As we approach a three day Yom Tov, people are thinking about their hygiene and comfort, including showering and brushing teeth. I will discuss here the longstanding debate about the permissibility of brushing teeth on Shabbos and Yom Tov....
As part of the introductory section of Maggid – the main part of the seder, during which we talk about Yetziat Mitzrayim – the Haggadah teaches us, Vchol Hamarbeh Lesaper B’yetziat Mitzrayim Harei Zeh Meshubach. This means that...
FLANKEN INGREDIENTS: 3 lb. flanken beef-short ribs 1/4 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/4 c. orange juice 1/4 c. brown sugar 2 tsp garlic 1 tbsp sesame oil DIRECTIONS: This incredibly delicious recipe takes ve minutes to prepare! You know me, I’m...
Next Year In Jerusalem – If: The Symbolism of the “Two Dippings” Every Passover Seder begins with a plea: “This year we are here; next year (may we be) in the Land of Israel. This year we...
The centerpiece of Pesach is certainly the matzah and the villain of Pesach is the chometz. The difference between chometz and matzah is a mere moment. One of the great themes of Pesach is the value of a...
One of the halachos of baking matzah is (Shulchan Aruch 459:2), Don’t leave the dough idle without working it – even for a moment.” Working with the dough prevents it from becoming chametz. The Satmar Rebbe zt’l said that this halacha hints at...
Must I use wine for the four cups, or may I use grape juice instead? There are two schools of thought among the Poskim. R’ Moshe Feinstein (Hagaddah Kol Dodi 3:4) maintains that since Chazal...
Toward the end of Maggid – the main section of the Haggadah, when we discuss Yesiat Misrayim in fulfillment of the obligation to speak about the miraculous Exodus from Egypt on this night – we cite a Halachic...
It’s almost Pesach, so much to plan, so much to prepare. On our to-do list is purchasing wine for the seder. Some like it sweet, others appreciate a dry wine. The connoisseurs amongst us...
What If? “If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children and our children’s children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” -- The Haggadah Really? We would...