Pilgrimage Holidays

matzah, parsley, nuts, goblet of wine

Pesach (Passover)

Cleaning Out Hametz

  • by Rabbi Shmuel (Richie) Lewis

A Reflection on Boundaries & Their Dissolution

  • by Rabbi Joel Levy

Who Really Split the Sea?

  • by Rabbi Mordechai Silverstein

Rich Matzah, Poor Matzah

  • by Dr. Joshua Kulp

Peshat and Derash on the Haggadah

  • by Dr. Joshua Kulp

Revolutionary Moments in the History of Pesah

  • by Dr. Joshua Kulp

The Social Side of Pesach

  • by Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb

Seder Learning Activity (missing link)

  • by Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb

Freedom – a Gift and a Task

  • by Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb

Birkhat HaChama

  • by Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb

Shavuot (Feast of Weeks)

Extraordinary People In An Ordinary World – The Story of Ruth

  • by Vered Hollander-Goldfarb

Freedom and Necessity at Mount Sinai

  • by Rabbi Shmuel (Richie) Lewis

Shavuot and Creation

  • by Dr. Shaiya Rothberg

Shavuot: The Day of the Giving of the Torah?

  • by Rabbi Hillel Hayyim Lavery-Yisraeli

Shavuot: Pesahim 68b

  • by Rabbi Mordechai Silverstein

 

Tikun Leil Shavuot 5778 

Sukkot (Feast of Booths)

Simhat Torah – Are There Limits on Innovation?

  • by Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb
Haggadah And The Seder
  • by Dr. Joshua Kulp

Of all the famous lines in the Haggadah, one stands out – Why is This Night Different From All Other Nights? This is the question every child asks from the time s/he can sing a song. And the question continues to occupy adults as well – what is the meaning of all of these strange customs and prayers we say at the Seder?

In this course we shall see how the customs we still observe to this day originated and how they developed over the centuries. We shall see how the Seder was the rabbinic response to the loss of the Passover sacrifice that occurred with the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. The historical meaning and context of key customs, reclining, drinking wine, eating appetizers, washing hands, reciting blessings and eating specific foods will be examined. At the end of this course, the participant will be able to go to his/her seder armed with real answers – this night is different because….

Introduction to Haggadah and the Seder

Class 1: The Three Questions

Class 2: Starving At The Seder 

Class 3: Disgrace And Praise 

Class 4: Afikoman