Passover Magazine Sample

‫ב׳׳ה‬

Chabad Lubavitch of Your Town

soulwise SPRING 2021 / PASSOVER 5781

A LITTLE NOSH FOR THE SOUL

F PAS ULL SO GU VER I INS DE IDE !

HOW TO PASSOVER

MARCH 26APRIL 4

WHAT TYPE OF BREAD ARE YOU?

UNSTUCK: 15 STEPS TO FREEDOM

THE FOOD OF FAITH

{FROM THE RABBI’S DESK} Dear Friend,

DEDICATED TO THE LOVE AND INSPIRATION OF THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE

The story of Passover happens every day. Think about it, aren't we all a slave to one thing or another? Doesn't it feel as if G-d alone can redeem us from our pain and suffering? Perhaps, the world needs a Passover this year more than ever before.

The Chasidic masters urge us all to relive the exodus and somehow make it manifest in our own lives. This issue of our magazine is our attempt to help our readers maximize their inner Passover freedom. The 15 Steps to Freedom is the perfect guide for the seder, injecting each of the seder items and traditions with meaning and spirituality.

Enjoy the inspiration and how-to guides. Feel free to share a copy with a friend.

Passover is all about freedom. We retell the story of Exodus to remind us that G-d did redeem us from our troubles long ago, and we will be redeemed from our problems now as well.

May Passover 2021 bring us freedom, health, and redemption for our families and for the world.

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Passover, Rabbi Shliach Director, Chabad Jewish Center

soulwise is published by Chabad Lubavitch of Your Town Rabbi Mendel Shliach, Director 123 South Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-718-7180 www.ChabadofYourTown.com

Join us for engaging and inspiring EDITOR IN-CHEIF: Bluma Marcus EDITOR: Rabbi Shmuel Marcus DESIGN: Carasmatic Design COPY EDITOR: JewD Fields NATIONAL ADVERTISING: ELISE BRODERSEN

©2021 by Soulwise Magazine. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce any portion of This magazine in any form, without prior written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages.

Printed in the USA

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

ZOOM CLASSES Visit www.chabadyourtown.com for a full schedule of upcoming classes.

HOW TO ESCAPE YOUR PERSONAL EGYPT

By Ben Sherman

Y

ou can’t celebrate Passover without talking a whole lot about a country in the Middle East famous for pyramids and mummies. It’s not that Jews are fascinated with history or geography, but it is actually very relevant and helpful in dealing with our own personal spiritual issues.

Egypt is both a place on the map and, of course, a symbol for a terrible psychological condition called Mitzrayim (the Hebrew word for Egypt). As we approach Passover, it's the perfect time to review this condition and remind ourselves why we don't want to be there anymore.

Chabad philosophy, known as Chabad Chasidut, is a philosophy based on the deeper dimension of Torah. Its Chasidic commentary seeks to illuminate the “soul” of every aspect and tradition of your Judaism. By shedding new light on basic words like “Egypt” and “Exodus” the Chasidic teachings compel us to experience Passover in a profound and practical way.

The Hebrew word for Egypt and the

Hebrew word for limitation are very similar. As I’ve mentioned, the word for Egypt is Mitzrayim, sharing the same consonants as the word meitzarim—boundaries or limitations. This is by no means coincidental.

Mitzrayim is not just a geographical region; it is also an idea. Mitzrayim represents any

WHAT'S THE REMEDY FOR SOMEONE WHO IS STUCK IS A SELF-IMPOSED EGYPT? boundary that limits our ability to be our real selves and reach our true potential.

Each day, as we strive to break free of our own limitations, we relive the Exodus from Egypt.

“Leaving Egypt” in this context means to break free of our natural tendencies and throw ourselves wholeheartedly into doing the right thing, whether or not it comes easy to us.

How do we do this? What's the remedy for someone who is stuck is a self-imposed Egypt? The answer is matzah. The flat, tasteless cracker that represents humility. It will take a few doses of this food of faith on the night of the Passover Seder to connect us to our purest self. The matzah awakens the Divine spark within each of that cannot be imprisoned by Pharoah or our bad habits, we can be free to serve our G-d.

So, this year, as we sit down to the Seder of 2021, let's think about what is holding us back, what limitation have imposed on our Jewishness? What imaginary boundary is holding us back from reaching out in love to our neighbors? And then, recite the blessing on the matzah, which allows the food of faith to work its magic. And just like that, we are free to make that call, to sign up for that class, and to forgive that aunt who hasn't called you since this pandemic started. l

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

WHAT TYPE OF

Our team of mystical foodies will help you discover what your favorite sandwich says about you. Take a moment to look at the Matzah Bread Spectrum and choose the one you iden‑ tify with most. You will be amazed that although these breads are all made from flour and water, they can taste worlds apart.

From poor man’s bread to rich fluffy challah, each bread tells a story about where we came from and who we are. Take the self-test and discover what your matzah says about you.

1

THE MATZAH

The thin matzah is definitely the eldest of all the Jewish breads, We can safely as‑ sume you’ve been through a lot. You are probably an old soul humbled by the many stories you tell, and obviously, Passover is your favorite holiday.

Here’s your backstory: Exodus 12:39 tells us that the Jews left Egypt in such a rush they did not wait for their bread dough to rise.

The Haggadah calls the matzah“poor man’s bread,” as the matzah has no yeast, no sugar, no eggs, no poppy seeds, and no oil. Yet, this very Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

matzah, consisting of only flour and water (that is surprisingly filling and was used to feed slaves) has become a symbol of Jewish freedom.

The matzah witnessed the greatest miracles ever recorded in the history of man. Spiritually, the matzah is humbled by the extraordinary events that freed the Jews from slavery and therefore doesn’t needany sugar or eggs to tell its story. After watching Moses perform G‑d’s miracles how could the matzah rise with any ego?

