Visit Our Website www.BikurCholimPS.com April 2015/Nissan 5775 VOL. 18 NO. 4
Let My People Know
Published and mailed 5 times a year to 3,500 homes in Palm Springs
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Bikur Cholim of Palm Springs A Project of Chabad of Palm Springs P.O. Box 2934 Palm Springs, CA 92263 Rabbi Yankel A. Kreiman
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'Happy & Healthy Passover'
This Passover Issue is Sponsored by
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In Loving Memory of Simi Vaknin O.B.M. & Best Wishes to the Entire Community and Klal Yisroel for a Very Happy, Healthy and Kosher Passover
The Vegetarian Era Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com
Rabban Gamliel would say: Whoever did not speak of the following three things at the Passover [seder], has not fulfilled his obligation [to relate the story of the Exodus]. These are: the Passover offering, matzah, and maror. The Passover Haggadah Two hundred years before Jacob and his seventy children and grandchildren settled in the land of Egypt, the Egyptian exile and Exodus were foretold by G-d to Abraham at the Covenant Between the Pieces. As described in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 15:12-13): As the sun began to set, a deep slumber fell upon Abram; and, behold, a dread, a great darkness, descended upon him. And [G-d] said to Abram: Know that your children shall be strangers in a land not theirs, [where] they will be enslaved and tortured ... and afterwards they will go out with great wealth. The great wealth referred to here is a recurrent theme in the Torah's account of the Exodus -- to the extent that one gets the impression that this was the very purpose of our exile and enslavement in Egypt. In G-d's very first communication to Moses, when He revealed Himself to him in the burning bush and charged him with the mission of taking the Jewish people out of Egypt, He makes sure to include the vow that, "When you go, you will not go empty-handed. Every woman shall ask from her neighbor, and from her that dwells in her house, vessels of gold and vessels of silver and garments... and you shall drain Egypt [of its wealth]" (Exodus 3:21-22). During the plague of darkness, when the land of Egypt was plunged into a darkness so thick that the Egyptians could not budge from their places, the Jewish people--whom the plague did not affect--were able to move about freely inside the Egyptians' homes. This, says the Midrash, was in order that the Jews should be able to take an inventory of the wealth of Egypt, so that the Egyptians could not deny the existence of any valuable objects the Jews asked for when they left Egypt. And just prior to the Exodus, G-d again says to Moses: "Please, speak into the ears of the people, that each man ask his [Egyptian] fellow, and each woman her fellow, for vessels of silver and gold." G-d is virtually begging the Children of Israel to take the wealth of Egypt! The Talmud 2 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
explains that the Jewish people were disinclined to hold up their departure from Egypt in order to gather its wealth: To what is this comparable? To a man who is locked up in prison and is told: Tomorrow you shall be freed from prison and be given a lot of money. Says he: I beg of you, free me today, and I ask for nothing more ... [Thus, G-d had to beseech them:] "Please! Ask the Egyptians for gold and silver vessels, so that the righteous one (Abraham) should not say: He fulfilled 'They will be enslaved and tortured,' but He did not fulfill 'and afterwards they will go out with great wealth.'" But would not Abraham, too, have been prepared to forgo the promise of great wealth, if this were to hasten his children's liberation? Obviously, the gold and silver we carried out of Egypt were more than our compensation for generations of wageless labor in service of the Egyptians, but an indispensable component of our redemption. Scattered Sparks The great Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria taught that every object, force and phenomenon in existence has a spark of holiness at its core. When a person utilizes something to serve his Creator, he reveals its divine essence, thereby realizing its function within G-d's overall purpose for creation. Every soul has its own sparks scattered about in the world, which actually form an integral part of itself: no soul is complete until it has redeemed those sparks belong to its mission in life. Thus a person moves through life, impelled from place to place and from occupation to occupation by seemingly random forces; but everything is by divine providence, which guides every man to those possessions and opportunities whose spark is intimately connected with his. [These consist of two general types, alluded to in the verse, "Every woman shall ask from her neighbor, and from her that dwells in her house, vessels of gold and vessels of silver." Every soul has permanent dwellers in her house -- routine involvements, dictated by its natural talents and inclinations. It also has neighbors or casual acquaintances -- the chance encounters of life, in which it comes in fleeting contact with something, unintentionally, or even unwillingly. Both of these, however, must be exploited as a source of "gold and silver." The very fact that a certain resource or opportunity has presented itself to a person indicates that it constitutes part of his mission in life; that it is the purpose of his galut or subjugation to that particular corner of the material world; that he, and he alone, can redeem the spark it contains by utilizing it
toward a G-dly end.] Thus we find that Jacob risked his life to retrieve some "small jugs" he had left behind after crossing the Yabbok River. "The righteous," remarks the Talmud, "value their possessions more than their bodies" (Genesis 32:25; Rashi, ibid.; Talmud, Chulin 91a). For they recognize the divine potential in every bit of matter, and see in each of their possessions a component of their own spiritual integrity. Therein lies the deeper significance of the "great wealth" we carried out of Egypt: the sparks of holiness contained within these gold and silver vessels and garments constituted the spiritual harvest of our Egyptian Exile. A Mixed Approach One might surmise from the above that it is our sacred duty to partake of the material world to the greatest possible extent, so that we may achieve the sublimation of the sparks of holiness that dwell therein. In fact, however, the Torah's instructions on the matter are mixed, following a middle, and seemingly not always consistent, path between indulgence and self-denial. On the one hand, the Torah admonishes the nazir (one who vows to abstain from wine), "Is what the Torah has forbidden not enough, that you assume further prohibitions upon yourself?" and calls him a "sinner" for having deprived himself of one of G-d's blessings. "A person," says the Talmud, "is obligated to say: 'The entire world was created for my sake, and I was created to serve my Creator.'" In other words, not only the necessities of life, but the entirety of creation -- including those elements whose sole human utility is to make life more pleasurable -- can, and should, serve a life devoted to the service of its Creator. Our sages go so far as to say that "A person will have to answer for everything that his eye beheld and he did not consume' (Talmud, Nedarim 10a; Jerusalem Talmud, ibid., 9:1; Talmud, Kiddushin 82b; Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12). On the other hand, we find expressions in Torah of a decidedly ascetic approach to life. In addition to the numerous prohibitions and restrictions pertaining to diet, sexual relations, and other areas of life commanded in the Torah, the Talmud interprets the injunction (Leviticus 19:2), "Be holy" as a commandment to "abstain also from that which is permissible to you" and a warning against being "a hedonist with the Torah's permission" who indulges in every
permissible pleasure. The Ethics of the Fathers declares: "This is the way of Torah: Eat bread with salt, drink water in small measure, sleep on the ground, and live a life of hardship." These biblical and talmudic injunctions are at the root of the Chassidic doctrine of iskaffia (self-conquest) in all that pertains to the body's physical needs and desires; indeed, Chassidim relate that the very first thing that students coming to study under the tutelage of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi were told was: "What is forbidden, one must not; what is permitted, one need not." (Talmud, Yevamot 20a; Nachmanides on Leviticus, ibid.; Ethics of the Fathers 6:4; HaYom Yom, Adar II 25.) How, then, is the Jew to regard his physical self? Is it a mere tool, to be exploited but never indulged? Should it be provided only with the bare minimum it needs to hold the soul and support the soul's spiritual pursuits, or is there value or even virtue in the experience of physical pleasure and the enhancement of physical life with objects of luxury and beauty? Bread, Vegetable, and Meat One approach to the resolution to this contradiction can be found in the three primary symbols of the Exodus: the Passover offering, matzah, and maror (the bitter herb). All three are foods and, eating being the most physical of human deportments, can be seen as representative of the various areas of physical life. Matzah, the humble bread of poverty, represents the bare necessities of life. The Passover offering -- a yearling lamb or kid slaughtered in the Holy Temple, roasted whole, and eaten at the Seder -- represents luxuries whose function is solely to give pleasure. Maror, a vegetable, represents a middle ground between these two extremes: more than the minimalist bread, less than the sumptuous meat. (Cf. Talmud, Chulin 84a: "The Torah (Leviticus 17:13 and Deuteronomy 12:20) is teaching proper behavior, to eat meat only on occasion... only as a delicacy... Thus Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: One who possesses a maneh (a certain sum of money) should purchase vegetables for his pot... [if he has] fifty maneh, he should purchase meat...)" A further examination of these three Seder observances yields another distinction between them: they each differ from the others in the extent to which their observance have been affected by the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem -- an event which rendered many of the mitzvot of the Torah impossible to fulfill, or observable only in a diminished, or merely commemorative, form. Ever since the Holy Temple was destroyed, we
