A SONG FULL OF MEANING

Seventh Day of Pesach

21 Nisan 5773 / 30 March - 1 April 2013
Torah: Exodus 13:17 - 15:26
Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah: 2 Samuel 22:1-51

Eighth Day of Pesach

22 Nisan 5773 / 1-2 April 2013
Torah: Deuteronomy 15:19 - 16:17
Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah: Isaiah 10:32 - 12:6

This d'var torah is offered in honor of and in gratitude to the members of Congregation Beth Meier, who have entrusted to me the privilege and responsibility of being their next spiritual leader.

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
----------------------------------------------------------
A Song Full Of Meaning

On the seventh day of Pesach, we read most of Parashat Beshallach. Part of the Torah reading will be very familiar to those who daven Shacharit regularly. Other than the paragraphs of the Sh’ma, which we read twice a day, it is the part of the Torah that we read most often. It is Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea, the victory song of the Israelites that they sang after the drowning of Pharaoh's army at the Sea of Reeds.

 

There is a well-known Midrash associated with this piece of Torah; well-known because it is in the Hagaddah shel Pesach, which we read earlier this week. It's the traditional "take" on the events of the Exodus and the Reed Sea. Why do we spill out drops of wine when we recite the Ten Plagues? And on the seventh day of Pesach, which is a Yom Tov commanded in the Torah, why do we only recite half Hallel, unlike the full Hallel we did on the first two days of Pesach? Because, we are told, we should not fully rejoice in the destruction of even our most dangerous enemies. Proverbs 24:17 teaches, "Do not rejoice at the fall of your enemies."

The Talmud, in tractate Sanhedrin and also in tractate Megillah, teaches this idea in the following way: "Rabbi Yonatan says ... The Holy One is not happy at the downfall of the evil ones ... as Rabbi Shmuel the son of Nachman said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: It is written: ‘And they did not approach one another all that night ...’ (Exodus 14:20), for at that moment the angels wanted to sing before the Holy One. God said to them: ‘My creatures are drowning in the sea and you would sing?'''

God forbade the angels, who exist only to praise God, from praising Him at that moment. Even though they were evil, bent on destroying God's people, the Egyptians were deserving of some consideration, some pity, and some recognition of their basic humanity and their common origins with the Israelites as part of God's creation. It's an important lesson, but not the only one that we might draw from this text.

The Kotzker Rebbe has a vastly different conclusion, drawing on a Midrash in Exodus Rabbah. That Midrash says that, when Israel emerged from the Reed Sea, the angels immediately came forward to sing God's praises. According to this Midrash, God said, "No, let my children sing first, as it says, literally, 'Then Moses and the Children of Israel will sing this song...''' The Kotzker asks, “Why should Israel be given permission to sing first?” He answers, because angels are forever ready to offer songs of praise, but this isn¹t true of Israel. Israel is capable of singing only when the desire and feeling are spontaneously aroused within them. God feared that unless Israel were permitted to sing immediately, the desire would pass. It’s an interesting insight into the human psyche and the Hasidic view of God.

As different as the Kotzker's interpretation is from the traditional one that we know, it is a sort of middle ground, for there is another interpretation which takes an even more permissive view of rejoicing at the destruction of one's enemies. In many Siddurim, the Torah trope marks are printed in Shirat HaYam. In Kabbalistic literature, it is taught that Shirat HaYam should be sung, each morning, with the trope, with great joy, as if one were standing at the seashore, personally witnessing the miracle. The Zohar, the classic of Kabbalism, says that one who recites Shirat HaYam with the proper intent will earn the privilege of singing the praises of future miracles.

It certainly doesn't seem that the Kabbalists learned the lesson of not rejoicing over the destruction of one's enemies. The teachings of the Kotzker Rebbe and the Kabbalists are jarring, because they are so different from the tradition with which we are familiar. They do not trouble me, and it is not because I believe we should rejoice in the destruction of our enemies. Rather, I am inspired by the continued vitality of the Torah. No other book is as full of life as our Torah. Thousands of years after it was written, we still ask new questions and find new meanings. And every time we do, we participate in a conversation with our ancestors and our descendants. Unlike the Reed Sea, the Sea of the Torah is endless. And that really deserves a song.

 

Mo’adim L’simchah!