How could it claim to have anything but simple humility and faith?

The Chasidic masters call matzah both the “Bread of Faith” and the

“Bread of Healing.” When we have faith in our Creator we begin to see the miracles in our lives and that very faith brings us mental and physical healing.

Self-Test: Are you humbled by what you see around you? Do you consider the blessings in your life a gift? If yes, then you identify with the matzah!

THE CHALLAH

As the braided challah you have front row seats to all Shabbat and holiday meals. Surely, you are seated at the head table at Jewish weddings and traditional

2

By Rabbi Shmuel Marcus

BREAD are you?

circumcisions as well.You are really proud to be Jewishand therefore you’re always ready tocelebrate.Here’s your backstory: On Shab‑bat, the two freshly baked Challah breads stand proud adorned with the traditional velvet challah cover.The challah, remi‑ niscent of the showbread used in the Temple, has become the royal sym‑ bol of Jewish celebration. While the Jews wandered the desert, they were sustained by the Heavenly manna which fell each morning with the dew.

On Fridays, a double portion would appear, as the Divine kitchen is closed on Shabbat. This “Double Portion” is remembered with our weekly two Shabbat challahs. If you’re a challah there’s probably a bottle of wine near you right now. People are attracted to your confidence, because it’s a Jew‑ ish pride rooted in humility. It’s not the usual self‑made ego that inflates these risen challah breads. The Chasidic masters explain that tasty challah is best only after the seven breadless days of Passover. Only after we consumed the unleavened matzah bread and experienced a full week of the introspective refinement process of counting the Omer, are we ready for a slice of challah. The Torah’s mandate of a “Leavened Bread'' of‑ fering on Shavuot, only comes after

seven weeks of counting the Omer.

This way the challah is inflated with pure Divine pride and is one‑hundred percent ego free.

Self-Test: Do you see yourself as a proud Jew? Is your humility the force behind your great successes? If yes, then you identify with the traditional challah bread!

3

THE BAGEL

If you grew up know‑ ing that you're Jewish, yet, you still can't read Hebrew, you might be a bagel. The bagel is an immigrant who dreams of rebuilding the Jewish community that once was.

On the one‑hand, the bagel has the sadness of a Jew in exile, and on the other‑hand, the bagel has become a powerful symbol of Jewish survival in foreign lands.

Here’s your backstory: When destruction came to Jerusalem, the Jew discovered many new foods while wandering the world to escape oppres‑ sion. The bagel was first boiled in Po‑ land circa 1610, and the bagel became popular amongst European Jews. In the 1920's, immigrants living in small apartments on the lower east side of New York City gathered over bagels in a subtle attempt to toast Jewish continuity in unlikely places.

Self-Test: Is there a family story of how grandpa escaped Poland? Are you a Jew living in an unlikely place?

Can you easily give local culture a Jewish twist? If yes, then you identify with a hard-crusted boiled bagel!

4

THE PITA

You’re Sephardic. Am I right? I’m also guessing that you like spicy foods and Moroccan Salmon? Just like the pita bread, you have many ties to Is‑ rael, and you’ve got some great Jews in your family tree. Here’s your back‑ story: The popular everyday bread of the Middle East has been around for thousands of years. The pita bread used today, begs to be filled with falafel, schwarma, hummus and tahi‑ na. The pita isn’t necessarily“Jewish,” yet, over the years numerous Arab foods from neighboring countries have been “adopted” into the Jewish palate and the pita is the key to many of them.

Self-Test: Do your Shabbat dinners include family traditions that go back many years? Does your family picture always have a background of the Western Wall? If yes, then you identify with the pita! l

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

The must-have

passover app I

t's never been easier to go kosher.

Today, the world of kosher foods continues to expand to meet the growing demand for strictly kosher items. Yet, for some of us, finding those items in a supermarket is a challenge. The laws of Kosher are complicated and the laws of Kosher for Passover and really complicated. It doesn't help that the average grocery store carries over 39,000 different products. So, how do I know what to grab off the shelf?

For years, I've been calling my Rabbi from the Canned Foods Aisle holding a can of diced tomatoes asking if it's fit for use on Passover. Now, thanks to the folks at the , I use an app! The Brooklyn based Labs, one of the largest kosher certification agencies in the world, created the app and it saves you a lot of time and aggravation. The app has a listing of all foods that are kosher for Passover. You can

literally be a rabbi to your friends. Whether it's toothpaste or margarine, yogurt or Snapple, just enter the name of the product in the search section of the app and within seconds you get the full detail of its kosher status year-round and for Passover.

The app even tells you whether or not an item needs or requires a kosher certification! For example, I recently discovered that extra-virgin olive oil does not need a certification. This year, try it for yourself.

Search "OK Kosher Food Guide" in the App Store and download it for free.

About The OK: The is the largest independent kosher certifier in the world.

You can trust the for universally accepted standards and quality service.

Their creative innovations in the world of kosher certification and awareness have made kosher more accessible to us all. l

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

shortcuts

to freedom {website} PASSOVER.COM

Passover prep can be an annual nightmare for many. The Passover chef at your home starts to stress about where to get everything from kosher for Passover croutons to almond flour, from chocolate chips to potato chips. In the past, getting your Passover food involved schlepping from store to store, looking for all the products on your list, and for most of us living outside of major Jewish cities, it can be hard to even find everything you need.

Now, Passover 2021, promises to be different. But why is Passover this year different than all other Passovers in history? In one word the answer is: Passover.com.

This new user-friendly Passover site seeks to provide menu ideas, seder plates to-go, and every other item on your Passover list, all in one easy-to-use site.

