a sing-song Talmud Torah learning question.
❖Key points: (2) The wicked son says (2) his question; other children ask their question.
We have here tone: Saying a question connotes cynicism. He says this half snarling full of detest for observance. In fact, the cynical son might be a better translation
❖Note the plural (They, sons (1)). All other children’s questions are singular A crucial point for children who go off the path. Their problems are not intellectual. Rather their problem is their plurality. They have joined groups which sway them.
➢The Apathetic son: Ex13-1:10. (1) Tell your son on that (2) day as follows: Because of this (2)God saved me from Egypt. Actually, I thought of my 2.5month old great grandson who is too small to even ask or be surprised. For when my oldest son was about a year old he was able to note a difference even though he could not yet talk.
And it will be for you a symbol (2) on your hands and an ornament on your head.
❖Key points: (1) Every other biblical paragraph with children begins with a question (or a statement in the case of the cynical son). This paragraph has no opening question➔This is the apathetic son who doesn’t care to ask
❖The translation apathetic is due to my teacher, Rabbi Soloveitchik, the Rav. The Rav pointed out that ▪There are not just 4 sons; there are a rich variety of sons; but the four sons are typologies which mix in each individual to give their unique personality. Since the 4 sons are 4 types you can’t call this son, who can’t ask, because that would make him identical with the simple son. Also, it is well known that the Biblical verb to know means to feel and experience (biblical know). Hence, we translate who doesn’t care to ask! I personally prefer my thought of the 2.5month old who might be asleep or busy smiling at his slightly older aunts and uncles or grandmother.
(2) Emphasis in the response to apathy is a symbolic experiential approach (not cognitive). You reach out with symbols (2) which are done on that day and are physically present because of this.
➢The Simple/Wise son: Ex13-14:16 versus Dt06-20:25.
❖The questions of these two children are differently formulated▪
The simple son says what is this (1)▪The wise son says what are these testimonials, statutes, and civil laws (1)
❖A known principle of artificial intelligence is that human intelligence is recognized by a superior and more detailed vocabulary:▪
The wise son has at his command words for many types of laws: testimonials which commemorate historical events, statutory laws, and civil laws (for example the laws that house staff must rest on holidays)▪
Contrastively, the simple son can only ask and point (what is this) He doesn’t yet have a vocabulary Haggadah formulation of the four sons. This would probably be like my 2year old great grandson who knows perhaps enough to ask what is this?
Why does the Haggadah mix up responses to the sons? The four sons are understood as manifesting extremes of two dimensions: Wisdom (detailed vocabulary) and respect. (See my article The Educational Pedagogy of the Four Sons, Shofar, 22.4, (2004)).
The following table summarizes Respect \Vocabulary Rich vocabulary (testimonials, civil laws) Weak vocabulary (this) Respect (Respectfully asks) Wise–What are the testimonials...
Simple–what is this Cynical (Says questions) Wicked–cynically says what is this?!
Apathetic–not concerned; doesn’t ask Remember when we study Rashi how a hypernym like honey can refer to the parent category, the hypernym, of sweet things. This parent-child (category –detail) interplay applies to the Haggadah which mixes up children in the same category.
#Haggadah mix-up of the Biblical wicked and wise(both in the high vocabulary column): The Haggadah answers the wise son’s question with the biblical answer to the wicked son –“It is a Passover offering to God” (Ex12-26) on which the Haggadah states teach him the laws of Passover.
#Haggadah mix-up of the Biblical wicked and apathetic (both in the lack of respect row): The Haggadah answers the wicked son’s question with the biblical answer to the apathetic son –“Because of this God took me out of Egypt”.
Response to mix-up: In both these cases the Haggadah declares its intention. Ordinarily the Haggadah simply says, answer this son’s questions. In the above two cases the Haggadah says you also (af atah) answer, thereby explicitly indicating that extra (also) biblical text is used
Seder in Lockdown or Quarantine
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/six-tips-for-hosting-a-solo-seder/
6 Tips for holding a Solo Pesach Seder:
Passover is among the most celebrated of Jewish festivities, a time when families typically gather together from wherever they may be dispersed to engage in the ritual retelling of the exodus from Egypt.
Circumstances don’t always allow for large gatherings, yet Jewish tradition tells us that we are still obliged to retell the story of our ancestors’ liberation. According to Maimonides, even if one is alone on the Seder night, he must ask himself the question: Why is this night different?
At a time when many people may be celebrating the holiday of freedom alone or in small groups, here are six tips for hosting a solo Seder.
Get ready in advance: You might not have family and friends with you in person, but they can join you in spirit. For each of the 15 steps of the Seder, invite your loved ones to contribute something in writing — a thought, a wish, a teaching — and send it to you by mail (or email and then print it out). When you arrive at each step in the Seder, open the corresponding message. This can function as its own family commentary on the Haggadah, a virtual “conversation” you can hold at your table.
Share rituals from afar: Most of us have favored holiday rituals that we cherish. What are the rituals that are most important to you? It might not be a perfect substitute, but consider connecting with friends and family with whom you have shared the holiday in the past and agree to do a few things at the same time. Maybe everybody sings Dayenu in funny voices or makes a matzah sandwich with jam or beats each other with green onions in the Persian Jewish style. Agree that everyone will do these rituals at a particular hour. It may not quite be the togetherness we prefer, but it’s togetherness of a sort.