 

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1

-----------------------------------------------------

Candlelighting:

Sunday (7^th Day of Pesach) – 6:55 pm

Monday (8^th Day of Pesach – Yizkor Tuesday morning) –7:52 pm

Tuesday – Pesach ends – 7:52 pm

 

I will be conducting Yom Services, including Yizkor, on Tuesday, the Eighth Day of Pesach, at 9:30 am at Mishkon Tephilo, 206 Main St, Venice, CA 90291.

 

Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Beit Midrash Shalom that meets Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. We will NOT be meeting again until after Pesach. Next meeting is Tuesday, April 9, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St., Studio City 91604. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Lunch will be provided by Congregation Beth Meier. Donations gratefully accepted.

 

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Deb Berenbach, Gabor ben Devorah, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Micah Kosche, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Frank Marcovitz, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Kitty Schmerling and Helen Tomsky.

 

My weekly divrei torah are also available via e-mail subscription to Cyber Torah.

Cyber Torah list management(no salesman will call!):

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

Send requests for dedicationsof Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 

People of Distinction in the Presence of God

Shabbat Chol Hamo'ed Pesach

19 Nisan 5773 / 29-30 March 2013

Torah: Exodus 33:12 - 34:26
Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
People of Distinction in the Presence of God

(Moses said to God): "If Your Presence does not go along, do not bring us forward from here. How then will it be known that I have found favor in Your eyes - I and Your people - unless You accompany us, and I and Your people be made distinct from every people on the face of the earth!" Exodus 33:15-16

 

Moses' plaintive cry to God asks for two things: first, that God's Presence remain with the Children of Israel; they would have preferred staying in the desert rather than going forward without God; and, second, that the Children of Israel be made distinct from every other nation.

There is no question that the second request has been granted. The Jews are unique, and have been for millennia. The first to worship the One God, the recipients, beneficiaries and distributors of God's Torah, the first to observe Shabbat, the only people ever to revive a nation and a language (after two thousand years, no less!) - our practices and beliefs set us apart from the other nations of the world. We are the Choosing People, as well as the Chosen People.

Sometimes, though, it seems that God's Presence is far away - especially with the recent rise in anti-semitism and violence being perpetrated against the Jewish people throughout the world, as in France - even in their own Land. It might be tempting to ask God, "What have You done for us lately?" The Seder shel Pesach offered its own answer - God has done more than enough for us over our history. Dayenu. That we are still here, that we can celebrate that history, and that we continue to make history, provide the proof that God's Presence has not left us. And that is the greatest distinction of them all.

Mo’adim l’simchah! Shabbat shalom!

Seasons of Joy and a Peaceful Shabbat!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00

Visit me on Facebook

"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1
-----------------------------------------------------
Candlelighting:

Shabbat - 6:53 pm

Sunday (7^th Day of Pesach) – 6:55 pm
Monday (8^th Day of Pesach – Yizkor Tuesday morning) – 7:52 pm
Tuesday – Pesach ends – 7:52 pm

Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Beit Midrash Shalom that meets Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. We will NOT be meeting again until after Pesach. Next meeting is Tuesday, April 9, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St., Studio City 91604. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Lunch will be provided by Congregation Beth Meier. Donations gratefully accepted.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Morris “Morry” Kronzek, who died on Sunday night. May his memory be a blessing.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Deb Berenbach, Gabor ben Devorah, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Micah Kosche, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Frank Marcovitz, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Kitty Schmerling and Helen Tomsky.

My weekly divrei torah are also available via e-mail subscription to Cyber Torah.

Cyber Torah list management (no salesman will call!):
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

STUDYING MATTERS

12 Nisan 5773 / 22-23 March 2013
Parashat Tzav
Torah: Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36
Haftarah (Shabbat Hagadol): Malachi 3:4-24

My blog has a “Mini Passover Workshop” to help you prepare to prepare for Pesach! Go to:

 

http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2013/03/rav-richs-lil-ol-mini-passover-workshop.html

If you want a thoughtful perspective on what Pesach is really about, read this pre-Pesach (or any time) article by Rabbi David Hartman, z"l:

 

http://hartman.org.il/Blogs_View.asp?Article_Id=1104

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Studying Matters

"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Command Aaron and his sons, thus: This is the law (literally, "the Torah") of the burnt offering ...'" Leviticus 6:1-2

Rabbi Simchah Bunem compares our verse with one from 1 Samuel 15:22: "And Samuel said, 'Does the Lord delight as much in offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'" To Samuel, "obeying" must mean something other than obeying the commandments to offer the sacrifices. Simchah Bunem attempts to reconcile the apparent contradiction between the two verses by citing the following passage from the Talmud: "All who engage in Torah study have no need for the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, or the guilt offering." Menachot 110a
 

 


One might think that the Talmud here means that while one is studying Torah, one is exempt from bringing the sacrificial offerings. Simchah Bunem says it means much more than that. According to him, the study of the Torah of the offerings is even better than actually bringing them!