This year, experience true freedom as you shop from your couch and watch your items show up at your door. Passover.com is a collection of 100% kosher for Passover shelf-stable groceries, so you can order with confidence and ease without having to check labels or worry that you’ll accidentally get a non-Passover product.

From cooking and baking supplies to matzah and grape juice, from matzah ball mix to macaroons, you can plan your menu and check off your shopping list in one quick shopping session.

Passover.com also offers a Seder Essentials Kit, where you can order your Seder supplies in ONE click.

No matter where you live in the US, don’t worry, Passover.com ships nationwide. Best of all, for any order over $100, you get a FREE 5-lb box of

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

matzah! So, sit back and relax, make Passover.com your Passover shopping destination this year, and watch your Passover groceries show up right to your door.

{food} SHMURAH MATZAH The shmurah matzah is the star of the show. "Shmurah" means watched indicating that from the moment the harvesting began this matzah has been watched and safe from any contact with water. The handmade matzah is round, kneaded and shaped with love similar to the matzot that were baked by the Children of Israel as they left Egypt. It is thus fitting to use shmurah matzah on each of the two Seder nights for the matzot of the Seder plate. Contact your local Chabad center for your very own shmurah matzah.

{blogger} CHANIE APFELBAUM This Passover get some trendy ideas for your Seder from Chanie Apfelbaum. She's the creator of the world-renowned kosher food blog Busy In Brooklyn and the author of Millennial Kosher: recipes reinvented for the modern palate. Her blog is full of wonderful bold dishes that reflect her passion for reinventing traditional foods with a Millennial vibe. Read more at BusyinBrooklyn.com. l

How to Plate Your

SEDER PLATE MAROR BEITZAH A hard-boiled egg to commemorate the chagiga-holiday sacrifice.

Prep: Boil one egg per Seder plate, and possibly more for use during the shulchan orech meal.

Use: The egg is dipped into saltwater and eaten right before the meal starts.

Maror or bitter herbs to remind us of the slavery. Most use fresh grated horseradish on romaine lettuce.

Prep: Buy fresh horseradish root and grate it.

Use: During the blessing over the bitter herbs hold the maror and then dip it lightly into the charoset before eating it. See Seder step 9.

ZROAH Shank Bone to commemorate the Pesach sacrifice. Many use a roasted chicken neck.

Prep: Roast the neck over an open flame. Afterwards, remove most of the meat to reveal the bone.

Use: The shank bone is symbolic and not eaten.

You can re-use it the following Seder night.

See Seder step 11.

3

1 2

6

4

5 KARPAS Karpas vegetable for dipping. The traditional potato or onion is dipped into saltwater at step 3 in the seder to provoke questions.

Prep: Peel an onion or boiled potato and place slice on seder plate. Also prepare a small bowl of saltwater.

Use: At karpas the vegetable is dipped into saltwater, the Borei Peri Ha’adama blessing is recited, before it is eaten. See Seder step 3.

CHAROSET

CHAZERET Used with the maror that reminds us of the slavery.

Prep: Wash romaine lettuce and check for bugs. Pat dry.

Use: During the korech sandwich of matzah and maror use these bitter herbs. Dip it lightly into the charoset before using it. See Seder step 10.

Charoset (the apple, nut, wine puree) to remind us of the mortar and brick made by our ancestors in Egypt.

Prep: Shell walnuts and peel apples and chop finely, mix well and add red wine for color.

Use: The charoset is used as a symbolic dip. Before eating the maror, dip it lightly into the charoset. See Seder steps 9 & 10.

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

m o d e e fr

30 DAYS OF sunday

mo n day

t u e s day

WHAT IS CHOMETZ? ORDER SHMURAH MATZAH Traditional handmade shmurah matzah is recommended for seder use.

Include handmade shmurah matzah at your seder table and share this sacred tradition with your friends and family. Call your local Chabad rabbi to order your very own shmurah matzah for the seder.

Chometz is "leaven" — any food that's made of grain and water that have been allowed to ferment and "rise." Bread, cereal, cake, cookies, pizza, pasta, and beer are blatant examples of chometz; but any food that contains grain or grain derivatives can be, and often is, chometz. Practically speaking, any processed food that is not certified "Kosher for Passover" may potentially include chometz ingredients.

MARCH 21 | NISSAN 8

MARCH 22 | NISSAN 9

The Rebbe's Birthday

MARCH 23 | NISSAN 10 Yartzeit of Miriam, the sister of Moses, in the year 2487 from creation (1274 BCE).

On the agenda this week:  Clean for Passover  Shop for Passover foods  Prepare Kitchen for Passover  Invite guests  Sell chometz

MARCH 28 | NISSAN 15 First Day of Passover

MARCH 29 | NISSAN 16 Second Day of Passover

MARCH 30 | NISSAN 17 Chol Hamoed*

On this day G-d spoke to Moses at the burning bush (a year before the Exodus) Girls and women light candles after nightfall.

Tonight: The Second Seder At night count the Omer: Day 1

APRIL 4 | NISSAN 22 Last Day of Passover

No tefillin Havdallah after nightfall.

Enjoy a glass of wine

At night count the Omer: Day 2

At night count the Omer: Day 3

APRIL 5 | NISSAN 23

APRIL 6 | NISSAN 24

Yizkor service

Yizkor is a special memorial prayer for the departed, recited in the synagogue following the Torah reading.

Havdalah after nightfall.

