Some thoughts before Pesach… I read a beautiful explanation for why we use the word “Seder” for the first night of Pesach. Maharal says this refers to the seder, or order, for everything that happens in life. Even when events seem random or out of control, everything is happening with a reason according to Hashem’s seder. And Seder night …
Hi all, my Partner in Torah and I got a lot out of the following three articles from Aish: “Is Dayenu Really Enough?,” “The Three Main Passover Symbols: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror,” and “Cleaning Our Hearts for Passover.” Enjoy! I hope you have a wonderful Shabbos Hagadol!
My clients discussed the concept of hope in our support group last week. Each group member is dealing with a serious illness, and one of them brought up a story she had heard on television. A father and son were in Auschwitz together, and one night the father used their ration of margarine to light a flame for Chanukah. The …
Hi, everyone. It’s nice to be back here. Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey! If you haven’t already, you still can 🙂 . I read a riveting spy drama over Y”T, The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre. Highly recommended! I also read bits and pieces of some other books. I usually like 3-day …
The Nesivos Shalom writes that there are three levels of emunah: Emunas hamoach — intellectual belief, I understand that Hashem is in control. Emunas halev — emotional belief, I feel it in my heart. And emunas ha’eivarim — visceral belief, I know it in my bones. Seder night is mesugal for internalizing the third level, emunas ha’eivarim. Matzah …
Thank you to those who completed the survey! Much appreciated. Hint, hint… Pesach this week! Let’s do it! I have an embarrassing obsession with Pesach shopping orders. Don’t ask. Back in the day, my mother used to do one giant grocery trip before she started cooking in the Pesach kitchen. Sometimes I would go with her and …
Hi, everyone, welcome back here! It’s hard to believe we’re on the other side of Pesach and this shelter in place situation has been going on for five weeks already (alternatively, for only five weeks so far), at least in the New York area. How are you all doing and how was your Yom Tov? This was my first …
My Partner in Torah and I just finished learning about kriyas Yam Suf (excellent timing, yes) and as I have found over and over since we started learning Chumash, the pesukim gave me great chizuk. I gained a lot from learning these pesukim and really visualizing and feeling the experience. Specific details will touch different people; I am struck by …
This morning I went grocery shopping. The spy-girl energy was undeniable as I walked into the store hours before I’m usually up, in a mask and gloves, scoping out the territory. The store wasn’t empty (eeps) but what struck me was the silence. We all just wanted to get through our lists and skedaddle. And we were all afraid to …
It’s hard to believe that we’re already on the other side of Yom Tov! This year has gone by so quickly — I remember writing in my journal in October that I had another 8 months left to the school year, and where have they gone? It’s been an interesting year with some unexpected developments and I feel that I’ve …
