As you will notice by the Seder night, towards the end, after Birkas Hamazon, many have the custom to go to the door, open it up, and recite the pessukim "שפך חמתך - pour out Your wrath..." In Siddur Mahari"d, it mentions that this is to usher in the prophet Eliyahu.
Another practical explanation for this custom as well as to why we say these specific phrases:
In medieval times, the blood libel was rampant. Christians accused Jews of using Christian blood to bake their matzos. To this end, they would often plant a dead Christian lad in a Jew's yard around Pesach to lend credence to the claim. Thus, came the Seder, as a precautionary measure, Jews would open the door and scrutinize the area to ensure no charlatans were about scheming their evil. Bitterly bemoaning this terrible libel, they would exclaim "Hashem, pour out Your wrath on the evildoers!"
מטעימים פסח אות מט
See here
Showing posts with label Pesach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pesach. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Beets on Pesach
Many have the custom to eat borscht - beet soup, or just beets, on Pesach. The Belzer Rebbe, R. Yissachar Dov Rokeach, once related:
"I always wondered what the reason for this custom was. I asked many great people, but no one knew why. I once happened to be with some great sages from Lithuania and they told me the following reason:
The Tzadokim, who denied the Oral Torah, interpreted the passuk "כָּל-מַחְמֶצֶת, לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ - You must not eat anything leavened" to also mean anything which has a sour taste (the word "חמץ - leaven" sharing a root with the word "חומץ - vinegar"). Therefore, the Tzedokim would not eat beets on Pesach. To show that they did not support the Tzeadokim’s ruling, devout Jews adopted the custom of eating beets on Pesach."
בשם האדמו"ר מהרי"ד מבאלזא, הובא בהגדה של פסח מדרש בחידוש עם הוספות אמרי קודש על הפיסקא "מצה זו." בשם החידושי הרי”מ, הובא בספר “חשוקי חמד” (זילברשטיין) ברכות לט, א. “הלכות והליכות” (רלב”ג) ע’ 40
"I always wondered what the reason for this custom was. I asked many great people, but no one knew why. I once happened to be with some great sages from Lithuania and they told me the following reason:
The Tzadokim, who denied the Oral Torah, interpreted the passuk "כָּל-מַחְמֶצֶת, לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ - You must not eat anything leavened" to also mean anything which has a sour taste (the word "חמץ - leaven" sharing a root with the word "חומץ - vinegar"). Therefore, the Tzedokim would not eat beets on Pesach. To show that they did not support the Tzeadokim’s ruling, devout Jews adopted the custom of eating beets on Pesach."
בשם האדמו"ר מהרי"ד מבאלזא, הובא בהגדה של פסח מדרש בחידוש עם הוספות אמרי קודש על הפיסקא "מצה זו." בשם החידושי הרי”מ, הובא בספר “חשוקי חמד” (זילברשטיין) ברכות לט, א. “הלכות והליכות” (רלב”ג) ע’ 40
Thursday, April 7, 2011
What Is Karpas?
As mentioned yesterday, the karpas is an unknown vegetable. This miמhag is sourced in the Gemara (פסחים קיד ,א), but it only mentions that it should be a vegetable; it is dipped before the meal to arouse the curiosity of the children (שו"ת הרשב"א המיוחסות לרמב"ן סי' ר"ב).
The Mahari"l was the one to say that it should be a vegetable called "כרפס" as it contains the words "ס פרך - sixty (i.e. sixty myriads, 600,000 total) worked hard," a reference to the number of Jews who were enslaved in Egypt (מהרי"ל הל' סדר ההגדה, הובא במג"א סי' תע"ג סק"ד).
Problem is that we don't really know what "karpas" is. The Mahari"l gives a translation ("איפך"), but that is also not clear. R. Nosson Adler, the teacher of the Chasam Sofer, toiled diligently to identify the abstruse vegetable. He concluded that it's celery. The common old word for this was "אפיא" (similar to the original word of the Mahari"l). The Chasam Sofer gave a hint to the signifigance of this vegetable, as the letters are an acronym for the words "א-ל פועל ישועות אתה."
שו"ת חתם סופר או"ח סי' קלב
ועי' שם לעוד רמזים במיני מרור
See here
The Mahari"l was the one to say that it should be a vegetable called "כרפס" as it contains the words "ס פרך - sixty (i.e. sixty myriads, 600,000 total) worked hard," a reference to the number of Jews who were enslaved in Egypt (מהרי"ל הל' סדר ההגדה, הובא במג"א סי' תע"ג סק"ד).