have been unable to bring the Passover offering. Today, it is present at the Seder table only in the form of the uneaten, purely commemorative, zeroah (shankbone) placed on the upper righthand corner of the Seder plate. At the end of the meal, we commemorate the mitzvah of eating the meat of the Passover offering by eating the afikoman -- a piece of matzah set aside for this purpose at the beginning of the Seder. As for the bitter herb, we do eat maror today, but doing so is not the full-fledged mitzvah it was at the time that the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem. According to Torah law, the bitter herb is to be eaten as an accompaniment to the meat of the Passover offering; when there is no Passover offering, there is no biblical obligation to eat maror. Nevertheless, our sages decreed that maror should be eaten on the first night of Passover in commemoration of the real maror commanded by the Torah. On the other hand, eating matzah on the first night of Passover is a mitzvah in its own right. Thus, matzah remains the only one of the three Passover foods that has the full status of a biblical commandment (mitzvah mide'oraita) today. The State of Galut "From the day that the Holy Temple was destroyed," say our sages, "it was decreed that the homes of the righteous should be in ruins... The servant need not be better off than the master." As long as G-d remains homeless, expelled from His manifest presence in the physical realm, the Jew, too, is a stranger in the material world. Ultimately, matter is no less a creation of G-d, and no less capable of serving and expressing His truth, than spirit; but in times of dimmed divine presence, the substantiality of the physical all too readily obscures, rather than reveals, its G-dly essence. In such times, we must limit our involvement with the material, lest our immersion in it dull our spiritual senses and blur the divine objectives of our lives. Thus, no Passover offering is possible in our present-day world: dealing with the bare bones of physicality is challenge enough without the meat of opulence clogging our lives. Indeed, as seen from the most basic vantage point on life (the biblical perspective), only the austere matzah is needed; anything beyond that is a foray into hostile territory whose risks rival its potential rewards. Nevertheless, our sages have opened a tract of this territory to exploration and development, empowering us to make positive and G-dly use of much of physical life. While steering clear of the overtly superfluous "meat", they broadened our physical fare to include "vegetables" --
physical goods and experiences that, while not of the strictest necessity, are more of a need than a luxury. "Meat," however -- pleasure for the sake of pleasure -- remains out of bounds, constituting a degree of involvement with materiality that cannot be dealt with in our era of spiritual darkness. (Indeed, a clear distinction must also be drawn between the bread and vegetable realms: maror is a bitter vegetable, emphasizing the fact that whenever our material involvements extend beyond life's strictest necessities, they constitute a most difficult and trying challenge, demanding a greater degree of vigilance not to allow the means to obscure the end.) Life on the Road None of this means that the Jew regards the physical as evil or irredeemable. On the contrary -- he knows that meat was, and will again be, a basic component of the Seder. He knows that in the proper spiritual environment, the most physical of experiences can be as pure an expression of the G-dly essence of existence as the most sublime prayer. And it is this knowledge that enables him to keep the proper perspective on whatever aspect of physical life he is able to handle under his present circumstances. The story is told of the visitor who, stopping by the home of Rabbi DovBer of Mezheritch, was outraged by the poverty he encountered there. Rabbi DovBer's home was bare of all furnishing, save for an assortment of rough wooden planks and blocks that served as benches for his students during the day and as beds for his family at night. "How can you live like this?" demanded the visitor. "I myself am far from wealthy, but at least in my home you will find, thank G-d, the basic necessities: some chairs, a table, beds..." "Indeed?" said Rabbi DovBer. "But I don't see any of your furnishings. How do you manage without them?" "What do you mean? Do you think that I carry all my possessions along with me wherever I go? When I travel, I make do with what's available. But at home--a person's home is a different matter altogether!" "Ah, yes," said Rabbi DovBer. "At home, it is a different matter altogether..." Based on the Lubavitcher Rebbe's talks and writings, including an address delivered on Passover 1961, (Likkutei Sichot, vol. III, pp. 823-827), and a reshimah (journal entry) dated Passover 5701 [1941], Nice (Reshimot #10, pp. 35-38); adaptation by Yanki Tauber
LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 3
‘A Message From the Rabbi’ Dear Friends, Passover is the Holiday of our Redemption from Egypt. We all became a Nation wandering into a strange & unfamiliar Desert. We took with us those special 'Matzos', the 'Bread of Faith'. We had a tremendous Faith in HaShem (G-D) & his loyal Servant Moshe. We went through lots of exiles & Then HaShem redeemed us. Now we are in this Final Golus (exile), We would like to ask HaShem, "AD MOSAI ???, until when do we have to endure this Golus. Genook Shoin!!! Enough is enough !! May we all celebrate this Passover '5775' in Israel together with Melech HaMoshiach-NOW!!!
Happy Passover to You and Your Family!
Please enjoy this Passover Issue. There are very interesting Stories, great recipes, Candle Lighting times & a Special Passover Guide. Best wishes to all for a very Happy, Healthy & Kosher Passover.
Rabbi Yankel & Rochel Kreiman
�a��y �assover
Dr. Amy Austin
Judy Gornbein
Art & Joan Markovits
Sara Lee Austin
Joan & Harold Kramer
Arlene Morse
Judge Jacqueline Drucker Isaac & Selma Friedman
Lenore Leon
Celia & Sandy Norian Dina Piekarsky
Ruth & Herb Levitsky
Howard Schreiman
Harriet Lindsay
Joyce & Irwin Yarmo
4 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
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SHMURAH MATZOS
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Matzah After Midnight By Yanki Tauber
When you were a child, you were blessed with faith. The world was good, people were good, and being good yourself was simply a matter of following the the dos and don'ts of life which G-d had told your Mom and Dad. Then you grew up, met some of the bad guys, and found that following the rules doesn't always pan out the way you imagined it would. Morality muddled into an amalgam of maybes, ifs and usuallys. Faith alone wasn't enough anymore: you also needed intellect, sensitivity, feeling, will and desire to navigate this thing called life. When you first married, you were blessed with faith. Your husband/wife was the most goodhearted, intelligent, beautiful, talented, caring and loving person in the universe. Your love for each other would get you through anything. Then your marriage aged, acquiring wrinkles, an irregular heartbeat and bouts of dementia. Love alone just wasn't enough anymore: you also needed intellect, sensitivity, feeling, will and desire to maintain the relationship. You begin in faith, and move on to experience. But there is also a third stage: a stage in which the faith reemerges. A stage in which you discover that your spouse really is the greatest, most wonderful person in the universe. A stage in which you discover that the world is good, that people are good, that the G-d-given dos and don'ts are the formula for a meaningful life. No, it's not as simple and straightforward as your youthful faith saw it. But this mature, complex, thoughtful, willed and inspired faith
has something that youthful faith didn't have: it has a density, a texture, a taste. A richness. You've returned to that original faith, that same faith which shone so bright and hard because it wasn't saddled with knowledge and experience. Now, however, your faith co-exists with -- indeed feeds upon -- your knowledge and experience. The roots of your faith reach deeper than them, its crown towers higher than them, but it also leans against them and is fortified by them. Matzah is the most basic icon of the festival of Passover. The biblical name for Passover is "The Festival of Matzahs." For eight days, this flat, "unleavened bread" displaces all leavened forms of the staff of life. And on Passover eve, the three seder matzahs, enthroned on their special plate at the head of the table, take center stage in the seder rituals. But there's no small amount of confusion surrounding the significance of the matzah. The sages of the Talmud and the Kabbalah give it different -- even conflicting -- names: "The Bread of Affliction," "The Bread of Poverty," "The Bread of Humility," "The Bread of Instruction," "The Bread of Faith," "The Bread of Healing." And then there's the matter of timing: Just when was the matzah born? At the beginning of the seder we announce, "This is the bread of affliction which our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt..." But later in the evening, we recite: "This matzvah that we eat, for what reason [do
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we eat it]? Because the dough of our fathers did not have time to become leavened before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them." Thus we have pre-Exodus matzah and postExodus matzah. Or, as they're referred to in the teachings of Chassidism, pre-midnight matzah and post-midnight matzah. For matzah, the bread of faith, has two faces. It is the faith of "poverty" which thrives in pristine souls free of the tangles of intellect and the burdens of experience. And then, when it emerges from the other side of the night, it is a faith enriched by the very elements that stifled it in its years of exile.