What’s for dinner? Food prep is easily one of the most stressful parts of Passover, but you’re dining alone this year, so take it easy. Jewish law permits cooking on Passover, so you can make scrambled eggs for dinner and call it a day if you like. Of course there’s nothing wrong with preparing a sumptuous meal for one if you have the energy and the desire. But there are also plenty of pared down dishes you can make that won’t stress you out.
Lean into it: One of the central customs of the Passover Seder is to recline in one’s chair as a sign of our comfort and freedom. At a crowded table, this often requires an awkward dance and participants contort themselves uncomfortably in their chairs. With a small crowd, you can really (ahem) lean into this tradition. You can even get up from the table and sprawl across the floor or on a pile of pillows stacked by on the floor.
No Haggadah Loyalty: With a seemingly ever expanding crop of Haggadahs on the market choosing one for your holiday table can be overwhelming. This year, you can embrace the chaos and use them all. Just stack them on the table before you begin and go for it. You can even use a different Haggadah for different sections of the Seder.
Hide and seek for one: One of the highlights of the Seder is the Afikomen, the piece of matzah that is traditionally hidden by the children, leading to a house-wide search (and sometimes extortionary bargaining). How do you do that solo? Try hiding it before the holiday — you’ll probably forget where you put it by the time you need it. Or get some empty boxes, place the Afikomen in one, then hide them all. Searching for the Afikomen will be a bit more engaging as you won’t know when and where you’ll find it.
Adapted from A Different Pesach: Ideas for Solo and Small Sedarim, a collaboration between Marc Fein, Temim Fruchter, Jael Goldstein, Adina Gerver, Talya Housman, Rabbi Louis Polisson, Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, Stephanie Hoffman, Hadassah Wendl, and Rachel Woolf. For the full guide, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jtPnU8a55zz0RRH8EuMOCCyIBtg8IGJApX6F5Di2wGs/edit?ts=5e78bfc1#
Inyanay Diyoma
Court - the school worker’s right not to get terminated does not outweigh the health of students and staff. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298894
POTUS falls several times going up plane ramp. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9cmttj1kY
Since Trump left office CNN ratings fall in half. https://www.businessinsider.com/cnn-ratings-have-crashed-since-donald-trump-left-the-white-house-2021-3 (And you were worried about the failing New York Times!)
MSM drops since they do not cover Trump. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298891
Blinken apologist for Chinese violations. https://www.debka.com/china-ignores-us-embargo-buys-40pc-of-iranian-oil-alaska-encounter-ends-on-jarring-note/
Charedi attacked blamed for Virus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298880
Suspect arrested for robbing MK. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298874
Houthi drones attack Saudi oil. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298876
10 Iranians charged with evading sanctions. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298869
Corona cases drop. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298855
If Netanyahu does not get 61 we are free. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298856
Biden to acknowledge Armenian Genocide. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298863
6,578,084 eligible voters can go to polls. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299022
10 dead in CO shooting. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299015
Spring Break causes Miami Curfew. https://www.aol.com/news/miami-beach-declares-spring-break-201052288.html
Elections Netanyahu or nobody? https://www.debka.com/israeli-voter-faces-knotty-choice-between-netanyahu-as-prime-minister-or-no-one/
Lieberman hates Charedim and Gays. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298964
King Abdullah, the irrelevant. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298920
The demise of the Mertz Party. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298940
Brave Briton attacks Pregnant woman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299031
Wm. Shatner turns 90. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298992
Arab Israeli defends Israel Vaccination @ UN. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJBVNm1EO?utm_source=Taboola_internal&utm_medium=organic
AstraZeneca new study 79% effective. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298970
Satirists says prefers stable government. https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/ByP11oH8N00
We will not go with leftists who promote non-kosher. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298971
Pfizer less effective against South African variant. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298976
Saudis want to make peace with Houthis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298981
Went to Kfir Brigade because of car bombing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298982
Arabs won’t be in gov’t with us. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298959
Jerusalem apt explosion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/298961
With 4.5 million votes counted Likud (Netanyahu) 31, Yesh Atid (Lapid) 18, Shas (Sephardic Charedim) 9, Yahadut HaTorah (Ashkenazic Charedim) 7, Blue & White (Gen Ganz) 8, Labor 7, Yamina (right of center traditional and Orthodox) 7, Tikva Chadasha (old school Likud) 7, Israel our home (Lieberman anti-Orthodox platform) 6, Religious Zionism 6, Palestine Arabs 6, Meretz (old Stalinist Socialism pro-ICC) 6, Israeli Arabs Like Muslim Brotherhood 4,
Netanyahu may make a minority government. https://www.debka.com/exit-polls-netanyahu-plus-allies-garner-the-votes-for-a-new-government/
Netanyahu hopes for no more elections now. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299099
N. Korea launches projectiles. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299169
Russian Jewish Pharma Mogul arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299163
Univ. of Toronto much antisemitism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299143
UFO disclosure in Covid Bill. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299157
Massive Cargo Ship blocks Suez Canal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299149
NYT loses lawsuit to disclosure. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299142
NJ photographer fired for comment. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299155
Netanyahu master statesman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299026
Rocket lands in Beer Sheva. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299075
Voter Turnout low. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299055
Lebanese crises grows. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkwS0wUN00
Israel deports Charedi Families with false citizenship. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BJKUX44MO?utm_source=Taboola_internal&utm_medium=organic
Have a healthy, happy, sweet and kosher Pesach,
Rachamim Pauli