Problem is that we don't really know what "karpas" is. The Mahari"l gives a translation ("איפך"), but that is also not clear. R. Nosson Adler, the teacher of the Chasam Sofer, toiled diligently to identify the abstruse vegetable. He concluded that it's celery. The common old word for this was "אפיא" (similar to the original word of the Mahari"l). The Chasam Sofer gave a hint to the signifigance of this vegetable, as the letters are an acronym for the words "א-ל פועל ישועות אתה."
שו"ת חתם סופר או"ח סי' קלב
ועי' שם לעוד רמזים במיני מרור
See here
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Potatoes for Karpas, Making a "Shehakol"
On the Seder night, we dip "karpas" in salt water. What exactly karpas is is not clear, and there are many customs of what to use. It is definitely a vegetable that requires a brachah "ha'adamaha," but beyond that, there are not many more specifications. (שו"ע הרב או"ח סי' תע"ג סט"ז-י"ז)
Some have the custom of using a potato. This is quite interesting, as many holy sages through the years were accustomed to making a brachah of shehakol on potatoes, based on a wording of the Aruch who defines potatoes as part of the fungus family that grow from the air. Such was the practice of the R. Chaim of Tzanz (the "Divrei Chaim"), R. Naftoli of Ropshitz, R. Moshe Teitelbaum (the "Yismach Moshe"), R. Yitzchak Eizik Safrin of Kamarna, etc. Nevertheless, came the seder night, they would make a brachah of ha'adamah on the potato for karpas.
This can possibly be reconciled based on the following interesting psak: If one makes a ha'adamah on a mushroom (with the appropriate brachah being shehakol), they are post facto yotzei and need not make another brachah (ארץ החיים (צ'רנוויץ) ברכות מ, א על רש"י ד"ה דעיקר אילן). In light of this, we can understand that while regularly making a shehakol on a potato, for the Seder night, these holy men were able to use it for karpas and make the brachah ha'adamah.
שו"ת שרגא המאיר ח"ד סי' קי"א אות ג
ברכת הפסח סי' י"ב, פתחי זוטא אות ג
See here and here, and here
Some have the custom of using a potato. This is quite interesting, as many holy sages through the years were accustomed to making a brachah of shehakol on potatoes, based on a wording of the Aruch who defines potatoes as part of the fungus family that grow from the air. Such was the practice of the R. Chaim of Tzanz (the "Divrei Chaim"), R. Naftoli of Ropshitz, R. Moshe Teitelbaum (the "Yismach Moshe"), R. Yitzchak Eizik Safrin of Kamarna, etc. Nevertheless, came the seder night, they would make a brachah of ha'adamah on the potato for karpas.
This can possibly be reconciled based on the following interesting psak: If one makes a ha'adamah on a mushroom (with the appropriate brachah being shehakol), they are post facto yotzei and need not make another brachah (ארץ החיים (צ'רנוויץ) ברכות מ, א על רש"י ד"ה דעיקר אילן). In light of this, we can understand that while regularly making a shehakol on a potato, for the Seder night, these holy men were able to use it for karpas and make the brachah ha'adamah.
שו"ת שרגא המאיר ח"ד סי' קי"א אות ג
ברכת הפסח סי' י"ב, פתחי זוטא אות ג
See here and here, and here
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Do We Really Wash For Wet Fruit?
As you will see on the Seder night, one of the steps is "ורחץ," where we wash our hands before touching the wet vegetable to be used for karpas.
Washing for wet fruit is a halachah brought in Shulchan Aruch (שו"ע או"ח סי' קנ"ח ס"ד). Yet, for some reason, this practice is not very widespread and is not seen very often throughout the year...
There is some room for justification: Washing for wet fruit is out of fear that the fruit will become tamei as a result of one's impure hands touching the liquid that subsequently contaminates the fruit. This was in pertinent in days of old when people ate their regular food only while pure. Today that we are tamei anyways, there is room to justify (albeit not being the accepted halachah).
It is said of the R. Chaim Halbershtam (Grand Rebbe of Tzanz, author of "Divrei Chaim") that washing for karpas on Pesach need only be done by the head of the group. It is further testified that in Poland and Russia, no one was careful with this practice throughout the year.
The Rebbe, quoting the Chok Yaakov, however, says that even those that are not careful the whole year should do so on the Seder night to arouse the interest of the children.
שו"ת שרגא המאיר ח"ד סי' קי"א אות ב
ועי' שו"ע הרב או"ח סי' קנ"ח ס"ג. ערוה"ש שם ס"ד
ועי' הגדה של פסח עם לקוטי טעמים ומנהגים פיסקא ורחץ ונט"י ואינו מברך
See here
Washing for wet fruit is a halachah brought in Shulchan Aruch (שו"ע או"ח סי' קנ"ח ס"ד). Yet, for some reason, this practice is not very widespread and is not seen very often throughout the year...