But what about the obedience that Samuel referred to? The answer might be found in the notion that we are commanded to study Torah. Note the blessing in the daily morning service that concludes, "... and Who commanded us to be engaged with matters of Torah."

Observing the commandment of study leads to practice. If we learn the Torah regarding how to treat each other, and put it into practice, we do not need to seek atonement, so we need not bring sacrifices. Study of the Torah of the offerings will not only suffice, it will be better than sacrificing. Hence the Rabbinic dictum: talmud torah k'neged kulam - Torah study is equivalent to all the commandments, because it leads to observance of them.

In this regard, please note that Monday evening is the first Seder shel Pesach. From sunrise until the Seder, it is traditional for first-born Jews (except Kohanim and Levi’im) to observe Ta’anit Bechorot, Fast of the First-Born. How might one avoid the fast? By studying and completing a section of Talmud, then celebrating with a siyyum, a feast, in honor of that completion. Take this opportunity, even if you are exempt from the fast, to study on Monday in preparation for your liberation from slavery!

Have a wonderful Shabbat, and a happy and kosher Pesach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00

Visit me on Facebook

"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1

-----------------------------------------------------
Candlelighting (Los Angeles): 6:48 pm

Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Beit Midrash Shalom that meets Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. We will NOT be meeting again until after Pesach. Next meeting is Tuesday, April 9, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St., Studio City 91604. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Lunch will be provided by Congregation Beth Meier. Donations gratefully accepted.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Deb Berenbach, Gabor ben Devorah, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Micah Kosche, Morris Kronzek, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Kitty Schmerling and Helen Tomsky.

My weekly divrei torah are also available via e-mail subscription to Cyber Torah. Cyber Torah list management (no salesman will call!):

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

ON THE NATURE OF SACRIFICE

Parashat Vayikra

5 Nisan 5773 / 15-16 March 2013
Torah: Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26

Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23

My blog has a “Mini Passover Workshop” to help you prepare to prepare for Pesach! Go to:

http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2013/03/rav-richs-lil-ol-mini-passover-workshop.html

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
--------------------------------------------------------------
On The Nature of Sacrifice

"Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them, 'If one from among you (mikem) shall sacrifice a sacrifice to the Lord ...'" (Leviticus 1:2)

This parashah, like nearly all of the book of Leviticus, is about the sacrifices that were offered, first in the Tabernacle, later on various high places, and finally in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Jews have struggled for centuries over the significance of the sacrifices. Rambam (Maimonides) taught that the sacrifices were a compromise - the ancient Israelites, being exposed to sacrificial cults in Egypt and Canaan, could not comprehend a God or a religion that did not involve the offering of sacrifices. In his view, the people needed to be weaned from the idolatrous practices they saw all about them. The Temple was ultimately destroyed by God because there was no longer a need on the part of humans for animal sacrifice. God had never needed them.

Ramban (Nachmanides) rejected this view. He saw the sacrifices as having moral and spiritual symbolism which was essential to Jewish religious practice. This dispute is still played out within the various movements of modern Judaism. Orthodox prayer books retain the prayers for the re-establishment of the Temple and the sacrificial cult. Over 120 years ago, Reform Judaism deleted these prayers altogether. About 80 years ago, Conservative Judaism reformulated the prayers to be in the past tense, as a remembrance of what once was.

 

Regardless of one's viewpoint, what does one do today with these Torah passages about the sacrifices? Obviously, they cannot be offered. The beauty of the Hebrew language and the absence of punctuation in the Torah allow the instruction of our verse to be read as a double entendre: "If one sacrifices, let it be of yourselves (mikem)." The Torah itself gives a clue. It is not animals which we must sacrifice. Rather, we must give of ourselves.

This idea was clearly articulated shortly after the destruction of the Temple by Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. Asked how one might make atonement in the absence of sacrifice, he replied: "We have another way of gaining atonement which is equal to it. What is it? Deeds of loving-kindness, as it is written: 'For it is loving-kindness I desire, and not sacrifice.'" (Avot D’Rebbi Natan 11a, quoting Hosea 6:6) The idea of loving-kindness as being preferable to sacrifice is quite ancient. This was reiterated by Rabbi Elazar: "Doing deeds of charity is greater than all of the sacrificial offerings." (BT Sukkah 49b)

 

Deeds of loving-kindness, the giving of charity, the donation of time and energy to the betterment of the community and the world - these are what God wants from us. Is that too much of a sacrifice?

