Why is Pesach (Passover) 7 days? We have the first night seder meal, and then the next day (the first day of Pesach), we leave Egypt. Done. Why drag it out? The only thing I can think is that there must be something that happens on the 7th day that is at least as important. Let’s see… according to the Torah, we leave Egypt and travel 3 days and then turn around and back-track for 3 days until we come … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) was made for all the musicians in the audience. In it we find Miriam striking up the band as we sing the song of freedom after crossing through the Yam Soof (Sea of Reeds). However, I am getting a little ahead of myself. First, we’ve got to get there, and then we can sing, and then continue on our merry (?) journey to a date with the divine itself. Our parsha starts out by reminding … Continue reading
Hello and welcome to the Thursday Shmooze. We haven’t had one for the last few weeks because of Passover, but now that the holydays have passed, it is time to shmooze! This week a friend brought me an interesting question. It starts with the end of Passover; specifically the splitting of the sea. Now according to the midrash, there was a man named Nachshom who was the first to walk into the sea. The water got up to his nose … Continue reading