TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN Inside ETZetera April 2016 Adar II/Nisan 5776 TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ COMMUNITY 3 CHAIM Passover Schedule FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAV6 Contributions ERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ Rabbi Richard Spiegel CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP 7 Passover Guide rabbi@templeetzchaim.org TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH 11 Upcoming Events n a few weeks, we will be celebrating our beautiful spring festival of Passover. Once again, we will tell the RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM story of the Jewish people gaining our freedom from Egyptian slavery long ago. We will gather around the LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH Seder table and we will enjoy rituals and customs that make Passover such an endearing holiday. To slightly HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIEND- alter a well-known question, “how is this Passover different from all other Passovers?” This year, The Committee SHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TO- of Laws and Standards of the Rabbinic Assembly (the body that determines halachic (Jewish legal) standards for RAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TO- the Conservative/Masorti movement) has determined that kitnyot (legumes) may be eaten for Passover by all Jews. DAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN Why did this happen and what does it mean? OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN 1. Kitnyot (legumes)—i.e. beans, rice, corn, and products derived from these foods—have always been permitted TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH during Passover by Jewish law. In Talmudic times (70 BCE-500 CE), all Jews ate them and Sephardic Jews have TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARN- until this day. Sometime in the Middle Ages, a custom developed for Ashkenazic Jews not to eat legumes. There are ING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAV- many explanations given for this, but no one really knows the reason this custom developed. Regardless, it has been ERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ the case for several hundred years and has clearly taken on a life of its own. CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP 2. In Israel, where many Ashkenazic Jews (Jews originally from Europe) marry Sephardic Jews (Jews originally TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH from the Middle East), the conflict between the two customs is more of an issue. We are no longer divided by RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COM- geography. MUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM 3. In addition, today there are more observant Jews who are vegan or vegetarian. For them, not eating beans for LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ eight days is a hardship as it is a key source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. If it is not really illegal (eating CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP legumes on Passover is not like eating bread on Passover which is forbidden), than the questions arises: why should TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING TORAH we make people suffer on a joyous holiday? In the end, each of us has to decide what we will observe. The decision FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM COM- by the Committee of Laws and Standards has clearly permitted that those who desire, may enjoy rice, corn, and MUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM beans at their Seder and beyond. Others may feel that the custom of not eating legumes has been with us a long time LEARNING TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH and they don’t want to veer from it. They deserve to be respected for this observance and commitment. HAVERIM TODAH RABAH TEMPLE Above all, I hope that however we each decide on this matter, each of us will have a meaningful and inspiring ETZ CHAIM COMMUNITY FRIENDSHIP TIKKUN OLAM LEARNING Passover holiday. Linda joins me in wishing you a happy, healthy, Kosher Passover. TORAH FUN TZEDAKAH HAVERIM 1080 E. Janss Rd. Thousand Oaks Ca 91360 (805) 497-6891 www.templeetzchaim.org TODAH RABAH TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM
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