Shabbat Shalom U’Mevorakh - a Shabbat of peace and blessings.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00

Visit me on Facebook

"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1

-----------------------------------------------------

Candlelighting: 6:42 pm

Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Beit Midrash Shalom that meets Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. We will NOT be meeting again until after Pesach. Next meeting is Tuesday, April 9, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St., Studio City 91604. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Lunch will be provided by Congregation Beth Meier. Donations gratefully accepted.

Rabbi Flom will be conducting morning services this Shabbat at 9:30 am at Mishkon Tephilo, 206 Main St., Venice, CA 90291. Torah study follows Kiddush lunch. This week’s topic: “Seder Tidbits”

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Deb Berenbach, Gabor ben Devorah, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Micah Kosche, Morris Kronzek, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Kitty Schmerling and Helen Tomsky.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of my father-in-law, Abraham Kronzek, whose yahrzeit was on Tuesday, 1 Nisan. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah – May his memory be a blessing.

The weekly divrei torah on this blog are also available as Cyber Torah via e-mail subscription (no salesman will call!):

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

YOU THINK THAT'S A MIRACLE?

27 Adar 5773 / 8-9 March 2013
Parashat Vayak'hel/Pekudei (Shabbat Hachodesh)
Torah: Exodus 35:1 - 40:38
Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18 (Ashkenazim); Ezekiel 45:18 - 46:15 (Sephardim)

Elsewhere on my blog is a “Mini Passover Workshop” to help you prepare to prepare for Pesach! Go to:

http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2013/03/rav-richs-lil-ol-mini-passover-workshop.html

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You Think That's A Miracle?

"Take from among you an offering to the Lord; everyone with a willing heart shall bring it…. And Moses commanded, and it was proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, 'No man or woman shall make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.' So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." Exodus 35:5; 36:6-7

It is not clear that everybody gave, but sufficient numbers of the Children of Israel gave more than enough gold, silver, jewels, cloth, etc., to construct the Tabernacle and all of the implements needed to conduct the worship service, according to the precise plans that God had given Moses. There was so much stuff donated that Moses had to order the people to stop - it was too much for the workers' needs.

If it was sufficient, how could there be too much, and what did they do with the extra donations? Or HaChaim says that, in order that every donation would be used, and contributors not embarrassed by the return of their gifts, a miracle occurred and everything that was extra was used, without the Tabernacle exceeding God's specifications.

Allow me to be cynical. You think that's a miracle? The miracle is that so many people gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop! Or at least it seems so these days. When was the last time your congregation or some other charity told you not to give any more, because they had too much? Even the best-run and best-funded organizations have just enough. And "extra" can always be put to some good use.

We have it in our power to be part of a miracle - and we don't even have to pray for it. We only need be so willing of heart in our donations of money and time to our congregations, our schools, our pet charities, that they have enough to meet their needs. In the end, only when they are able to meet their needs will they be fully able to meet our needs.

Shabbat Shalom v'Chodesh Nisan Tov.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Visit me on Facebook

"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1
----------------------------------------------------------
Candlelighting: 5:37 pm

Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Beit Midrash Shalom that meets Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. Next meeting is Tuesday, March 12, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St., Studio City 91604. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Lunch will be provided by Congregation Beth Meier. Donations gratefully accepted.

This d'var torah is offered in honor of my mother, Annabelle Flom, celebrating her birthday on Monday, March 11. Yom huledet sameach, ima! Ad meah v'esrim!

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Deb Berenbach, Gabor ben Devorah, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Micah Kosche, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Kitty Schmerling and Helen Tomsky.

The weekly divrei torah on this blog are also available as Cyber Torah via e-mail subscription (no salesman will call!):

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

RAV RICH'S LIL' OL' MINI PASSOVER WORKSHOP

                               

                    

Chaverim:

It’s almost time for Pesach! You know, the “Festival of Freedom”, the holiday on which we celebrate our release from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt by abiding by the very strict dietary and ritual rules created by the Rabbis and Jewish Tradition, including eating the hardtack called matzah for eight days. Freedom, you say? God said, “Send forth My people, so they may serve me.” That’s how it is typically translated. But the Hebrew word for “so they may serve me”, “v’ya’avduni”, might better be translated as “so they will slave for Me”. The root for “serve”, “avad”, is also the root for “eved” – “slave”. So, how do you manage Pesach in such a way as to avoid complete slavery?

