Category: Pesach
Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith http://youtu.be/PXDK6FdOlB8
Blessing over the trees http://youtu.be/J9LN5L9w580
Our departure from Mitzrayim opened up the locked gates that withheld our personal and national freedom. This happened thousands of years ago, notwithstanding we experienced many other tragic exiles and destructions. When the Maharal of Prague ( 1520-1609) was asked by the people that lived in his generation what the reason was of thanking Hashem for taking us out of Egypt since they lived under the subjection of Edom he answered them that when Am Yisrael left Egypt behind we were able to recognize in ourselves the special Divine traits Hashem bestowed upon us as being the Chosen People. This, the Maharal explained had nothing to do with the turn of events, chance world events and occurrences. At yitziat Mitzrayim the true character of a free people destined to serve Hashem and the Torah in the eventual legacy of the land of Israel became distinguished. This was something that could never be uprooted or removed forever. Our integrity and constant cleaving to this mission has been the internal redeeming feature that has given us the strength to have survived the atrocities placed upon us by the ones that negate our identity. We have never broken but stood as watchmen on the wall knowing our exile was only a temporary occurrence. We believe in and wait for redemption even as it is unfolding right now.
Now it’s closer for we don’t only stand on the walls of Prague but stand on The Wall watching and waiting. We hear foreign sounds, sounds that call for the end of our dream even from here in Israel. But the walls are tumbling down as our people are being collected from the four corners of the world and return home. Yitziat Mitzrayim is not just some nostalgic event that took place in the far past but it is stamped into our consciousness as the power of mind over matter that pushes us indeed towards true liberty granted by G-d to be a sovereign nation in the land. At yitziat mitzrayim we acquired the keynote of faith and loyalty to goodness, to Hashem deep in our souls forever through time.
Mitzrayim means a narrow place. That narrow place way in the back of our minds reminding us of who we really are is made open in this special time of Nissan, the time of our deliverance. Hashem, make it wide and let my people go!
Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Shabbat Cholo Moed Pesach April 2, 2010
Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
It is an ancient custom to read the Song of Songson Shabbat Cholo Moed Pesach. The Song of Songs is described by the great Rabbi Akiva, the holy of holies. Why does Rabbi Akiva place this song above all others? Rashi, in his introduction to his commentary on the Song of Songs gives us a very profound insight into why this song is deemed the holiest of all. Rashi explains that King Solomon saw in a prophetic vision, the Jewish Nation destined to suffer two exiles and two destructions. In their exile they will mourn as they recollect upon their previous relationship with Hashem while they were living as G-d’s chosen people in the land of Israel. They will say “let us go and return to our first husband.” They will repent over their sins that brought them out of the land and will remember Hashem’s kindness and the good that He promised them at the end of days. In this background, with Divine inspiration, King Solomon wrote the Song of Songs portraying a widow desiring to return to her husband as she recalls the love they shared as youngsters and admits to her sins that caused their separation. At the same time her husband feels her sorrow and remembers her kindness, beauty, and talent that first brought them together and bounded them with a burning love and informs her that this separation is not a separation for she still is his wife and he her husband and he is destined to return to her.
There are those that look upon this holy song with secular eyes not being able to see the true depth of it thus putting it on the bookshelf with other love songs. Harav Avraham Isaac Kook zt”l calls such people cross-eyed midgets that are crawling around the lowest level of stones of a fortified tower on a hill and measure the tower’s height that reaches the clouds with a mere outstretch of their short arms. They say that Rabbi Akiva called the Song of Songs the holy of holies because of his personal love story with the daughter of Kalba Savua, Rachel, and therefore it meant so much for him. Rav Kook continues that those with pure hearts will see Rabbi Akiva in his greatness. Rabbi Akiva that laughs when he sees a fox come out of the holy of holies in the temple, because as the love of G-D flowed from the depths of his heart the future was close to his uplifted soul as he pictured Rome an its pagan ways dissipate and vanish giving way to the light of Zion that will shine forever. It was Rabbi Akiva that while the Romans were combing his flesh with combs of iron was able to say “all my life I remorse over the verse that one must serve G-D with all his soul when will such an opportunity come to my hands and I will do it in his dying breath. Rabbi Akiva was able to utter the Shema Yisrael and his soul left his body while saying the word one (Achad)! Only Rabbi Akiva can say that the entire world is not worthy as the day that the Song of Song was given to Israel for all the scriptures are holy but the song of song is the holy of holies!