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LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 7
Shemurah
Told by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch
Translator’s note: Preparations for Passover begin almost a year before the festival, when the wheat for the shemurah matzah (“guarded matzah”) is harvested. Shemurah matzah is made from grain that has been meticulously guarded from the time of its harvest to ensure that it does not come in contact with any moisture whatsoever, to avoid the slightest chance that it might ferment. In this memoir, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880–1950), recalls how the shemurah wheat was harvested by the chassidim of his grandfather and father more than one hundred years ago: The wheat for the shemurah matzah was taken from the fields of Reb Zalman Shcherbiner, whose homestead was in Shcherbina, a two hour journey from Lubavitch. The journey to Shcherbina, and the events surrounding it, made a deep impression upon me, and are engraved in my childhood memories. Reb Zalman had a meticulous system for choosing the field with the highest quality wheat, and for choosing the day and hour of the harvest. The conditions for the harvest were: a clear and bright day on which the sun shone in its full intensity, and that no rain had fallen in the previous three days. The set hours for harvesting the shemurah were from noon to two o’clock or two-thirty in the afternoon. When the time for harvest approached, Reb Zalman would come to Lubavitch to make the arrangements. For in addition to Reb Zalman, his family, and the Jewish families who lived on Reb Zalman’s land, several of the zitzers (resident scholars) of Lubavitch, as well as those visiting Lubavitch at the time, would work at harvesting and threshing the wheat. Since the exact day on which the above conditions would be met could not be known in advance, Reb Zalman would come with
joy, was swift and nimble as a lad. One could see the joy literally lifting him off his feet. His shoes and white socks floated above the ground like the feet of Naphtali on a divine mission, as can only be with a true servant of G‑d whose very heels are permeated with a profound pleasure of the mind and the inner will of the heart to serve G‑d.
several wagons to take the people who would be doing the harvesting to Shcherbina, so that they should be ready to begin work at the proper moment. At times, they would wait a week or more for the perfect conditions to harvest the shemurah. For Reb Zalman, the shemurah harvest was a cause for threefold joy. First of all, he would be cutting wheat for the shemurah matzah for the rebbe. Secondly, he would have guests from Lubavitch in his home for several days, something which he especially loved and for which he had a special talent. But most of all, the Rebbe himself would be attending the cutting of the wheat, and this was something that would infuse Reb Zalman with a yearlong vitality and joy. From the day that Reb Zalman left Lubavitch with the harvesters until that clear, bright day on which the shemurah was cut, the talk of the town was of the weather. People looked constantly at the sky; they felt the wind to see if it was dry or if it contained the slightest moisture. Dozens of predictions were heard about the next day’s weather. Each day we awaited the arrival of the special messenger from Shcherbina who would tell us that the harvest would be on that day. The cutting and the threshing of the wheat were done with great joy, coupled with a seriousness that was profoundly displayed upon the countenance of the workers. All were belted with their gartlen and wore hats over their yarmulkes. The work went swiftly in the burning heat, as if the harvesters were experienced farmers. Sickle in hand, the elderly Reb Zalman, with his broad, regal beard and face shining with
Some of the chassidim would cut the wheat, while others sang chassidic melodies which poured forth with a sublime sweetness and carried across the countryside. An aura of holiness enveloped the entire area. The wives and children of the local families stood by and watched, dressed in their Shabbat clothes, their faces reflecting the specialty of the occasion. When the cutting and threshing of the wheat were concluded, Reb Zalman and a number of others would go to bathe. Upon his return, Reb Zalman, who would be wearing his Shabbat clothes, would lead the afternoon Minchah prayers, which he would chant with a Simchat Torah tune. Tachanun (the confession of sins, omitted on festival days) was not said. Following the prayers, all would join him in a joyous dance, during which Reb Zalman would suddenly leap into the air and perform three backward-and-forward somersaults. All would then proceed to the tables set up in the orchard, where a festive dairy meal was laid out for the farbrengen. At the meal, the Rebbe would deliver a discourse of chassidic teaching and farbreng for several hours. After the Rebbe had retired to the room which had been prepared for him, the assembled would continue to farbreng all night long. In the morning, following the morning prayers, we would return to Lubavitch. Reb Zalman and his crew would arrive in Lubavitch that evening, bringing with them the sack of shemurah grain, which would be hung in a special room for safekeeping.
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The Kitchen
Kitchen surfaces and counters used year round are scrubbed and covered with aluminum foil or cardboard, etc. The stove is thoroughly cleaned. Grates and parts touching the pot should preferably be new for Passover. Cover the stovetop with heavy aluminum foil. To bake on Passover, a tin box is inserted in the oven after it is thoroughly cleaned. Consult a Rabbi on how to kosherize the oven if an insert is not available. The sink is lined with a plastic or tin insert. Stainless steel sinks (not ceramic) may be kosherized. Clean the refrigerator and line with paper or foil, perforated to allow air circulation. Closets, tables and chairs are scrubbed, and cabinet shelves are lined with paper or plastic. Clean the baby highchair, crib, stroller and car seat well.
Friday, April 3 through Saturday, April 11, 2014
Sharing the memories and tasting the freedom, Passover links us to Jewish history and tradition by disposing the Chametz and bringing in the Matzah!
What is Chametz?
”Chametz” includes bread, cookies, pastries, macaroni, whiskey or liquor; any wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt flour that had 18 minute liquid contact before baking. Passover’s chametz prohibition is as severe as eating on Yom Kippur. Even minute chametz particles, or food processed in chametz processing utensils are forbidden. All processed food must be reliably certified Kosher for Passover. It is forbidden to own or derive any benefit from chametz. We do not buy, sell, give a chametz gift, or use chametz pet food. (If there is no Kosher for Passover alternative, the pet is transferred to nonJewish ownership).
“Kitniyos”
Grains similar to wheat, e.g. rice, kasha, peas, lentils, beans, and corn, including corn starch, corn oil, peanuts, soy, etc. are not eaten. (Sephardic Jews may eat kitniyos.)
Cleaning House
We clean every room, closet, drawer, etc. in the house or office to remove any cookies, cereal or crumbs. The car, seats and trunk are thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed. Year-round books or benchers used at the table are sold with the chametz A clean room is dedicated to store Passover supplies. No Passover food is placed in the kitchen until it is kosherized for Passover. Dishes and cutlery are reserved exclusively for Passover. (Consult a rabbi on how to kosherize metal utensils for Passover). 10 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
Search and Burn Chametz
We do a ‘Bedikas chametz’ search Thursday night April 2 through the house (office & car) in all rooms, closets, shelves, behind furniture, etc. Ten wrapped pieces of bread are placed to be “found” during the search. (Tip: Keep a chametz hiding list, in case you forget their location!) A blessing is recited before searching by candle (use flashlight under beds etc.) with a feather, wooden spoon and bag to collect all chametz found. After the search, we disown all overlooked chametz by saying and translating “Kol Chamira: All leaven in my domain which I did not see or did not remove, or have no knowledge of, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth.”
Burning the Chametz
All chametz found in the search, and all postbreakfast Chametz is burned Friday, April 3 late morning (check your calendar for your area’s chametz deadline), along with this Chametz annulment: “All type of leaven in my possession which I have seen or not seen, which I have removed or not removed, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth.”
Chametz Deadline
Chametz found during Passover must be burned immediately. If found on Yom Tov (1st, 2nd, 7th, or 8th day) or Shabbos, it is covered, and burned after Yom Tov or Shabbos.
Sale of Chametz
All remaining chametz is sold through the rabbi to a gentile, who gives a deposit in a legally binding sale, and the balance is a guaranteed loan. The buyer can later resell it to the seller by mutual agreement. Place all Chametz utensils in the designated room or closet(s) to be sold, and lock or seal it until after Passover.
Unsold Chametz
The prohibition against Chametz applies to all Chametz owned by any Jew during Passover. We patronize only bakeries/groceries owned by Jews who sold their Chametz, or non-Jewish owned stores. Consult a rabbi which supermarket chains we may buy Chametz from after Passover.
First-Born Fast
The Jewish first-born were spared when the tenth plague struck the Egyptian first-born. In gratitude, our first-born sons fast on Friday, April 3, but are exempt by hearing a Talmudic Siyum conclusion, usually held in the synagogue.
Laws of the Day Before Passover
After the Chametz deadline, only kosher for Passover foods may be used. But we don’t eat matzah, wine, romaine lettuce, horseradish and endive which are reserved to be eaten the first time at the Seder. Some also abstain from eating the charoses ingredients: apples, pears, and nuts before the Seder.
Matzah
Once the house is clean of all Chametz, we are ready to usher in Passover. Matzah is a simple mixture of flour and water that did not rise, reminding us how Israel left Egypt in great hurry with no time for their dough to rise. Matzah relives our flight from slavery to freedom. Note: Not all Matzah is kosher for Passover. Read labels carefully. Consult a Rabbi regarding egg Matzah, permitted only in case of illness.
Shmurah Matza
All Kosher for Passover Matzah is carefully watched during baking. Shmurah Matzah is a specially made Matzah, preferably hand baked, whose grains were supervised from the harvesting of the wheat. The special Shmura Matzah is used at least for the first ounce of Matzah eaten at the Seder. A little over half of a round hand baked Shmurah Matzah equals 1 ounce. Some refrain from eating “Gebroks”- Matzah or Matzah meal mixed with liquid, to avoid any possibility of leavened dough. But everyone eats Gebroks on ‘Achron Shel Pesach,’ the last day of Passover (Saturday, April 11). This day’s Haftarah is about Moshiach; and a Seudat Moshiach meal raises our Redemption awareness.
Maror: Bitter Herbs
Romaine lettuce, endive, fresh horseradish, or a combination of these are eaten for the mitzvah of Bitter Herbs, recalling the Egyptian slavery. (Minimum amount is 1 ounce; Romaine lettuce covering a 12x10 inch area).
Charoses
The Maror is dipped into the Charoses mixture of crushed nuts, wine, pears and apples symbolizing the mortar the Jews used to make bricks in Egyptian bondage.
The Seder Plate
The Seder Centerpiece has 3 matzos, covered by a plate or cloth on which the following are arranged: In the upper right-hand corner, a roasted shank or neck bone symbolizes the paschal offering, and is not eaten. In the upper left corner, a hard boiled egg symbolizes the festive offering. The egg is later dipped in salt-water and eaten at the start of the meal. The Charoses is placed on the bottom left, the Karpas vegetable on the bottom right, with the Maror in the center. The romaine lettuce is placed at the bottom. Some Seder Plates are elaborate works of china, silver, or embroidered cloth, but a napkin or cloth is fine.
Reclining
We recline (to the left) in a relaxed feeling of freedom and royalty when drinking the Four Cups of Wine, eating the Matzah, the Korech, and the Afikoman (do not recline when eating the bitter herbs).
Four Cups
Each person drinks 4 cups of wine: First at Kiddush, the Second after reading the Haggadah, Third after Grace after meals, and the Fourth Cup concludes the Seder. The cup should contain at least 3.5 ounces. Use grape juice if wine is difficult.
Korech: Matzah & Maror Sandwich
We eat a Matzah and maror combination, as Hillel ate Matzah, maror and Paschal lamb together in the holy Temple. This sandwich consists of 1 ounce of bitter herbs placed within two pieces of matzah (1 ounce).
Afikoman
The Afikoman, the last Matzah before saying Grace at meal’s end, is eaten by midnight of the first Seder. At the second Seder, it may be eaten past midnight.
Cup of Elijah / Opening the Door
Toward the Seder’s end, we open the door for Elijah. Recalling our Redemption from Egypt in the past, we also look forward to the future Redemption, exclaiming “Next Year In Jerusalem!” Moshiach isn’t just wishful thinking, but a Divine promise that a Redeemer will inspire all Jews and usher in universal peace to change the world for good.
Expanding the Haggadah
The original Haggadah is in Hebrew, but the story should be understood in plain English (or other language). Suggestion: Rather than the Seder leader ‘monopolizing,’ assign Haggadah paragraphs to all participants. For variety, ask someone who knows a foreign language (Russian, French, Spanish, etc,) to read a paragraph aloud in their language.
Not the Last Word
Don’t read the Haggadah merely by rote, but elaborate on it, for “it is praiseworthy to explain the story of the Exodus.” Enhance your Seder with commentary, personal experience, thoughts and insight. Food For Thought: Personal Chametz & Matzah Chametz and Matzah represent the opposites of good and evil. Historically, the Matzah reminds us how the Jews left Egypt in a rush so that their dough had no time to rise. There is also a moral dimension: Chametz and Matzah represent human characteristics. Arrogant and egotistic, Chametz puffs up, swelling bigger, while Matzah’s low profile suggests humility with no pretensions of appearing greater than it really is.
First Fast-Food
Chametz and Matzah, the Passover opposites, are both made from flour and water. Timing makes all the difference: bread is left to rise, while Matzah is made in a rush. A Matzah bakery hums with the constant rush and movement of hands, rolling pins, perforators, shovels and dough, into the oven and out. Nothing stands still from the moment flour touches the water until the finished Matzah comes out of the oven. Time is but fleeting moments, here today and gone tomorrow. Intangible and abstract, time makes all the difference. Not only on Passover, but all the time.
Matzah and Mitzvah
This quick Matzah baking movement recalls the rush out of Egypt. The similar Hebrew spelling of Matzah and mitzvah relates the rush of baking Matzah to the mitzvah observance. Just as we are quick with Matzah, let us be prompt and energetic with all mitzvos. Abraham, our Patriarch, is praised for “rising early in the morning” to serve G-d. If we don’t seize the moment, it may be lost when we finally get around to it. “Do not say when I will have time I will study, for you may not have the time.” (Ethics of our Fathers, Chap. 2) Good timing enhances a mitzvah. Even if it finally gets done later, “a mitzvah is best at the right time” (Talmud). Procrastination shows lack of interest and appreciation. Although better late than never, the Mitzvah loses its taste, like a cup of hot tea standing around, soda that lost its fizz and gone flat, or Chametz dough after the 18-minute deadline. Sometimes, it’s best not to rush into things, but with a mitzvah let’s strike while the iron is hot. Why wait till next year, or for retirement, to learn Torah, go Kosher, or try Tefillin? The time is ...NOW.
Let’s be Practical
The Seder observances help us recall the Exodus. So the question arises: why go through all the motions? Why not just close our eyes and meditate on ‘freedom?” The Seder teaches us that we learn best by doing. Judaism blends the spiritual with the physical, expressing lofty ideals in physical ways. The Seder is rich in symbols that see, taste, touch, and feel the concepts. The horseradish chokes us with bitterness, the Charoses looks and feels like mortar. Matzah allows us to digest, internalize freedom and absorb it into our system. Rather than just express freedom in flowery phrases, we drink four cups of wine. And we don’t just reenact the past, for Elijah’s centerpiece cup represents our Redemption in the future. Good intentions are vague and abstract; they become real and concrete in a physical mitzvah involving not only the mind, but also our body. Our Mitzvos combine thought and action, complementing each other like body and soul. LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 11
A Strange Seder By Gershon Kranzler Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society
It was shortly before Passover. The court of Rabbi Baruch was quickly filling with his faithful disciples and admirers who came from afar to spend the holiday of Passover with their beloved Rebbe. Rabbi Baruch himself was restless. The house was perfectly ready. He himself had spent weeks not only clearing away the outer chametz, leaven, in every nook and cranny of the home, but searching within himself too for the "leaven" of possible sin or wrongdoing in his soul. But something else was amiss, he could feel it, though he was cheered by the arrival of his good friends and followers. There was hardly a minute when he did not have to greet one or another of his chasidim who had come from afar, leaving their families behind to be with him at the seder. For the seder nights were a thrilling experience of learning for Rabbi Baruch's followers. Suddenly, only two nights before Passover, the call came to him to leave the security and peace of his home and go forth on a mission. Somewhere, near or far, he had something to accomplish. And there was no stopping Rabbi Baruch. His family and chassidim knew that there was no use in trying to argue with him. The next morning Rabbi Baruch rose early and packed wine, matzot and other necessities for the seder. He set out on a journey into the unknown while his stunned and disappointed chassidim sadly watched him depart. Somehow, they hoped, and Rabbi Baruch hoped with them, that his mission would be a brief one that would allow him to return in time for the first seder. But the day passed. The wind was strong, and snow kept piling up on the road as the coach covered mile after mile of slippery road. As they travelled eastward, the horse itself chose the way when they came to a crossroads. When night fell, a house was nowhere in sight. The weather became unbearable; ice and snow lashed at horse and men. Rabbi Baruch, immersed in thought and prayer, did not feel a thing. But finally the coachman turned to him and said, "I am afraid, Rebbe, we cannot go on. We'll have to stay here in the midst of the forest. The icy winds and snow are too strong, and my horse cannot hold out much longer. Let's try to spend the remainder of the night here." 12 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
Rabbi Baruch and the coachman bedded down in the wagon as best they could. They threw a heavy blanket over the horse and prepared to spend the night in this lonely spot, far from the comforts of Rabbi Baruch's court. The storm became increasingly strong. The winds howled and the very earth seemed to shake and rumble under the onslaught of the elements. Suddenly, there was a terrifying roar in the distance. The ground shook, and the horse tore itself loose and ran away in terror. "We must follow him and catch him, or else we shall have to spend the Yom Tov here in this terrible wilderness!" The coachman shouted. He took the wagon, lamp and whip and Rabbi Baruch put the small bundles of seder provisions in his coat pockets, and they set out to find the horse.
of climbing down the steep, jagged edge. Sliding, rolling from rock to rock, clinging desperately to roots of trees that were broken off like matches, they scrambled down the incline. What they saw made them shudder. The quake had crushed a small settlement of several houses that now lay on the ground all split apart, with walls, roofs and beams sticking out at crazy angles. Worst of all, from the midst of the rubble heap came the moaning and occasional wild cries that had brought them here. Quickly now, disregarding all danger to themselves, they made their way down to the remnant of the settlement.
The storm did not let up. Snow, ice and howling winds made their attempt to follow the horse ever more difficult, until they were ready to give up and turn back to the wagon. But that, too, now seemed impossible.
Ignoring the lifeless bodies of men, women and children beneath the walls, crumbled roofs and tree trunks, they directed all their efforts to helping those whom they found alive, pinned under heavy objects, dazed, blinded, or seriously wounded.
Suddenly, the coachman pointed in the direction in which the horse had run. A small light seemed visible from afar, shaking wildly to and fro. And then there was more wild rumbling underground, and the light was gone. To Rabbi Baruch it seemed as if he had heard human voices crying.
Their weariness seemed to have vanished, and they did not feel their own scratches and wounds as they went from person to person, wiping away blood and tearing their clothes into strips to stop the bleeding.
And even though it came from the far distance and was only a thin sound, it seemed more terrible than any cries he had ever heard. "We must go there to see what happened," he said. Despite the protests of the coachman, who was frightened by the unusual events and worn out by the struggle against the elements, they pushed through the snow, step by step. Suddenly they heard the cry again, stronger than before and still terrifying. "Faster, faster," urged Rabbi Baruch. "Someone over there needs our help." After a long and painful struggle over every inch of the way, they finally came close enough to see that a whole piece of ground seemed broken off as if by a giant's hand and thrown into the depths. "There must have been a quake in the mines that end below the forest." This time even the coachman heard the voice, full of horror, that came from the depth. "We must try to get down there, regardless of the risk." In vain the coachman pointed out the impossibility
The coachman managed to make a fire. They melted snow for hot water, and their bottle of whiskey helped to dull the people's pain. They quickly realized that the place had been occupied by yishuvniks, Jewish settlers who lived here far from a town, at the edge of the forest. Those who were able to speak believed the rabbi and the coachman were angels sent to them by G-d in their hour of need. "We are human beings like you, but it was surely the hand of the Almighty who led us here," Rabbi Baruch told them. He kept on speaking in his kind voice, calming the terrified people who were searching about for their loved ones. Morning dawned by the time they had finished administering first aid. They had found twelve adults and several children still alive. Slowly, laboriously, they took them all into the cellar of one of the houses that had miraculously remained almost intact, and bedded them down on whatever clothes, rags or covers they could find. It was almost evening when it occurred to Rabbi Baruch and the coachman that this was the seder
night. Trying to help the unfortunate victims of the catastrophe, they had not had time to think of anything else. But now they hurriedly set up the most primitive seder one can imagine. Together everyone prayed with Rabbi Baruch, who said the evening prayers word for word so that the poor yishuvniks could follow him. Then the small packages of Passover provisions from the deep coat pockets of the Rabbi took their place on the table which had been set up on a large rock in the cellar. The small, dim wagon lamp provided light. But the genuine brightness of that unforgettable seder flowed from Rabbi Baruch. Although he had not rested a minute during the past thirty six hours, he did not feel his weariness. All night he went through the ritual of the seder, sharing the matzot, wine and vegetables with the people. He told them the beautiful stories of the Exodus from Egypt as they had never heard them before. His stories, examples and inspiring thoughts made them forget all their pains, worries and loss. At dawn they all went to sleep as well as they could, in a more festive mood somehow than they had
even known in happier times.
request, agreed to be taken away at once.
The day of Yom Tov and the second seder passed almost as peacefully, although the wounded began to get restless again, as if the daylight made them forget the magic of Rabbi Baruch's beautiful and inspiring stories and prayers.
Thus it was that on the first day of Chol Hamoed, the intermediate days of the holiday, a group of wagons pulled up in front of Rabbi Baruch's court. There the chassidim were waiting patiently, praying and enjoying the holiday quietly, hoping for the speedy return of their beloved Rebbe.
Suddenly, they heard voices from a distance. The huddled group watched for several hours until finally a group of rescuers made the dangerous climb down the steep edge. As the coachman had suspected, in the wake of the storm an earthquake had dislodged some of the old coal mine walls on which the small settlement was built. The rescuers had come from a nearby village after finding the terrified horse running wild. They had discovered the catastrophe, and brought everything necessary to help the survivors. With the help of strong ropes attached to makeshift hoists, the rescuers lifted the wounded on stretchers. Wagons were waiting above to take them away. But, to the surprise of the rescuers, all said they would prefer to wait with Rabbi Baruch until the Yom Tov was over and then follow him to his town. Only the seriously wounded, at Rabbi Baruch's
Although they knew that whenever Rabbi Baruch went on one of his missions it was because an urgent situation needed his personal attention, the story they heard from the survivors was even stranger than they had anticipated. To all of the chassidim it seemed indeed a miracle that Rabbi Baruch had been nearby when the earthquake occurred and had noticed the light and the voices from afar. The stories of the unusual seder nights in the cellar were a source of great satisfaction and a partial reward for their own disappointment at having to spend the Yom Tov without their Rebbe. Now the rest of Passover was filled with joy and happy celebration, even more than usual, at the court of Rabbi Baruch where every Yom Tov was an unforgettable experience.
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Bikur Cholim At Work
A HAPPY and HEALTHY PASSOVER to everyone from BIKUR CHOLIM of PALM SPRINGS!
We would like to thank the Jewish Federation of the Desert for their generous help and support toward our ongoing activities. 14 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
We invite you to be a partner in Bikur Cholim's programs.
Please use the enclosed envelope to send in your PASSOVER donation. You can also visit our Website: BikurCholimPS.com Once again, may G-d bless you and your family.
LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 15
The Egg in Exodus By Yossy Goldman
At Passover Seders around the world, one of the items on the Seder plate will be a simple hardboiled egg. I would like to spend a moment on what we learn from this egg, how it truly encapsulates what Passover is all about, and one of the messages it has for us today. One of the reasons we have the egg at the Seder is because it symbolizes the beginning of life, and Passover marks the very beginning of our national existence. But it’s more exact than that. The egg reflects the precise position of the Jewish people at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Let’s look at the journey of our egg. The egg is first inside the hen. It is then laid and thereby freed from the constraints previously imposed upon it. But has the egg been hatched? Has a little chick emerged from the shell yet? The answer is no. The egg, you see, is only potential life. It is not yet a living being. One day, please G‑d, a chick will emerge and the cycle of life will continue. When the Jewish People left Egypt they were just like that—an unhatched egg. Free from the prison of Egypt and the constraints of slavery—but they weren’t quite fully born. It would take seven
weeks for them to stand at the foot of Mount Sinai and experience the great revelation of G‑d and receive the Torah. Only when they were given a way of life did the Jewish people receive purpose. Until Sinai, we were all dressed up with nowhere to go. On Passover we emerged from the confines of Egypt like the egg that drops out of the hen. But only at Sinai were we hatched and born properly. The message for us? Political freedom without spiritual freedom is an unhatched egg, incomplete. We may have been free and unfettered, but we were still spiritually lost and morally confused. Where I live, in South Africa, we understand this message very well. We have, thank G‑d, achieved political freedom in our beloved country. We’ve had 17 years of democracy with free and fair national elections. Everyone had a chance to cast their vote. But the fact is that most of our
population is still as impoverished as they were before. Yes, many more now have access to water, electricity and housing, but for the majority of the majority, their lives have been unaffected. Worse still, new freedoms bring new cultures, new lifestyles, and sadly, new decadence. Gone are old tribal values, and in their place is the empty, materialistic Western worship of all that is new and glitzy. We may be free from the oppression of the past, but we haven’t yet been provided with a coherent, wholesome infrastructure to help direct our aspirations. So, freedom itself is only half the story. What we do with our freedom—that is the question. We need a purpose in life, and we need a moral, spiritual infrastructure to help guide us in life. Otherwise we wander aimlessly through the wilderness, and our freedom remains undeveloped potential. Let’s not be unhatched eggs. Let us use our freedom wisely and achieve all our aspirations. Let us realize that Passover is but the beginning. Now we must consult the Torah to discover how to take maximum advantage of that freedom.
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Chabad of Rancho Mirage Chabad Community Seder As always, Chabad will be hosting Community Seders: a delicious, everything-from-scratch, homemade, genuine Pesach meal. Lots of singing, explanations of what we do, how we do it and why we do it - stimulation for the adult mind in addition to enjoying the interaction of the little ones. We start on time and end that way too. Good for the stomach and good for the soul. All are invited.
April 3 at 8:00 pm and April 4 at 8:15 pm. Affordably priced. Limited seating - 770-7785.
Yizkor Services
Yizkor will be recited on April 11 at approx 11:30 am
Farewell to Pesach
Join us on the last day of Pesach, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. for our annual traditional farewell, and Pesach delicacies. Feel the depth of niggun and share the Kaballists' vision of the final hours of Pesach.
RSVP 770-7785.
LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 17
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SELLING THE “CHOMETZ” The Torah forbids a Jew to own any chometz (bread, cake, beer, etc.) during Passover, so we sell all chometz (left after the search and burning) to a non-Jew, with a rabbi acting as our agent. The non-Jewish buyer gives a small deposit, and the balance becomes a guaranteed loan. The sale of chometz transaction is legally binding, but the buyer may return it and retrieve his deposit. Place all chometz utensils in a specific room or closet(s) to be sold, sealed with tape or lock, until after Passover.
SALE OF CHOMETZ FORM Please Print or Type
I (we*) (SELLER’S NAME) __________________________________________________ hereby authorize Rabbi Yosef Shusterman to dispose of all chometz in my (our) possession wherever it may be, at home, at my (our) place of business, or elsewhere - in accordance with the requirements of Jewish Law as incorporated in the special contract for the sale of Chometz. Resident Address: ___________________________________________________________ City: ______________________________________________________________________ Business Address: ____________________________________________________________ City: ______________________________________________________________________ Signature(s) _________________________________________________________________ * husband and wife, specify names. Must be signed by head of household and preferably all parties. Send to Rabbi Yosef Shusterman, 303 N. Wetherly, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 or fax to (310) 271-0411. Forms must reach us no later than Monday, March 30th, 2015. Responsibility cannot be accepted for forms received later. You can use the enclosed envelope to send this form along with your Purim donation. Thank you! LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 19
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DESERT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
The Desert Holocaust Memorial is located in the Palm Desert Civic Center Park at San Pablo Avenue & Fred Waring Drive. Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit this moving memorial, a place of remembrance and monument of hope.
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LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 21
Miracles Happen
By: Rabbi Eli Hecht, Chabad of the South Bay, California
In the Haggadah for Pesach we read, "Avodim hayenu l'paroh b'mitzraim." We were slaves to pharaoh in Egypt. "Veyotzaynu Hashem elokeynu mee shom byad chazakah o-bzroya netuya." Our Hashem Yisborech brought us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. The Chassidic rabbis tell us that when we read the Haggadah we must remember not only the past Mitzraim and the nissim, but we also must remember our personal Mitzraim and the nissim that Hashem performs for us in these times. Let me share a true story that happened to me a few years ago. Two days after Pesach I went to perform the mitzvah of Bikkur Cholim, visiting the sick, at a Catholic hospital. As I worked through my list of patients I came to a room in the hospital that had a medical caution sign on the door warning of an infectious disease. I put on a gown and mask and entered the room with much trepidation. There I saw a man named Morris looking very sick. After introducing myself as a Chabad chaplain I was amazed to hear the following. "Do you believe in Eliyahu Hanavi?" Asked the man. Without waiting for my answer he told me, "I have seen him." He had been sick for three years, spending most of his time going in and out of the hospital for treatment. During his illness his wife had died and since he had no family he had no visitors. The only person besides the doctors and nurses that would come to visit him was
the Catholic priest. Father McCormick would make it his duty to visit at least twice a week. Lately Father McCormick began speaking to him about death and salvation. Morris would never listen to the salvation part, but he really enjoyed speaking to the religious man as he had no other visitors. One day the priest, in good faith, asked Morris if he wanted to be saved. "You are dying. No one even comes to see you except me. Why don't you accept salvation?" This time Morris was greatly depressed. He told the priest to visit him the next day and he would give him an answer. That night Morris could not sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed. Should I give up my Yiddishkeit? After all nobody else comes to see me." Finally he made up his mind. If Hashem wants him to remain Jewish then Hashem should give him a sign that he cares. If the goyishe religion is correct, then let the goyishe religion give him a sign. In the middle of the night, at 12:30 a.m., Morris woke up in his bed. He was sweaty and cold all over. The moon light was shining into his room. The he looked up and there on the wall was a little crucifix from the other religion. Each hospital room has this icon hanging on the wall. Strangely the light from the moon shown directly over his bed unto the wall. It created a little circle, a halo, around the crucifix. Very frightened, he felt that the other religion had won. This must be a direct sign to give up Yiddishkeit and receive the goyishe salvation. Morris couldn't sleep. He just was so excited that he had received a direct answer. He couldn't wait to tell the priest of his extraordinary miracle. However, in his heart
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he still felt that it was wrong. He made a new deal with Hashem. If he was to remain as a Jew until his last breath, then it was up to Hashem to perform a miracle, to show him a sign and to prove the other sign wrong! The next morning was Erev Pesach. At 8:00 a.m. there was a knock at the door. A man came in saying the following, "I realize that you may be in the hospital this Seder night. Here is some hand-made shmurah matzoh for your mitzvah. I can't really speak to you as I barely have enough time to see the many other patients. But let me wish you a refuah sheleima - a full recovery." And with that the man left. Can you imagine the nes, the miracle, this man had. He thought he saw Eliyahu Hanavi. What he really saw was a Chabad rabbi, visiting as many hospitals as possible to share the shmurah matzah - the "Meychal De-Hemnusa," Bread of Faith, as called by the Zohar Hakodesh. "Ve He She'amda Lavoseynu....... Ve Hakodesh Boruch Hu Matzelenu Meyodom" This promise has stood by our fathers and us. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, rescues us from their hand. What Morris forgot to notice was that the hospital rooms on the north side always had the moonlight shining in. As the Jewish month increases, the moonlight becomes brighter. This happens every month and the crucifix gets lit up by the moon's light. So there is no miracle. It's very rare, indeed, to have a Chabad rabbi bring matzoh to you on the day you want to give up your Yiddishkeit. Now that's a miracle! Our sages declared: "The person to whom the miracle happens does not realize that a miracle has taken place." A Happy Passover to you!
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recipes
Easy Pot Roast By Zakah Glaser
3 lb. beef roast 1 1/2 C. water 1 tsp. black pepper 2 onions, chopped 2 bay leaves 1 C. canned, undrained crushed tomatoes 4 carrots, diced 4 stalks celery, diced 2 turnips, diced 4 T. fresh parsley or 4 tsp. dried parsley 1/2 tsp. dried thyme Place all ingredients in a large baking dish and cover. Cook at 350*F for 3 hours.
