Tag: matzah

As the Seder night ebbs away – long after the Four Questions have been asked and answered, after the festive meal has been eaten and the post-feast drowsiness descends, after the evening’s mitzvot have been observed and the fourth cup of wine emptied – we raise our voices in a curious, delightful, seemingly whimsical song at the end of the Haggadah.

As Israel and the Jewish world prepare for the 5772/2012 Pesach holiday and pilgrimage, JewishPress.com is proud to present a photo essay illustrating the colorful season of Passover in Israel.

I love Pesach. Really, I do. Even with the stress and preparation associated with March Madness (I still have no idea why my father thinks it has anything to do with basketball), I enjoy it. Maybe it's because of my mother's spinach kugel, or the way I still love actively searching for the afikoman.

The evil inclination likes to tempt us to indulge in material delights. It is important to know that these delights may have another purpose, too: kedushah (holiness).

Question: What is the basis of the custom to refrain from eating matzah for a period of time before Pesach?

“At the time that my wife and I made aliyah, the Ministry of Interior required certification through the chief rabbinate that any new immigrants were Jews in order to qualify for citizenship and immigrant benefits. After an hour-long wait at the ministry to be interviewed, my wife and I sat before a hard-faced clerk. I did not have a letter from a rabbi certifying to my Jewishness, but I felt confident that since I was on the chief rabbinate's list of approved rabbis whose letter would be accepted to verify the Jewishness of others, I would suffer no problem.

Punning might be the most annoying form of art save for mime (a punning mime, now that would be hateful). Check out the Monday NY Post (a paper known for outrageous punning, not enough mime) for verification. They claim that an outfit named Urban Nosh, which got its start making Matzel Toff, a chocolate-covered matzah, is adding a new, year-round version of the same dubious treat, called Matzel Bits, and are also conspiring to launch yet another new product, called Holy Macaroons. Help…?

Welcome back to “You’re Asking Me?” where we answer questions sent in by confused readers who thought they were writing in to Dr. Yael. That said, I’d like to thank all the readers who wrote in. I’m going to attempt to address your questions, not so much because I know the answers, but more so that I have an excuse to get out of cleaning for Pesach.

On Purim we read Megillas Esther twice, once by night and once by day. It is uncertain what the nature of the obligation is.

All societies survive through the retention of customs and traditions. If ritual law, halacha and Torah observance are the keystones of Jewish existence, the customs and traditions of Israel are the chain that has kept Israel bound to the Torah and its laws and values. The rabbis called the customs and traditions of Israel "the lessons of your mother" - in contrast and at the same time complementing "the teachings and disciplines of your father."

When fulfilling the commandments God has given us, I often think of dedicated high school athletes who, when their coaches say "Jump!" do not seek an excuse to do less but rather focus on doing what the coach said, and then some.

The ideal drashah (sermon) combines science and art. There is the scientific component, where the darshan embodies deep and authentic Jewish scholarship: breadth of knowledge, methodology, and faithfulness to tradition. Equally significant are the artistic elements of the drashah: eloquence, presentation, and a penetrating understanding of one's intended audience.

Pesach is a holiday where multiples abound. From the four questions, the 10 plagues and double dipping to the hodgepodge that is charoset or Hillel's famous bitter herb and matzah sandwich, nothing seems to be singular on this holiday. If only our unleavened bread were privy to such excess.

Pesach is a holiday where multiples abound. From the four questions, the 10 plagues and double dipping to the hodgepodge that is charoset or Hillel's famous bitter herb and matzah sandwich, nothing seems to be singular on this holiday. If only our unleavened bread were privy to such excess.

"My mother always made the Jewish holidays lots of fun when we were growing up, so is it any wonder I started my own Judaica business?"

SAN FRANCISCO - They're baaack. Duly chastened by the Great Tam Tam Crisis of spring '08, the Manischewitz Company went into overdrive and will have plenty of the crunchy six-sided unleavened crackers available this Passover season.

SAN FRANCISCO - They're baaack. Duly chastened by the Great Tam Tam Crisis of spring '08, the Manischewitz Company went into overdrive and will have plenty of the crunchy six-sided unleavened crackers available this Passover season.

The scene: Harvard University, April 25, 1977. I am standing at a turning point - not one that will be written up in even one academic journal, but one I can almost see while still feeling dizzy from all the turning.

In my estimation, kugels are dishes especially for Yom Tov and Shabbat, regardless of their variety.

Most Pesach observers - after a week of overdosing on matzah and potatoes - in a myriad of manifestations look forward to when Passover has, well, passed over.

Matzot produced in Israel will be heading back to Egypt, where the Israelites first produced matzah in their haste to leave ancient Egypt.

July 4th is an important date in history. In the United States it is a day to celebrate independence from England.