As we read the Song of Songs in this very generation of the bride being returned to her husband, we merit the witnessing of the fruition of prophesy. We have to be able to discern what is really happening today, and uncover all the husks that are trying to cover over this reality. The light of the Holy Land, of it’s people returned to her, will overcome all obstacles.
“Many waters cannot extinguish the love, neither can the floods drown it.”Song of Songs 8:7
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
Shabbat HaGadol- Pesach March 26, 2010
Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
The Shabbat before the holiday of Pesach is known as Shabbat Hagadol, the great Shabbat. Many explanations have been given by our sages as to the reason this Shabbat is called “Hagadol”. The famous Rabbi Yaakov Ben Asher (1269-1343) in his Tur Shulchan Aruch writes “The Shabbat before Pesach is called Shabbat Hagadol because of the miracle that occurred on it. That Shabbat, the Shabbat of leaving Egypt, took place on the tenth of Nissan. That same day the Jewish people were commanded to take a lamb, the very animal that was worshipped by the Egyptians, and to tie it to their beds preparing to offer it to G-D on the 14 day of Nissan. The Egyptians observing this then asked the Jews – “What you are doing?” The Jews answered that they are preparing to offer their lamb to Hashem. The Egyptians were grinding their teeth and churning their stomachs in anger but were not able to do anything to prevent this Pesach sacrifice from taking place. The great miracle was that the Jewish people, although a slave nation, nevertheless, were able to find the courage to overcome their fears and defy the evil Egyptians their tormentors and say – “We are going to slaughter your false gods.”
An insight into this unique event is that the Jewish nation was on the way to leave the world of slavery to serve Hashem in complete freedom! The Egyptian world power was entrenched totally in idolatry and lust. The Jewish slave nation that they oppressed and held hostage were holding within them the light of G-D which was waiting to shine forth. As we all know from our prophets, the Jewish nation has an important function in this world to be a light unto the nations. Am Yisrael didn’t waste any time in fulfilling this mission on their last four days as slaves, they were commanded in practicing out this mission in Egypt when they took the Egyptian idols and tied them to their bed posts. They were declaring to the Egyptians that they must stop this idol worship and worship only Hashem!
Idol worship can be defined as any worship that focuses their worship to a creation and not to the Creator. The Egyptians, instead of worshiping Hashem, were worshiping His animals. Throughout history the nations of the world have replaced the Egyptain lambs with other forms of pagan idolatry as we know many have turned man into a god. The Talmud in the tractate of Sanhedrin brings down in the name of Rabbi Nechemaya that the generation of the coming of the Messiah the nations of the world will become heretics. The famous Jewish commentator Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abbarbanel (1437-1508) explains that the Talmud is teaching us that the gentiles of the world will rebel against their own religions. They will no longer accept their pagan ways and will truly seek the truth. They will turn to the Jewish nation for guidance. We must be there to reach out to them and show them the proper way. This is a process which is taking place right now throughout the world and will eventually lead to Hashem being the one G-D for all the nations. ” And Hashem will be king over all the earth; in that day the G-D will be the only one, and His name the only one.” Zachariah 14:9
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
The Talmud refers to Nissan as the month of liberation. “In Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nissan we will be redeemed.” (Rosh Hashanah 11a) The result of this emancipation is expressed by the meaning behind the word “Peh-sach” – talking mouth. The central mitzvah of this month of Nissan takes place on the seder night when we actively tell of the Exodus. We read from the Haggadah – the book that talks and tells. If Rosh Hashanah has us listening to the shofar, Sukkot sitting in the sukkah, Chanukah looking at the candles, Purim drinking wine and making merry; then Pesach has us speaking and telling about our redemption. (I’m not talking about all the stuff we have to do to make the house kosher before Pesach!).