At night count the Omer: Day 8

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

At night count the Omer: Day 9

At night count the Omer: Day 10

If leavened bread symbolizes ego then this is the month when we go on a major ego diet. For the next 30 days we deploy the search and destroy team to find and get rid of our bad habits. Get ready to eat bread of faith and healing and experience true freedom. wed n esd ay

thursday

SELL YOUR CHOMETZ Since it is prohibited to possess chometz on Passover, any chometz left undisposed must be sold to a non-Jew. All such chometz, as well as all chometz utensils that were not thoroughly cleaned, should be stored away. The storage area should be locked or taped shut for the duration of the holiday.

Since there are many legal intricacies involved in this sale, a rabbi acts as our agent both to sell the chometz to the non-Jew on the morning before Passover, and also to buy it back the evening after Passover ends. Sell your chometz to your local Rabbi or go online to Passover.org.

MARCH 24 | NISSAN 11

MARCH 25 | NISSAN 12 After nightfall: Search for chometz

The Rebbe's Birthday

fr i day

s h ab b at

MARCH 19 | NISSAN 6

MARCH 20 | NISSAN 7 Torah Portion: Vayikra Shabbat Kiddush Havdalah after nightfall

Girls and women light candles 18 minutes before sunset.

MARCH 26 | NISSAN 13

MARCH 27 | NISSAN 14 Eve of Passover

Burn your chometz.

Torah Portion: Tzav

Fast of the firstborn.

Eat Challah outdoors or over a napkin to ensure no crumbs remain.

Take care of any Seder preparations before Shabbat.

Girls and women light candles 18 minutes before sunset.

MARCH 31 | NISSAN 18 Chol Hamoed*

APRIL 1 | NISSAN 19 Chol Hamoed*

APRIL 2 | NISSAN 20 Chol Hamoed*

Girls and women light candles after nightfall.

Tonight: The First Seder

APRIL 3 | NISSAN 21 Seventh Day of Passover The Red Sea split on this day in the year 2448 (1313 BCE).

No tefillin No tefillin

Enjoy a glass of wine

Enjoy a glass of wine

Enjoy a glass of wine

At night count the Omer: Day 4

At night count the Omer: Day 5

Girls and women light candles 18 minutes before sunset.

Girls and women light candles after nightfall.

At night count the Omer: Day 6

At night count the Omer: Day 7

No tefillin

APRIL 7 | NISSAN 25

APRIL 8 | NISSAN 26

Passing of Joshua, the leader of the Jewish people after Moses (1245 BCE).

At night count the Omer: Day 11

*CHOL HAMOED is a Hebrew phrase meaning "weekdays [of ] the festival" and it refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. We are permitted to work, yet the holiday prayers of Hallel and Yaleh v’Yavo are recited and a cup of wine is to be enjoyed (without the ceremonial Kiddush).

At night count the Omer: Day 12

 Visit www.Passover.org for complete calendar of events and how-to guides.

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

15 STEPS OF A PASSOVER

S E DE R A Mystical Perspective on The Seder

1 . K A D E S H (Sanctify) The seder begins with a blessing over the first cup of wine. This is when we declare that this is “The Season of Our Freedom.” To stress this point, we recline to the left when drinking, as only free people did in ancient times.

2 . U RC H AT Z (Wash) Wash the hands (in the ritual manner but without reciting a blessing). We will be touching a wet vegetable in the next step and rabbinic law requires washing of the hands. The Kabbalah teaches that hands represent expressions and attributes, while water epitomizes intellect and purity. Washing refines our attributes with intellect, enabling restrictions to turn into benevolence, hate into love, and personal slavery into freedom. The observance, one of many during the Seder intended to pique the interest of children, awakens the innocence within each of us.

3 . K A R PA S (Vegetables) Recite the appropriate blessing for vegetables, then dip the Karpas vegetable in saltwater before eating it. In the saltwater, we can Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

taste the tears of anguish and despair our ancestors shed as their spirits were crushed in Egypt. When rearranged, the letters of Karpas ‫ כרפס‬allude to the word Perech ‫פרך‬, or “crushing labor.” Our people were forced to perform senseless tasks in Egypt, endless drudgery without meaning, purpose or goal. Why, some 3,000 years later, do mindless routines and habits, or careers driven by the need for status, still dominate our lives so often?

4 . YAC H AT Z (Breaking) The middle matzah (of the 3) is broken in two pieces. The larger piece, designated as the Afikoman, is wrapped and hidden away for the children to discover. The smaller broken piece, the “bread of poverty,” takes center stage while retelling the story of the exodus. It personifies the spiritual and material destitution our people endured in Egypt once they no longer grasped the meaning of true freedom. By relating to their plight, we feel what is broken in our own humanity. At the same time, when the children hide the Afikoman we sense the larger dimension of our being, the part of our soul never touched by slavery that waits to be discovered.

5 . M AG G I D (Telling) “Tell your children G-d took you out of Egypt.” Fill the second cup of wine, then retell the story of our rise from the depths of bondage to the heights of redemption. Maggid begins with the children asking, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The question can put us in touch with the innocence of children as we contemplate the dynamics of liberation. Are we eating the matzah out of habit, or because we are ready to embrace its significance?

Are we observing these rituals to assuage guilt, or to actualize the desire to live a more meaningful life? When we allow the events in

Maggid to touch us to the core, we reveal the candor that children hold dear. At the conclusion of Maggid, we savor the second glass.

sonal level, it is our obligation to share the experience with others.

6 . R AC H T Z A (Washing)

Traditionally, the meal begins by dipping the hard-boiled egg from the Seder plate in saltwater to symbolize our constant mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple, and to allude to G-d’s desire to redeem His people. “Ess, mein khind!” Across the community and throughout the world, we are together at the Seder table. The wise, the wicked, the simple and the innocent, all equal in the eyes of each other and the eyes of G-d. And we remember the fifth son – he who has not yet experienced the freedom of Passover. We are united as one in the common goal of redemption.