There is some room for justification: Washing for wet fruit is out of fear that the fruit will become tamei as a result of one's impure hands touching the liquid that subsequently contaminates the fruit. This was in pertinent in days of old when people ate their regular food only while pure. Today that we are tamei anyways, there is room to justify (albeit not being the accepted halachah).
It is said of the R. Chaim Halbershtam (Grand Rebbe of Tzanz, author of "Divrei Chaim") that washing for karpas on Pesach need only be done by the head of the group. It is further testified that in Poland and Russia, no one was careful with this practice throughout the year.
The Rebbe, quoting the Chok Yaakov, however, says that even those that are not careful the whole year should do so on the Seder night to arouse the interest of the children.
שו"ת שרגא המאיר ח"ד סי' קי"א אות ב
ועי' שו"ע הרב או"ח סי' קנ"ח ס"ג. ערוה"ש שם ס"ד
ועי' הגדה של פסח עם לקוטי טעמים ומנהגים פיסקא ורחץ ונט"י ואינו מברך
See here
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Marror's Historical Background
As anyone who attended a Pesach Seder knows, on that auspicious night, we make sure to eat "marror" - bitter herbs. The simple reason is that it's serves as a reminder for the bitter exile that our fathers went through in Egypt.
The Ibn Ezra however explains this idea a bit differently:
"One of the Spanish sages said as follows: It is well known that Egypt, due to the constant presence of the Nile river, is very moist and humid. As a result of the lack of the rain and the abundant of humidity, the Egyptians were accustomed to eat at every meal various types of bitter species, either of grasses or mustards. Even if an Egyptian had a meal of bread alone, the bitter herbs were always present, in which he would be able to dip his bread. This was a cure for their [harmful] air."
However, the Ibn Ezra concludes "We will rely on the explanation of our predecessors, as they explained the marror being a commemeration of the bitter times in Egypt."
אבן עזרא (פירוש הארוך) שמות יב, ח
ועי' משנה פסחים פ"י מ"ה, ובגמ' פסחים קטז, א-ב
The Ibn Ezra however explains this idea a bit differently:
"One of the Spanish sages said as follows: It is well known that Egypt, due to the constant presence of the Nile river, is very moist and humid. As a result of the lack of the rain and the abundant of humidity, the Egyptians were accustomed to eat at every meal various types of bitter species, either of grasses or mustards. Even if an Egyptian had a meal of bread alone, the bitter herbs were always present, in which he would be able to dip his bread. This was a cure for their [harmful] air."
However, the Ibn Ezra concludes "We will rely on the explanation of our predecessors, as they explained the marror being a commemeration of the bitter times in Egypt."
אבן עזרא (פירוש הארוך) שמות יב, ח
ועי' משנה פסחים פ"י מ"ה, ובגמ' פסחים קטז, א-ב
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Eggs on Pesach
It is customary to start the meal by the Pesach seder with an egg (רמ"א סי' תע"ו ס"ב). What is the reason for this minhag?
According to the א"ת ב"ש calculations of the Jewish calendar, the first night of Pesach always falls out on the same night as Tishah Be'Av (the first letter "א" corresponds to the first night of Pesach which matches with "ת" which represents "Tishah Be'Av" - שו"ע סי' תכ"ח ס"ג). Thus, to match the theme of this mournful day, we eat an egg which is the symbol of mourning (as we do on Tish Be'Av). This reason would lead us to eat the egg only on the first night; another reason that we are mournful over the fact that we do not have the korban Pesach today gives reason to eat the egg both nights of the seder.
רמ"א סי' תע"ו ס"ב ובח"י שם סק"ו
ועי' במשב"ז שם סק"ג שמביא טעם אחר והוא משום שאברהם אבינו מת בע"פ ולכן מתאבלים ע"ז
ועי' עוד באשל אברהם שם סק"ד שמבאר מדוע מתאבלים על א"א דוקא בליל הסדר
According to the א"ת ב"ש calculations of the Jewish calendar, the first night of Pesach always falls out on the same night as Tishah Be'Av (the first letter "א" corresponds to the first night of Pesach which matches with "ת" which represents "Tishah Be'Av" - שו"ע סי' תכ"ח ס"ג). Thus, to match the theme of this mournful day, we eat an egg which is the symbol of mourning (as we do on Tish Be'Av). This reason would lead us to eat the egg only on the first night; another reason that we are mournful over the fact that we do not have the korban Pesach today gives reason to eat the egg both nights of the seder.
רמ"א סי' תע"ו ס"ב ובח"י שם סק"ו
ועי' במשב"ז שם סק"ג שמביא טעם אחר והוא משום שאברהם אבינו מת בע"פ ולכן מתאבלים ע"ז
ועי' עוד באשל אברהם שם סק"ד שמבאר מדוע מתאבלים על א"א דוקא בליל הסדר
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