The fourteenth day of the month of Iyar is Pesach Sheini, the "Second Passover." When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, this day served as a "second chance" for those who were unable to bring the Passover offering on the eve of the "first" Passover one month earlier, the 14th of Nissan.
Today, we mark and commemorate the date by eating matzah (in the same way that we eat the afikoman-matzah at the Passover seder in remembrence of the Passover offering).
In the 9th chapter of Numbers, the Torah relates the circumstances that led to the institution of the Second Passover. On the 1st of Nissan in the year 2449 from creation (1312 bce), two weeks before the first anniversary of the Exodus,
G-d spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert ... saying: "The children of Israel should prepare the Passover [offering] at its appointed time. On the fourteenth of this month, in the afternoon ... in accordance with all its decrees and laws...."
There were, however, certain persons who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body and therefore could not prepare the Passover offering on that day. They approached Moses and Aaron ... and they said: "...Why should we be deprived, and not be able to present G-ds offering in its time, amongst the children of Israel?"
And Moses said to them: "Wait here, and I will hear what G-d will command concerning you."
And G-d spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: Any person who is contaminated by death, or is on a distant road, whether among you now or in future generations, shall prepare a Passover offering to G-d. They shall prepare it on the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the second month, and shall eat it with matzahs and bitter herbs...." (Numbers 9:1-12)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
story for pesach
The Story of Our Lives
By Mendy Herson
Children love stories.
Adults too.
After all, stories are a special vehicle of learning and communication.
What is a story? A story takes a series of individual events, conflicts, twists and turns and weaves them into a symmetrical whole.
There's a guiding theme. There are lines of causality drawn between seemingly unrelated goings-on. There's a rhythm and balance.
It's a story.
Which brings us to Passover. At the Seder, our questions are answered through the Haggadah, which translates from Hebrew as "the telling"; the telling of the story.
Whether we recognize it or not, we yearn for freedomThe Haggadah weaves together historical facts to compose a narrative. It's a story of an imperfect people who suffer great challenges. These people recognize that they are never alone, because they have a G‑d who cares. With that recognition, they turn to – and place their trust in – the Divine, and ultimately achieve freedom.
In a nutshell, that's the body of the Haggadah.
It's a story of our ancestors.
And it's a story of our own. Because we're still not free.
We may not be slaves in the conventional sense, but we're controlled by impulses, appetites, temper, etc.; we're still trapped in ourselves, our habits and our patterns.
And, whether we recognize it or not, we yearn for freedom. So we have the gift of Passover.
The Exodus was just the beginning. This historically critical event is much more than an event. It's the force of Freedom in life, a Divine energy waiting to be tapped, especially on the Seder night.
But we need to unlock this energy. And a primary key is: The story.
In the story – our story – we recognize that we're on a human journey filled with many "Egypts." In the story – our story – we recognize that we live this journey for a higher purpose. In the story – our story – we recognize that there is ultimately a symmetry to the narrative of our lives, and that transcending the Egypts is the only way to our internal Promised Land.
At the Seder, we recognize that each life is a unique and precious story, and that we are co-authors of our individual narratives.
At the Seder we resolve to guide our life's script in a transcendent, liberated direction, and we trust in our Author above to give us the strength we'll need.
It's Passover. Attend a Seder. Hear your story. Visualize the coming chapters.
Now live them.
copy from Chabad.org
By Mendy Herson
Children love stories.
Adults too.
After all, stories are a special vehicle of learning and communication.
What is a story? A story takes a series of individual events, conflicts, twists and turns and weaves them into a symmetrical whole.
There's a guiding theme. There are lines of causality drawn between seemingly unrelated goings-on. There's a rhythm and balance.
It's a story.
Which brings us to Passover. At the Seder, our questions are answered through the Haggadah, which translates from Hebrew as "the telling"; the telling of the story.
Whether we recognize it or not, we yearn for freedomThe Haggadah weaves together historical facts to compose a narrative. It's a story of an imperfect people who suffer great challenges. These people recognize that they are never alone, because they have a G‑d who cares. With that recognition, they turn to – and place their trust in – the Divine, and ultimately achieve freedom.
In a nutshell, that's the body of the Haggadah.
It's a story of our ancestors.
And it's a story of our own. Because we're still not free.
We may not be slaves in the conventional sense, but we're controlled by impulses, appetites, temper, etc.; we're still trapped in ourselves, our habits and our patterns.
And, whether we recognize it or not, we yearn for freedom. So we have the gift of Passover.
The Exodus was just the beginning. This historically critical event is much more than an event. It's the force of Freedom in life, a Divine energy waiting to be tapped, especially on the Seder night.
But we need to unlock this energy. And a primary key is: The story.
In the story – our story – we recognize that we're on a human journey filled with many "Egypts." In the story – our story – we recognize that we live this journey for a higher purpose. In the story – our story – we recognize that there is ultimately a symmetry to the narrative of our lives, and that transcending the Egypts is the only way to our internal Promised Land.
At the Seder, we recognize that each life is a unique and precious story, and that we are co-authors of our individual narratives.
At the Seder we resolve to guide our life's script in a transcendent, liberated direction, and we trust in our Author above to give us the strength we'll need.
It's Passover. Attend a Seder. Hear your story. Visualize the coming chapters.
Now live them.
copy from Chabad.org
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