Wash the hands and recite the blessing, Al Netilat Yadayim (on the lifting of the hands). We prepare to internalize the humble nature of matzah by uplifting our extremities and expressions. In its literal sense, the word netila means to move something from one place to another. With this blessing, we remove the physicality and vulgarity that may dwell in and around the hands, raising them up for what is to follow.

7 . M OT Z I (Blessing Over Bread) Hold the broken half-matzah and two whole ones while reciting the appropriate blessing for bread, Hamotzie Leh-Chem Min Ha-Aretz.

The word lechem (bread) contains the same letters as lochem (war).

Food is raw energy that holds the potential for either good or evil.

Thus, a spiritual battle ensues every time it is consumed. If the purpose in eating is solely to gratify physical cravings, evil prevails. However, when eating to gain energy with which to better serve G-d, good prevails.

8 . M AT Z A H (Blessing Over Matzah) Return the bottom matzah to the Seder plate. Holding the remaining one and one-half matzot, recite the blessing for eating matzah, Al Ah-Chilat matzah.

Our ancestors fled Egypt with inconceivable haste, leaving no time for the dough that would nourish them to rise. Once free, their first taste was the “bread of poverty,” matzah. From a mystical viewpoint, matzah exemplifies a selfless ego. It was with this trait, rather than arrogance, that they accepted G-d-given freedom. Humility allowed them to appreciate the gifts of life. After the blessing, recline to the left and eat at least one ounce of matzah.

9 . M A RO R (Bitter Herbs) Take at least 3/4 ounce of bitter herbs and dip it in the charoset, shake off the excess, and recite the blessing Al Ah-Chilat Maror before eating. Having meditated on the bitterness of exile during Maggid, we now physically experience its force. The impact further clarifies the significance of our exile. Before we can experience true freedom we have to internalize the might of our hardship – and accept that when we make the right choices, hardship exists only to make us stronger.

1 0 . KO R E C H (Sandwich) Break off two pieces of the bottom matzah (at least one ounce).

Take 3/4 ounce of maror, dip it in charoset and shake off the excess.

Place the maror between the two pieces of matzah and say, “Thus did Hillel do in the time of the Holy Temple...” Recline while eating.

Maror alludes to the wicked, while matzah refers to the righteous.

Hillel, the great Jewish sage known for his compassion, instructed the righteous to reach out and draw the wicked closer. Likewise, now that we have felt what it means to break free of slavery on a per-

1 1 . S H U LC H A N O R E C H (Festive Meal)

1 2 . T Z A F U N (Hidden) At the conclusion of the Passover meal, children return the Afikoman. eat at least one ounce of this matzah. Nothing else except the remaining two cups of wine is consumed thereafter.

It was necessary to partake in every step, every ritual, every taste and every thought before the Afikoman is revealed; then, we can become one with its Divine potential. We eat it only when completely satiated because it fulfills a need higher than the hunger for freedom, and we eat nothing afterward so that its taste remains with us. In the Seder, as with everyday life, there are no shortcuts to the greater dimension. Yet we are always aware that it is present and yearns to reveal itself when we seek with a pure heart.

1 3 . B E I R AC H (Grace After Meals) Recite Grace After Meals. Then say the blessing over the third cup of wine, and drink while reclining. In anticipation of our ultimate Redemption, we now fill a special goblet, the Cup of Elijah. We then open the door to the house and, holding a lit candle, recite the passage inviting the Prophet Elijah to appear. Imagine all of creation in a state of spiritual and material freedom. Think about a world free of pain and suffering, war and struggles. Imagine all of existence at this level. Imagine yourself, the light of a single candle, ushering in the era of our redemption.

1 4 . H A L L E L (Songs of Praise) We offer praise to G-d for his mercy and compassion in redeeming our people from Egypt, and in anticipation of our own ultimate redemption. Why does G-d need us to praise Him? He doesn’t; we do. As the Kabbalah explains, when we praise His kindness we reveal His compassion. When praying for our needs, we evoke His desire to give.

1 5 . N I RT Z A H (Accepted) The Seder concludes with the wish, L’shana Ha- ba-ah Bi-Yerushalayim. We hope for each other that which our forefathers prayed for while enslaved in Egypt, “Next Year in Jerusalem!” Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi omitted the passage, “The order of Passover is concluded,” from his Haggadah because the Seder’s message remains timeless. Every day, one leaves Egypt by transcending his or her limitations, to reach higher levels of holiness. l Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

Overwhelmed by your healthcare expenses?

YOU’RE NOT ALONE. Take the Kleins, for example.

Yossi and Sarah Klein live in Crown Heights with their four beautiful children. Like many families in our community, the Kleins struggle to balance their day-to-day expenses together with tuition, mortgage, bills, and their healthcare expenses. And what are their healthcare expenses?

A whopping $37,000 a year!

Sounds extreme? It may, but it’s also incredibly common. Healthcare expenses and tuition costs are typically a Jewish family’s greatest financial pressures. And compromising on your family’s health - well, that’s just non-negotiable.

That’s where United Refuah HealthShare comes in. As the first and only Jewish health sharing organization, United Refuah’s mission is to provide the Jewish community with an affordable healthcare option. That means United Refuah members slash their healthcare expenses often by as much as ten or twenty thousand dollars a year!

Before we explain “Health-Sharing 101,” let us say one thing: the real secret to United Refuah’s success is the fact that it’s a nonprofit organization. United Refuah was founded to meet a pressing need within the Jewish community. Since its inception, it has remained true to its original mission: providing the Jewish community with an effective and affordable way to manage its healthcare expenses. Members’ costs are so low because there is no unnecessary overhead to cover and no investors at the top collecting profit.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this mission,” says Moishe Katz, United Refuah’s National Director. “There’s a very real sense of being able to provide for the klal savings of tens of millions of dollars, and

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

get our members access to the healthcare they deserve.”