1 pound carrots 6 sweet potatoes 1/2 cup pitted prunes (optional) 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup honey or brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 2 Tbsp. margarine 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained 1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
Peel carrots and cut into 1-inch slices. Peel and slice sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch slices. In a 3-quart saucepan cook carrots and sweet potatoes in boiling, salted water to cover, until tender but firm. Drain carrots and sweet potatoes and place in 3-quart casserole with prunes. Combine gently.
Crunchy Coated Baked Apples
Preheat oven to 350. Mix orange juice, honey, salt and cinnamon. Pour evenly over casserole. Dot top with margarine. Bake covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, stir gently, add pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges and bake another 10 minutes.
Each apple is one serving, but most people will want more than one serving of this one!
Variation: cook ingredients listed, in pot, using juice from pineapple and mandarin oranges in place of water. USE: 3-quart saucepan and 3-quart casserole. YIELDS: 8 servings
By Tamar Ansh
6–8 medium green apples, peeled 1½ cup crushed walnuts or almonds, or a mix of both ¼ cup sugar 1 packet vanilla sugar oil, as needed white raisins, optional Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Peel and core each apple. In a bowl, mix together the crushed nuts, sugar, and vanilla sugar. Brush each apple gently with a bit of oil. Roll each apple into the nut mixture. Line a small baking pan with baking paper. Stand up the coated apples in the pan. When they are all ready, spoon a bit of the nut mixture into the center of each apple's hole. You may choose to add several golden raisins to each apple's center as well. Place the pan into the oven and bake for about 45–55 minutes, checking them after the first 45 minutes. They are done when they are soft.
Baked Salmon w/Pineapple-Grapefruit Salsa By Jack Silberstein
10 5oz salmon fillets, skin off 2 Tb lemon juice 3 Tb olive oil 1 Tb salt 1 pineapple, peeled and diced small 2 grapefruits, cut into segments 1 small red onion, diced small 2 Tb grapefruit juice ¼ tsp salt
Chicken Soup II
1-3 pound chicken, quartered 2 potatoes 2 onions 5 carrots 1 sweet potato water to cover 2 tablespoons salt Peel all vegetables. Slice carrots and chunk potatoes. Place chicken and vegetables in 6quart pot. Add salt and water to cover. Bring to boil. Lower flame and simmer an additional 1 1/4 hours. Serve with Passover noodles or Fluffy Egg Drops.
Bubby's Potato Kugel By Tamar Ansh
1/3 cup olive oil 2 onions 10 large potatoes, peeled 7 eggs 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper Preheat the oven to 375˚F / 190˚C. Pour the oil into a 9x13-inch pan and place the pan in the oven to preheat. In a food processor, puree the onions. Change to the grating blade and grate the potatoes into the onions. Empty this into a large bowl, without draining off the liquid. Add the eggs, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix well with the potatoes and onions. Remove the pan from the oven and slowly pour in the kugel batter. Be careful because the oil can splatter. Bake for 1½ hours, loosely covering the kugel with foil if it starts to get too brown on top.
While salmon is baking, combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well.
Stovetop: Either use two large frying pans or only make half of the recipe at a time. The batter will not fit into one frying pan. Prepare the kugel batter as instructed in the oven method. Omit preheating the oil. Then heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high flame. Pour the batter into the frying pan, reduce the flame to medium, and cook it about ½ hour until it is nicely browned on the bottom. Turn the kugel over and cook it on the second side for another 20 minutes, or until it is done. Serves 10–12
To serve, top salmon with salsa. Yields: 10 servings
NOTE: Potato kugels cut best after they have been refrigerated several hours or overnight. Kugel freezes well — just make sure to wrap it airtight. After defrosting, reheat the kugel again for another 20 minutes so it will taste fresh.
Place salmon on a baking sheet. Season with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Bake in a pre-heated 350° oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Happy PASSOVER
Sweet Potato & Carrot Tzimmes
24 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
BURNING of the CHOMETZ
Burning of the Chometz Ceremony Friday, April 3, 2015 • 11:00 am Please call the Bikur Cholim for more information at 760-325-8076 Bring your Chometz! The First Passover Seder will be on Friday Night • April 3rd, 2015
LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 25
Elijah’s Cup
"I know," answered Chaim wearily, shaking his head. His heart felt heavy at the thought of his changed fortune.
Once upon a time, in a small townlet in Eastern Europe, there lived a poor woodcutter named Chaim. Although he was poor he was held in respect as a good, honest Jew.
True, the sum he gave yearly to the Maot Chittim Fund had not been large, but it was a nice sum considering his modest means. And the fact that he contributed always gave him a good feeling, knowing what a big Mitzvah it was. And now? What now?
By Nissan Mindel Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society
He made a very modest living by going into the nearby woods, chopping branches and gathering dry twigs which he brought home in his wheelbarrow. He would then tie the wood into bundles, ready for sale. His best season was, of course, winter, when his customers needed the wood for heating their homes as well as for cooking purposes. For his winter trips to the woods he used a home made sled which usually served his purpose. However, in that particular winter there was such a severe snowstorm which continued day after day without let up, that the roads were all piled high with snowdrifts, and Chaim was completely housebound. It was absolutely impossible for him to venture out with his small sled. So Chaim stayed home, trying not to worry, while his worried wife Breina nagged him unceasingly, to add to his misery. "Don't you know that your competitors, the peasants, will now take advantage of your absence and come into town on their big sleds, bringing enough wood to supply your customers with all their needs for the winter?" she ranted. "So what can I do about it?" protested poor Chaim. "You know the situation as well as I. It's just our bad luck. All we can do is hope for the best." "And what about Passover that will soon be upon us?" continued Breina. "We haven't any money even for matza and wine, not to mention fish or meat." "The Almighty will surely help us to celebrate the wonderful festival of Passover in a worthy manner. He will not forsake us," said Chaim in a confident voice, and returned to his Tehillim. Chaim was no big sage, but he loved to devote all his spare time to his precious Tehillim book (Psalms). As Breina continued to nag her husband, he emitted a deep sigh. "Sighing won't conjure up for us matzos and wine; not even potatoes!" she hurled at him. "Why don't you do as other poor Jews do before Passover? I'm sure the Gabbai will not refuse you a share in Maos Chittim in which you yourself always contribute every year."
26 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775
"Well Chaim?" Breina cut in on his thoughts. "Why so silent? What about my suggestion?" "I shall not accept charity," replied Chaim firmly. "Really! Then tell me how your stubborn pride is going to provide us with our needs for Passover? Think of our children, if you don't choose to think of yourself or me!
"Heavens forbid," retorted Chaim, "it's out of the question." The night before Passover Chaim got busy with "Bedikas Chometz." He went through his small abode searching carefully for chometz, though there was little chance he'd find any left. He then went to the Rav to "sell" his Chometz. "Do you have any flour left? asked the Rav. "No, Rabbi," answered Chaim. "Any cereals?" "No, Rabbi," again replied Chaim. "Any Chometzdige utensils?" "Yes, Rabbi, we have a few pots and pans." The Rabbi then wrote Chaim's name on his list and concluded the "sale" in the required manner.
Chaim did not reply immediately. Then he slowly said: "Do you know if there is anything in the house that we can sell or pawn?" Breina burst out in derisive laughter.
As Chaim still remained standing, the Rabbi asked him: "Rabbi Chaim, is there something you wish to ask me?" "Yes, Rabbi," said Chaim, shuffling his feet nervously. "I was wondering . . . Can you tell me if the Torah permits one to use milk instead of wine for the 'Arba Kossot' (the four cups of wine) at the Seder?"
"You know full well that we pawned my silver candlesticks long ago, and we sold our pillows and blankets. The only thing left is our Poverty, and I hardly think you'll find any ready customers for that!" she ended bitterly, bursting into tears.
The Rabbi looked thoughtful as he slowly began to stroke his silver white beard. So poor Chaim was not only lacking in wine for Passover but apparently he had no meat either, otherwise he would not be talking about using milk at the Seder.
Chaim felt so downhearted; he turned for comfort to his Tehillim. Suddenly he realized that his wife was tugging at his sleeve. She had stopped crying and was talking to him in quite a subdued voice.