Here are some simple rules:

1.      Accept that you are not perfect – and neither is anyone else! You don’t have to do it all!

2.      Prepare the house by cleaning and removing the chametz.

3.      Prepare the food for the Seder.

4.      Prepare the food for the remainder of the holiday by shopping for it before Pesach.

5.      Prepare yourself and your family spiritually.

6.      Prepare yourself and your family intellectually.

7.      Do not drive yourself or anyone else crazy – see number rule #1.

8.      Remember that Pesach really is about freedom; freedom is fun; have fun! See rule #7.

9.      Any questions? Ask a competent rabbi!

 

Following, in no particular order, are some internet resources to help you follow the above rules, except #1 and #7 – you’ll probably have to manage those without a URL:

1.   The Rabbinical Assembly’s brief guide to Pesach prep for Rules 2,3,and 4: http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/jewish-law/holidays/pesah/rabbinical-assembly-pesah-guide-5773.pdf

2.   Rabbi Dov Lerner’s page of Do-It-Yourself  Haggadot, Songbooks, Seder Supplements and more, for Rules 5,6 and 8 (follow links from the main page for resources for other holidays, too):                                                                      http://www.jewishfreeware.org/downloads/folder.2006-01-07.0640323187/

3.   MyJewishLearning.com is, IMVHO, the best Jewish educational resource on the web, and has material on virtually everything you might ever want to know about Judaism, but didn’t know how or whom to ask. The homepage is easily navigable. For Pesach, go to this page: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover.shtml

4.      The Conservative Yeshiva, in Jerusalem, has a number of text resources for study before the holiday and for discussion at the Seder. See the following examples (and look at the E-Shiurim for more texts and guides):                                                                http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/wp-content/uploads/Going-from-Observer-to-Participant.pdf                                                                 http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/rich-matzah-poor-matzah       http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/the-social-side-of-pesach

5.   Passover Gateway, a Pesach resource from an Orthodox perspective, also with good general Jewish resources on its main page:                            http://www.beingjewish.com/yomtov/passover

6.   Passover according to Chabad in a straightforward manner. Follow the links on this page:   http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/default_cdo/aid/109747/jewish/Passover.htm

7.   Especially good for beginners, National Jewish Outreach Program’s extensive and accessible collection of how-to’s, background materials and videos, from the folks who bring you Shabbat Across America and Jewish Treats webzine (also has Shabbat and other holiday resources):                                                                       http://njop.org/resources/holidays/complete-guide-to-holidays/passover/

8.   JewishBoston.com has Pesach resources, including a downloadable and editable Haggadah, as well as feminist and social justice versions, leader’s guide, kids’ projects, and more, at:

      http://www.jewishboston.com/279-jewishboston-com/blogs/1771-haggadah-blues-jewishboston-presents-your-free-downloadable-haggadah

 

One other note. One of my seminary teachers suggested that, in addition to whichever Haggadah of choice you use for your Seder, you should every year acquire a new Haggadah with commentary and illustrations to help you prepare and make your Seder more enjoyable. Ask your local Jewish bookseller, consult with a rabbi, explore the web – there are beautiful and accessible Haggadot available. Here are some of my favorites:

1.   Passover Haggadah – The Feast of Freedom. The Rabbinical Assembly, 1982.

2.   A Passover Haggadah – Go Forth and Learn. Rabbi David Silver. Jewish Publication Society, 2011.

3.   The Haggadah Treasury. Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Artscroll, 1978.

4.   From Bondage to Freedom – The Passover Haggadah. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. Shaar Press, 1995

5.   A Different Night – The Family Participation Haggadah. Noam Zion and David Dishon. Shalom Hartman Institute, 1997.

6.   Studies on the Haggadah from the Teachings of Nechama Leibowitz. Urim Publications, 2002.

7.   The Hirsch Haggadah. Samson Raphael Hirsch. Feldheim Publishers, 1993.

8.   A Feast of History. Chaim Raphael. Steimatzky’s, 1972. (Out of print L but available used)

9.   The Origins of the Seder. Baruch Bokser. JTS Press, 2002 (Paperback edition). Not a Haggadah, but for those interested in an academic treatise that opens the eyes to history.

Wishing you a Chag Pesach Sameach, Kasher v’Mashma’uti – A Passover that is Happy, Kosher and Meaningful!