So, how does health sharing actually work? We’ve broken it down below.

The United Refuah sharing infrastructure is based on the monthly sharing contributions of thousands of members from 27 states across the country.

United Refuah members make low monthly contributions to their ShareFund based on their family size. When a member encounters a healthcare expense, the funds in their ShareFund are first accessed to pay for those expenses. If the member does not have sufficient funds in their own ShareBox, the healthcare costs are shared between other members, resulting in dramatically lower healthcare costs and dramatically higher satisfaction rates. So, not only do members save as much as tens of thousands of dollars a year, their monthly payments are directly helping other Jewish members with their healthcare expenses.

In addition, sharing requests are processed as quickly as the same day they are received!

United Refuah members are able to save an incredible amount on their annual expenses, without having to compromise on their quality of care.

“I joined United Refuah over two years ago, and have been complete-

ly happy with my decision,” says author Victoria Dwek. “I wholeheartedly recommend it.”

Remember the Kleins from the beginning of this article? They’re the family who spent $37,000 a year on their healthcare expenses.

This year, they signed up for United Refuah’s family health sharing program.

Let’s take a look at their healthcare expenses.

As a family of 6, the Kleins contribute $499 per month to their United Refuah ShareFund.

When a member encounters a medical expense - say, the Kleins’ daughter broke her leg - the expense is split amongst United Refuah members. If the Kleins have met their pre-share, United Refuah members share 80% of the total cost, and the Kleins pay 20% of the total cost.

If the Kleins were to, Heaven Forbid, hit their co-share maximum of $8,000 United Refuah would then facilitate the sharing of 100% of additional eligible medical expenses (up to $1,000,000.00 per incident).

By the way, United Refuah members are not limited to “in-network providers,” so the Kleins were able to use the doctor and hospital of their choice with generous reimbursement limits.

So, whatever your healthcare needs are - United Refuah might just be the right fit for you.

Got questions? United Refuah’s team is on standby, ready to help.

And no worrying about wait times or annoying hold music - their team’s average phone answer time is just 20 seconds.

Call United Refuah Today at 440.772.0700 or Visit UnitedRefuah.org.

United Refuah empowers the Jewish community nationwide to make healthcare affordable through sharing. United Refuah is not an insurance company, and does not offer insurance. Sharing is subject to Sharing Guidelines.

United Refuah saves its average family between $10,000 - $20,000 on healthcare annually.

THE KLEIN FAMILY

DOVID STERN

New Monthly Payment: $199

New Monthly Payment: $499

THE BERGERS New Monthly Payment: $349

Call or chat today! We answer in 22 seconds or less.

440-772-0700 · URefuah.org · Info@UnitedRefuah.org Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

Rich Insights Into Poor Man’s Bread The Kehot Haggadah includes commentary covering “the body and soul” of the ancient text and rituals. Bedecked with original artwork and modern design, this new edition provides a basic understanding of the Haggadah as well as Midrashic and mystical insights.

J

ust before the telling of the Exodus story, we break the middle matzah in two, a larger piece and a smaller piece.

These two pieces embody two starkly different realities. The small piece is the “poor man’s bread” reminding us of our enslavement; the larger piece is the afikoman, which must be eaten at the end of the meal, like a desert, in the manner of the rich who continue eating even after having eaten their fill.

This duality of the middle matzah reflects the duality that runs throughout the Seder: On the one hand we are celebrating freedom—drinking wine, reclining—yet at the same time reliving the bitterness of the slavery. The matzah itself is both the bread of slaves and the poor, and at the same time “the bread of faith” and “bread of healing.” But it is in the middle matzah that this contrast is most stark, since the same matzah contains two seemingly contradictory elements.

How is it that these very different elements—poverty and wealth—should find a home in the same matzah? The answer is that it is precisely the poverty and the struggle, the small and broken pieces of life, which bring “the larger piece” to the fore.

When we look around the world today, or at times even at ourselves, we may see

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

spiritual poverty and brokenness. We may find it hard to imagine that there is another piece to this very “matzah”—a hidden piece ready to emerge. But the story of the Exodus tells us to be optimistic: For despite

In truth, despite the darkness that we perceive, there is an undercurrent of goodness and Divine awareness that permeates the world.

Praise for the Kehot Haggadah: Deep, complete, and lively with Hasidic Lore. A fine volume. —Herman Wouk “…Beautiful in its contents as it is in its appearance. It is comprehensive … highly insightful and thought-provoking in its commentary, and aesthetically so appealing…

For the more scholarly inclined, the 364 footnotes will draw you even more deeply into the study of the Seder, the Jewish people’s most widely celebrated ritual. —Joseph Telushkin

An especially beautiful edition … an the depths of darkness that engulfed us in Impressive volume of citations and quotations Egypt, we were, in a matter of moments, from hundreds of commentators, ranging transported into the historic and unparal- from antiquity to the present, from the obscure leled spiritual revelations of the Exodus. In to the famous. Confidently recommended truth, despite the darkness that we perceive, for personal, family, and academic there is an undercurrent of goodness and library Judaic Studies reference collections.

Divine awareness that permeates the world. —Midwest Book Review We have studied the “poor man’s bread” for long enough; it is time for the afikoman of history to make its appearance. l —From a 1960 address by the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Passover Haggadah Sold At www.Kehot.com and 877-4 MERKOS Makes a great gift. Order your copy today.