In Kabbalah, the sphere of Kingship (Malchut), the ultimate sphere that receives the lights of all the other spheres, is represented by the mouth. On the seder night we sit like kings, reclined on pillows and we are free to tell all. A person not able to verbalize and convey his feelings is likened to a person in exile, a slave. Shackles lock over his ability to “say what he thinks”. If a person is in a healthy state of mind and feels his independence, integrity and lives his goals, he can describe reality as he sees it, not worrying about someone else mastering over him. It goes without saying that we know from the recent past about Jewish people living under the “Iron Curtain” and the locks they had to put on their mouths. The Jewish community in Venezuela and Sweden aren’t in a much better situation today. But even those who feel like they are “living in a free land” conform to the culture of their time and place and voluntarily become slaves to that culture subconsciously being careful to blend in, keep quiet and not stand out. Being in exile for so many years has taken away the confidence we feel when we speak about -YES all of Israel, YES keeping the Torah, YES to working the Land. When we say, “Yes!” to these things, the words of the prophet comes to mind: “My spirit that is with you, and My word that I have placed in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, or the mouths of your children or children’s children. Now and forever.” (Isaiah 59:21)
Together, our dear readers and ourselves say “Yes” to a stronger Israel. We appreciate your great support over the years for the community of Itamar. Your actions demonstrate clearly your love for Eretz Yisrael. YOU HAVE MADE A STATEMENT! I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a very happy and healthy Pesach. May Hashem bless you all with much bounty and good health. We extend always an open invitation to you to come and visit. Just give us a call.
All the best, Shabbat Shalom and Happy Pesach Leah Goldsmith
The thirty days that exist between Purim and Pesach bring with them an association of different ideas. For some people, it is the budding of the trees, the sweet earth becoming warm with beautiful spring. For others it’s time to start taking action in readying the home for Pesach. The feeling of coming out of the seclusion winter brings with it also can be described by many people too, a kind of redemption. If Purim has us preparing slowly towards it, Pesach brings with it a sense of immediacy, like we’re leaving Egypt RIGHT NOW! The overrunning mood of this time is making a personal appearance(whether in costume or not) in the new start of 1) the natural process of redemption and later 2) the spiritual and physical rescue that happened to our forefathers through miracles and it’s affect upon us today as we recall the coming out of Egypt.
1) The redemptive process starts first with actions we take and is confined to the natural order of the world. How does it happen? By good people doing good things, like Mordechai and Ester. By the acts of chesed and lovingkindness that we do on Purim by sending manot and giving charity, the opening is made here on earth to receive the Divine light. This process of regeneration in essence paved the road to the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple. Purim is the holiday of Joy. Our Rabbis say that being happy always is the greatest of mitzvoth. The joy we feel here despite what we are faced against, in knowing that Hashem is all good and wants only good is what creates the opening for Divine Light. This is when we can overcome the klippah (husk) of Amalek.
2) Pesach is the first of the 3 festivals but preparations for it are made on Purim. When the opening is made by our actions, Hashem Himelf pulls the opening wider and showers miracles upon us. This is Pesach. The days leading up to Pesach are the transition days from our actions, mainly prayer and good deeds, to witnessing real miracles. Last week I was at a wedding. Under the chuppah it is standard practice to put ashes on the head of the groom in memory of the Temple that has been destroyed for 2,000 years. This particular groom has the ashes of the Tomb of Joseph, Kfar Darom ( a settlement from Gush Katif ) and the Temple Mount placed on his head. Recent and distant tragedies that befell these most holy places. Our relationship with Hashem on Pesach is like a bride standing under the canopy with her groom. It is the union of Israel with God himself. We acknowledge the pain of the past but every new home being built by every new couple forming new generations is the redemption itself. We pray that the Tomb of Joseph in Shechem is restored, as well as all of the communities of Gush Katif and our Temple in Jerusalem will stand everlasting.
3) We pray for the final redemption to take place when “God will be king over all the world, on that day, God will be one and His Name one” (Zecharia 14:9). Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith
Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith