Contributors

Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Did the Rabbis not know it was time for the Shma?

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Rabbi Hillel - Zadie offers his interpretation of this story about fighting back and being strong. There is no way that these most prominent rabbis did not know when it was time to say shacharit? So why do their disciplines come and say it is time to say shacharit? Instead, this is secret code from the discipline telling the rabbis that is time to start the rebellion and to fight. Sara

The 10 Plagues from My Jewish Learning

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

PASSOVER The Ten Plagues Of blood, frogs, hail and more. BY RABBI JACOBS One of the most dramatic moments of the Passover seder comes with the recitation of the 10 plagues that, the Bible says, God brought on the Egyptians to persuade Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery. As we recite each plague, we spill a drop of wine in recognition, according to many interpretations, that the process of our liberation caused suffering to the Egyptian people. Though it’s one...

-- Four Children

The Four Children

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

The Four Questions page from the Arthur Szyk's 1935 Haggadah. (Wikimedia Commons) Answering the Four Children What to make of the wise, wicked, simple, and silent children at the seder BY RABBI SPITZER Four children came to seder . One was wise, one was wicked, one was simple, and one was silent. It was seder night at long last. The family gathered around the table, and Zayde (Grandpa, in Yiddish) began reading the Haggadah . Suddenly one child was heard to...

Maggid - Beginning

Ha Lachma Anya

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Credit:Understanding ‘Ha Lachma Anya’ By Rabbi Raphael Fuchs - 7 Nisan 5775 – March 26, 2015 In most texts of the Haggadah, Magid commences with the paragraph Ha lachma anya. In this Aramaic text we recite, “Kol dichfin yeisei veyaichol – whoever is hungry come and eat.” For several reasons, this is a rather peculiar statement to make before beginning the mitzvah of sipur yetzias Mitzrayim. First, the Gemara in Taanis (20b) says that Rav Huna would make this very statement...

-- Four Questions

different commentary on 4 questions

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Focus on Questions Questions are essential to the Seder. They must therefore be asked even when no child is present. For example, even at a Seder attended only by two Torah scholars proficient in the laws of Passover, one scholar must ask the other. One who is alone asks the questions to himself. (Talmud, Pesachim 116a) What is the point of asking oneself the questions? The mitzvah tonight is to tell the story to another person. By asking yourself the questions,...

Yachatz

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Questions and Answers on Yachatz — Breaking the Middle Matzah By Moshe Bogomilsky "יחץ" “Breaking the matzah.” QUESTION: What is the reason for breaking the middle matzah? ANSWER: The matzah is broken before reciting the Haggadah because the recital is to be over lechem oni — bread of poverty — (the poor can afford only a broken piece — Pesachim 115b). The broken piece is between the two whole matzot because the blessing of Hamotzi is to be recited over a...

Karpas

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Shutterstock Karpas are fresh green vegetables — normally parsley — which are placed on the Seder plate. They symbolize the freshness of spring, as well as the harshness and slavery endured by the Hebrews. They are dipped in the salt water before being eaten.

Why Four Cups of Wine

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Why four cups of wine by the seder? By Naftali Silberberg Wine is considered a royal drink, one that symbolizes freedom. It is the appropriate beverage for the nights when we celebrate our freedom from Egyptian bondage. Many reasons are given for drinking four cups of wine. Here are some of them: When promising to deliver the Jews from Egyptian slavery, G‑d used four terms to describe the redemption (Exodus 6:6-8): a) "I shall take you out..." b) "I shall rescue ...

Taubenfeld Family Haggadah 2020

Taubenfeld Family Haggadah 2020

by Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

Taubenfeld Family Haggadah 2020

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