MY PERSONAL

EXODUS Meet Hasidic Rapper Nissim Black

N

issim Black is in Jerusalem with his wife and children, busy preparing for Passover. But his name wasn’t always Nissim, and he didn’t always have those long peyos. As a kid he was called Damian Black, and he definitely didn’t celebrate Passover. Nissim says his story tells us that G-d can redeem you from the depths of an American inner city and bring you home to Israel.

A few years ago, Nissim’s stage name was D. Black and he was coming up fast on the rap scene. The kids in Seattle Washington’s Seward Park all knew his lyrics by heart, and there was even talk of a record deal. Nearby, on the other side of the tracks, Jewish kids his age might be preparing a Bar Mitzvah speech, but at the young age of thirteen D. Black was rapping and selling drugs on the streets.

The rap music had D. Black trapped in a dangerous thug lifestyle and, ironically,

it was his musical talents that would ultimately set him free.

Music has been a major part of the Black family for decades. In fact, Nissim's grandparents sang with Ray Charles and Quincy Jones. In the late 1970's his parents, James "Captain Crunch" Croone and Mia Black, were both prominent rap-

G-d can redeem you from the depths of an American inner city and bring you home to Israel. pers. Yet, the Black family would soon be making a living selling drugs, and little Damian’s bedroom had marijuana plants growing next to his bed.

In 1995, the FBI kicked in his door and cuffed his young mom.

Little Damian’s soul was awakened by gunpoint, and his spiritual search began. But when almost everyone in your life is either in jail or on drugs, where do you go for answers?

Damian began to

pray and spent many late nights looking for answers online. Google searches for life’s biggest questions eventually led Damian to Chabad.org. Today, Nissim jokes that whatever topic he would search for, somehow it always led him to Chabad.org.

Luckily, Damian’s girlfriend Jamie was searching as well, and one day she told him about her desire to convert to Judaism. Finally, after a nightclub fight with a rap rival and a failed record deal, D. Black’s prayers were answered when he crossed the tracks and walked into an Orthodox synagogue.

D. Black officially retired in 2011 and subsequently moved to Seward Park's Jewish community to begin studying for conversion. Now going by the name Nissim, he cut off all connections to his previous life, even getting rid of his own music collection.

Nissim took a job teaching and was struggling to get by. He produced a Jewish-inspired album with lyrics that came from his heart. Then the long awaited call came in—an Israeli pop star named Gad Elbaz wanted Nissim to rap on his music video for his hit song “Hashem Melch 2.0.”

Within days of the 2016 release of the video, Nissim became a household name in Jewish homes across the world.

Today, Nissim is an inspiration to a young generation and tours the world with a message of hope and redemption. l >>Find out more at www.NissimOfficial.com.

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

PHARAOH I arrive early at the Waldorf for our one hour faceto-face at 2 pm, the Sunday before Passover. He’s there already, sipping red wine and reading the Times. I wasn’t expecting ancient Egyptian regalia, nor was I prepared to see the Pharaoh dressed like a Chicago mafia boss. He gives me a half-smile and wimpy handshake, then motions for me to sit down.

Pharaoh: So you got your matzahs yet?

SW (nervous laugh and a nod): There’s so much to ask, but I figured I’d start with something that always bugged me. I mean, you had this decree where all the Jewish kids had to be killed, but then you let one grow up in your palace? What is up with that?

Pharaoh (chuckles and puts down the paper):

You know the whole thing with the newborns…We did a lot of astrology back then. Not like the horoscopes you have today, I’m talking about the real thing. So we knew that a kid, a boy to be more precise, would be born who would redeem the Jews. So I figured—actually, I don’t remember if it was me, or someone else—we kill all the male newborn Jews and we’re good.

SW: So when your daughter comes home with this child, who was Jewish, why did you let her adopt him?

Seems, I don’t know, counterintuitive.

Pharaoh: Hey, watch it, that’s a big word. But let me

ask you, you have a daughter? Didn’t think so. Let me tell you: Even Pharaohs are not immune to the requests of a daughter.

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

Anyway, we had reason to believe, astrologically and based on our other intelligence, that the redeemer had been drowned. Still, I had my doubts, especially since Moses, as a baby, kept reaching for my crown. (Laughs.)

So we did this thing where we put out two trays, one with royal jewels and the other with hot coals. This was like a test, to see what his ambitions were, you know.

And at first he starts going for the jewels, and I’m thinking that’s the end of this kid— daughter, no daughter. But then at the last moment, almost like an angel or something grabbed his hand, and he goes for the coals.

I think he even put it in his mouth and that’s how got the speech impediment. So we let him stay.

Eventually, though, I gave the order for him to be eliminated, after he took out one of our guards who was beating a Jew. Somehow he got away and we didn’t hear from him for 60 years or something.

SW: If I could just jump ahead…. So you have all these plagues: blood, frogs, and all that. Yet you won’t let the Jews go.

Why not?

Pharaoh: Well, at first it’s just instinct.

People, especially dictators, have a lot of trouble letting go. These people were our slaves, and a couple of frogs jumping around was not going to make me let them go. I did not think Moses had some special power, because my wizards were able to duplicate the first two plagues.

SW: But the third plague changes things?

Pharaoh: In a way, yes. After the third plague, I remember the top wizard coming in to me with this defeated look and he kind of mumbles something. And I’m shouting at him and banging that stick I always had until he finally says, “We can’t duplicate the plague. We are not in the same league as Moses. He obviously has some Higher Power that he is contact with.”

SW: I think the words were: “It is the finger of G-d?” Yet even after this plague

and a bunch more, you keep being…well… fish, 2) take 100 lashes, or 3) pay a 10,000 dollar fine. stubborn.

The servant decided to eat the fish. He forced himself to take bite after bite, but in or your readers, from judging. I don’t think my behavior was so unusual. I mean, you the end he was so repulsed that he couldn’t have people who engage in unhealthy be- bring himself to finish it. At that point, the havior until it finally backfires on them and 100 lashes looked more appealing than finthey supposedly reform. But as soon as they ishing the fish, so he changed his mind and forget their last hangover, it’s back to same decided to take the 100 lashes. After sixty lashes, the pain was so unbearable that he old same old. And the cycle continues. couldn’t take it anymore. He decided to pay SW: But not everybody has the Creator the fine. sending them personal messages.

Pharaoh: Yes. But I would caution you,

These people were our slaves, and a couple of frogs jumping around was not going to make me let them go.

I’m the servant in the metaphor. I knew the right thing for me to do was to let the though I’m not sure I was all that differJews out. But I resisted. So first I “ate the ent there either. I guess at some point it berotten fish”—we suffered the first three comes a power struggle. You don’t want to plagues. Then we were “whipped” with the give in. Male ego, maybe? (Laughs.) next three plagues. In the last four plagues, You know, at the time it just seemed im- we were forced to “pay”—our crops were possible to resign myself to another being, destroyed by the hail and locust; our poseven if that being was the Creator. In my sessions were discovered (and later taken mind, I was the end all and be all. I had out of Egypt) by the Israelites during the convinced myself that I had created myself plague of darkness. And after all that, I and that I could do whatever I wanted. All was still forced to let the Jews out after the these plagues were just a bad dream that plague of the firstborn. would soon go away and things would be I would suggest to you readers not to back to normal. Didn’t quite work out that make the same mistake as I did. We all have way. something that we need to do. We all know Pharaoh: Alright, I can give you that,

SW: Looking back, how would you have done things differently?

Pharaoh: Let me give you a metaphor.

A king once instructed his servant to bring him a fish from the market. The servant went out to the market and returned with a rotten fish. As a punishment, the servant was offered three choices: 1) eat the rotten

it. Yet we keep pushing it off and avoiding it. We distract ourselves from it with other things. Eventually we’re gonna have to do it. So why make it painful for ourselves and others? To quote one of my favorite advertising campaigns: Just do it.

SW: Thank you.

Pharaoh: Anytime. Happy Pesach.

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

A Love Letter to my

Wicked Son

By Rabbi Shais Taub

T

he Haggadah is a love story. Not just any love story, but the story of G-d finding His people. It’s our love story. And if you read the Haggadah like that, it takes on new meaning.

What’s a good romance without food?

Especially a Jewish one. At some point, we have to go out for a bite. So, as we tell our love story, we mention this detail, and there are various reactions.

The wicked son says, “What is this service to you?”

What is the “service” that he doesn’t feel like he’s part of? The eating of the paschal lamb, the matzos, the bitter herbs, the four cups. He’s mocking this part of the story – the part where we go out for a meal. It seems so mundane to him that we would mention this detail.

In relationships it's like the husband who enjoys the poetry and the big picture but can't be bothered with the mundane details.

Spring 2021 / Passover 5781

So, we “blunt his teeth.” We tell him, “What were teeth made for other than to go out for a bite with our Beloved?”

Relationships thrive on bite-size acts.

Small gestures and basic tasks.

And then, of course, we explain: “The only reason you mock this is because you think it’s not your love story, too! You think

Relationships thrive on bite-size acts. Small gestures and basic tasks. it only happened to us and not to you. So you’re bored hearing which restaurant we went to on our date. In Egypt, those who didn’t identify with the love story stayed behind. But in the coming redemption through Moshiach, everyone will eventually get it.”

Consider the numerical value of the

Hebrew word for teeth “shinav" is 366. The Hebrew word for wicked is “Rasha” is 570.

When you subtract the “Teeth” from the "Wicked" that is 366 subtracted from 570, you get 204, which is the numerical value of the hebrew word "tzadik" righteous.

In the future redemption our true innocence and righteousness will be apparent. We will all know that this story is about us – not just the miracles and the wonders of the story, but even the little details, like the foods that we eat.

Indeed, as we read shortly after finishing this section about the Four Sons, the time for telling our story is when the matzah and maror foods are sitting in front us.

So this year, read the Haggadah as your story. A personal love letter from the Creator of heaven and earth who personally comes to get you out of Pharaoh's grip. You may find a lot of love in the small details. l

{recipe}

sweet & saucy brisket

by Norene Gilletz for Kosher.com

ingredients 2 large onions, sliced 1 5-lb. (2.3-kg.) brisket, well trimmed 1 tablespoon garlic, minced or 3 cubes Gefen Frozen Garlic 1 teaspoon dried basil salt pepper 1 can jellied cranberry sauce 3/4 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons Bartenura Balsamic Vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 3/4 cup Alfasi Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine (or water)

directions 1. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Spread onion slices in bottom of pan and place brisket on top. Season brisket on all sides with garlic, basil, salt and pepper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and honey. Mix well. Spread sauce evenly on top and around brisket. Pour wine or water around and underneath

brisket. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.

5. When done, remove pan from oven and cool

(Can be prepared up to this point and marinated

completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

for 24 hours in the refrigerator.)

6. Remove congealed fat from the surface. Slice

3. Preheat oven to 325°F.

brisket thinly across the grain, trimming away

4. Cook brisket, covered, for about four hours,

excess fat.

until fork tender. (Calculate 45 minutes per

7. Place brisket slices and gravy in a covered cas-

pound). During the last hour of cooking, loosen

serole and reheat in an oven preheated to 350°F

foil slightly and baste brisket occasionally.

for 25–30 minutes before serving.

Simply Saucy Brisket

Charoset Salad

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