Who knows? Maybe he did not even have fish or matza? And not a word of complaint. Why couldn't he have turned to the Maos Chittim Fund if he was in such great need? The answer is obvious: he was ashamed to ask for charity.
"You know, Chaim there is something of value we still own. We still have Elijah's silver wine cup. Don't you think you should pawn it so that we can at least buy matza, wine and potatoes?" "Do you know what you are saying?" exclaimed Chaim. "What sort of a Seder could we celebrate worthily without Elijah's goblet?"
"See here, Reb Chaim," the Rabbi said, as he opened his drawer and began searching for something. "You have given me a hard question to answer, and I have no time right now to look into the matter; it is too close to Yom Tov. Do me a favor and wait until after Passover, by which time I will have had an opportunity to study the problem. Meanwhile, here is some money which I give you on loan. Go and buy wine and whatever else you need for Yom Tov; the money is lying here doing no good over Yom Tov anyway. You'll give it back to me at your convenience. Don't worry; I'm not worried. I know you to be an honest man. Go in peace, I wish you and your wife and family a kosher, joyful Yom Tov!"
"Look Chaim, don't get so excited. Elijah will surely understand and it will not stop him from coming to our house at Seder time as always." "Breina, I cannot do it! Imagine when Elijah comes to us and his wine cup is missing! What will it look like? No, I'll not do this to Elijah. G-d will show us a way out of our problem. We can depend on Him." Suddenly a thought struck Chaim. "The goat!" he called out softly, as if afraid the goat might hear. "Breina, listen. Perhaps we should sell our goat?" "Are you out of your mind?" yelled Breina hysterically. "The goat is our only means of sustenance! Where else will we get milk for our little ones? Look, Elijah's cup gives us no milk, sell that!"
Chaim expressed his gratitude to the Rabbi and hurried off to the Matza Bakery which was still open. He bought a plentiful supply of matzos and also managed to buy wine. With a light heart he rushed home, and as he entered he called out gaily. "Breinale! Good Yom Tov! Look what I've brought!"
"What do you mean `Good Yom Tov'?" his wife asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she came towards him. "Yom Tov is tomorrow." "For me it is already Yom Tov, dear wife. Look, we have matza, wine, and money for the herbs and all else we need for fine Sedorim and a wonderful Yom Tov!" Breina thought her husband was either not in his right mind or was day dreaming. But she opened her eyes wide, and became fully awake as she saw the matza, the wine and the money. This was no dream, but beautiful reality! "I told you that the Almighty would take care of us and our needs," said Chaim as he told her what had taken place at the Rabbi's house. "You see, Breina, we still have Elijah's silver goblet, we did not have to sell the goat, and still we'll have a regal Seder! We surely have a merciful G-d in Heaven!" Chaim, Breina and their children really had a Seder which, in all their lives, they had never enjoyed as much. When Breina went to the door with a candle in her hand to open the door for Elijah she beheld an old Jew standing there. "Good Yom Tov," he said. At first she was somewhat startled, but his gentle voice and manner reassured her and
she invited him in. Chaim recognized him as someone he had seen in Shul that evening; must be a stranger passing through town and "stranded" somehow. Chaim invited him to join them at the Seder, but the stranger said he could only stay a while as he had already been invited elsewhere. As the guest sat at the table his glance fell admiringly on Elijah's goblet, which Breina had polished until it sparkled and shone. "What a lovely wine cup!" he said. "May your Mazal shine and sparkle like this goblet!" After chatting with Chaim for a little while longer, he got up, excused himself and left. The following day Chaim looked in Shul for the stranger. He wanted to invite him to join him for the second Seder. When he could not see him anywhere he began to ask if anyone had seen the venerable stranger, but all looked at Chaim wonderingly. "What stranger? There's been no stranger here!" "What do you mean? I had this man, with the face of an angel, at my Seder table." Chaim turned to the Rav. "Tell me Rabbi, did you see the stranger?" "Surely," answered the Rabbi. "He visited me too. In fact he visits every Jewish home at the Seder, but not everyone has the
merit to see him. You, obviously are worthy." After Passover, the snow long forgotten, Chaim again took his wheelbarrow and went into the woods to gather wood and twigs. He filled the wheelbarrow and set off for home. But the load must have been heavier than usual for the wheels got stuck in the soft soil and refused to budge. Chaim tugged and pushed; all to no avail. Reluctantly he began to throw away some of the wood he had gathered, to lighten the load. He gave a sudden push and out shot the wheels! Say, what was that thing shining there? He bent down and, to and behold, a shining golden coin met his astonished gaze! He quickly began digging in the same spot, and out came a rotting bag, spilling out its contents a whole lot of lovely, glittering golden coins! A veritable fortune! From that time on, no more was Chaim "poor Chaim," but his Mazal shone for him and his family, as did Elijah's precious goblet at their Seder table.
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For more information regarding our practice at Platt Law Group, and to schedule a free initial consultation, contact us online or by calling 310-893-3700. LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • APRIL 2015/ NISSAN 5775 n 27
PASSOVER 2015
Candle Lighting Times for Palm Springs, California DATE
Friday, March 27th Friday, April 3rd Saturday, April 4th Thursday, April 9th Friday, April 10th Saturday, April 11th Saturday, April 11th
TIME
BLESSING
6:21 PM 1 6:26 PM 3&4 After 7:52 PM 2&4 6:30 PM 2 6:31 PM 3 Yizkor Yom Tov Ends 7:57 PM
BLESSINGS
1
BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VOTAV VETZI-VA-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL SHA-BBAT KO-DESH. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Shabbat.
2
BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL YOM TOV. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Yom Tov light.
3
BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VOTAV VETZI-VA-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL SHA-BBAT VE-SHEL YOM TOV. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Shabbat and Yom Tov light.
4
BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM SHE-HECHE-YA-NU VE-KI-YE-MA-NU VE-HIGI-A-NU LIZ-MAN HA-ZEH. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
IMPORTANT TIMES
Search for Chometz: Thursday April 2nd, After 7:52 PM Finish Eating Chometz: Friday April 3rd, 10:43 AM Burn Chometz by: Friday April 3rd, 11:46 AM For Candle Lighting times anywhere in the World, Please visit our website www.BikurCholimPS.com & click on 'Calendar' for your own times.
About Eruv Tavshilin By Eliyahu Kitov
An Eruv Tavshilin is a halachic device which allows one to cook food on the Festival for use on the Shabbat that immediately follows. To allow one to cook on the Festival for use on Shabbat, one must prepare an eruv tavshilin which serves as a reminder that the cooking done on the Festival is for Shabbat only. This eruv consists of a matzah and something cooked, for example, a boiled egg or a piece of fish, and is prepared before the onset of the Festival. It symbolically serves as the beginning of the preparation of food for Shabbat. Thus, any subsequent cooking done on the Festival is considered to be a continuation of the preparation begun before the Festival. In the Diaspora, if the first two days of a Festival fall on a Thursday and Friday, one must prepare an eruv tavshilin on the afternoon before a Festival so that one can cook on the Festival for Shabbat the first of the intermediate days. It should be noted that in Israel, one need never prepare an eruv tavshilin on the day before a Festival since the first day of a Festival never falls on a Friday. It is possible, however, for the last day of a Festival to fall on a Friday. Thus, in Israel as well, there are times when one would have to prepare an eruv tavshilin on the last of the intermediate days.
Eruv Tavshilin Instructions By Eliyahu Kitov
Take a plate with one whole matzah or one whole challah if performing the ceremony before Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot or Shavuot and either a piece of cooked fish, cooked meat or a hard-boiled egg on it, (it is a good idea to wrap the matzah/ challah and fish, meat or egg in aluminum foil to easily keep them apart from the rest of the foods in your home). Recite the following blessing: BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HAOLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VANU AL MITZVAT ERUV. Then recite: “By virtue of this Eruv, we (the members of this household), shall be permitted to cook, bake, keep food warm, carry, light candles and do all preparations on Yom Tov for Shabbat.” Put the foods you used for the Eruv away, and eat them on Shabbat. NOTE: The Eruv Tavshilin allows you to cook on Friday only for Shabbat, it does not allow you to cook from one day of the holiday to the next (ie: Thursday for Friday). It is permissible to cook only from a pre-existent flame, one that was lit before the onset of the Holiday on Wednesday before sunset.