Religion

Pesach brings post-fire learnings to Morasha community

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

The story goes that in a small town, some shrubbery in the garden caught alight from a discarded cigarette. The rabbi quickly called the fire department, but the fire chief asked incredulously, “Rabbi, let me get this right, there is a burning bush on the shul property, and you want me to put it out?”
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Pesach – a time to take flight

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

As Pesach approaches, I am drawn to the verse that describes how G-d took us out of Egypt “on the wings of eagles” (Exodus 19:4). Each year, we are told to relive the experience of leaving Egypt, and I imagine being lifted from slavery and oppression “on the wings of eagles”. What better way could there be to express our transition from the earthly bonds that constrain us to the spiritual transcendence that G-d gave us than through the exhilarating, soaring rush of the eagle’s flight.
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Teach your children well for a better life

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

What creates freedom? A revolution in the streets? Mass protests? Civil war? A change of government? The ousting of the old guard and its replacement by the new? History, more often than not, shows us that the hopes raised by such events are often dashed sooner rather than later.
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Finding freedom

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

“Free at last, free at last, thank G-d Almighty, we are free at last!” Who said these words? No, it wasn’t Moses. It was American civil-rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King. But it could have been Moses, or for that matter any one of the millions of Jews who were liberated from Egyptian bondage.
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A time to redeem the splits in our community

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

We are about to gather with friends, family, and community to celebrate the Jewish festival of freedom. We will sit around our seder tables, grandparents and children, believers and sceptics, and together, we will tell the story of Passover.
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Getting the leaders we deserve

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

I was driving on a quiet country road in the Free State recently on my way to supervise the shechita (slaughter) at one of our abattoirs. My journey was delayed by a flock of sheep crossing my path.
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Pesach at home or shul?

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

Pesach and the story of the exodus celebrate the national birth of our people, Israel. The storyline of the book of Genesis deals with fathers and mothers, brothers and children, and the trials and tribulations of families. By contrast, the book of Exodus deals with leaders and followers, tribes and communal structures, and the complexities of nationhood. It deals with the birth, emergence and journeys of a liberated people – Am Yisrael.
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Pesach in the presence of Hashem

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

There are so many beautiful lessons we can learn from the Haggadah and Pesach in general. Every single word, intricacy, and nuance embedded in the seder night can serve as an inspiring lesson to incorporate into our life.
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Social media: a survivor’s guide to Pesach

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

Social media has its pitfalls, but for finding the best Pesach prices and products, there is nothing to beat it.
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Three life lessons from the exodus

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

How many Jews will sit down to a seder this year? Well, first we would have to agree on how many Jews there are in the world. Some say 14 million, and some 16 million and everything in between. And then we have to guess how many know it’s Pesach. And of those who know, how many will choose to sit and retell the greatest story ever told – the exodus from Egypt.
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Pesach heroines lead the way for today’s abused women

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

In the Pesach story, it is women who bring about the salvation of the Jewish people.
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How to keep children – and adults – at your seder table

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

It’s a tall order: set a beautiful seder table, prepare an amazing pesadik meal, get through the haggadah with everyone’s full attention... and keep the kids at the table.
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Egyptian Jews after the exodus fearful and needy

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

Although the Pesach story began in Egypt, there are only about 12 Jews living in that country today – mostly elderly and primarily concentrated in Alexandria.
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Rocking in the free world

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

If there is one word to describe the countercultural milieu ushered in during the 1960s, it’s “freedom”.
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Freedom Seders – from revolution to revelation

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

It was the heady days of South Africa’s revolution. The townships were in flames, and tens of thousands of people were in detention without trial. South Africa was burning in the 1980s, and democracy seemed like an impossible dream.
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The long road to kashering for Pesach

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

This is my first Pesach as the managing director of the Beth Din’s Kosher Department, and it is incredible to see the amount of work that goes into Pesach production, from our department to manufacturers, retailers, and mashgichim.
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An overeating-free Pesach

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

Pesach is here, the house has been cleaned of chametz, and you are prepared for the seder and the week ahead.
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Easy Fun Tasty

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

Almond and Coconut Macaroons
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How to navigate an ethical minefield

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

The Torah is the ethical lodestar for any observant Jew. But what does that mean in practice? Do we understand the Torah and the commentaries of our sages as a simple compendium of ethical rules? And should we put aside our critical reasoning skills and simply follow the directives of Torah law?
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Measles outbreak – a modern-day plague?

Apr 18, 2019 Go comment!

As we begin the festival of Pesach, the Haredi Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York, is facing an unprecedented measles outbreak.
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