Rabbis' Blog

Seder night is a big deal and many dress their finest for the occasion. However, Jewish law is not particular about the Seder dress code. So long as you participate, eat the right amount of Matzah and Marror, drink four cups of wine and retell the story of Exodus – you’re a Passover pro.

The first Seder in history was different. On the eve of the redemption from Egypt the Israelites were commanded to slaughter a lamb, place it blood on the lintel and doorposts of their homes and to eat a roasted piece of the meat together with Matzah and bitter herbs. Additionally, G-d specified how they should dress at this meal: “And this is how you shall eat it: with your waist belted, your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste…”

On the surface, this instruction is simply a practical way of ensuring that they be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. But this is a description of the creation of our nation, recorded in the Torah which serves as a guidebook for eternity. Every detail contains layers of meaning that inform us today how to live a wholesome Jewish life.

A belt is used to organize our clothing - wrapped around the waist which supports the entire body. The first priority is to be organized in your own Judaism. Ensure that you are confident and informed on how a Jew should live and observe Judaism. Balance and cohesion are central to healthy Jewish living.

Shoes allow us to interact with our immediate surroundings without injuring ourselves from the assorted hazards that abound on the ground. Judaism should not be reserved to the privacy of our homes or the religious comfort of the synagogue. Torah lessons and prayer inspiration must be the filter through which we interact with society.

Although the secular world seems hostile to Jewish ideals, by influencing friends, coworkers and neighbors to live a more ethical and moral life inspired by Torah lessons we are less susceptible to being distracted from our own religious commitment. We become an inspiration to others and garner genuine respect and acceptance.

Finally, on a long journey over treacherous terrain, a walking stick becomes essential and enables us to reach places we cannot on our own. Our Jewish imprint must be global, inspiring people we may never meet in a lifetime. Every individual is capable of this and modern technology makes this task more achievable than ever.

Use your social media presence to broadcast Jewish messages. You never know who is reading your post about the latest Torah lesson you learned or viewing the photo of you doing a mitzvah – and its effect can be greater than your wildest imaginations.

These are the components of Jewish freedom: Strengthen your personal observance, inspire your immediate surroundings and take your message to the world.

Suit up quickly because redemption is at hand.

This week, I offered a Jew the opportunity to do the mitzvah of Tefillin. “Rabbi, I have not worn Tefillin since my Bar Mitzvah,” he responded. “I don’t think it would be proper for me to do so now. I would feel like a hypocrite.”

Our conversation continued on to his past involvements in Judaism and at one point he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning with my Tefillin.” The next morning, he wore Tefillin for the first time in seventy years!

Egypt, the ancient superpower that enslaved the Jewish nation and sadistically pursued a program to annihilate them, is called “Mitzrayim” in Hebrew. Understanding the meaning of the name “Mitzrayim” enables us to apply the lessons of the long-ago redemption to our modern 21st century lives.

Following the revelation at the burning bush, Moshe delivered a divine message for the downtrodden Hebrews and the evil Pharaoh that so viciously persecuted them: The time had come to leave Egypt and serve G-d.

After initially dismissing Moshe’s demands as the whinings of lazy laborers, Egypt started experiencing the terrifying plagues that gradually caused a societal breakdown and led to its eventual destruction. At one point Pharaoh proposed a compromise: The slaves will have three days off from work to offer sacrifices to G-d in Egypt. No need to pack up and leave. Be as religious as you’d like right here.

This compromise was unacceptable. The geographical location within the borders of the nation called “Mitzrayim” was not conducive to divine service. The word “Mitzrayim” is etymologically linked to the word “Meitzarim” which means borders and limitations.

Pharaoh represented a world-view professing that life is calculated and defined; What you see is what you get. The Nile River irrigated the entire land on a seasonal schedule and the Egyptian economy ebbed and flowed with the tide. The cycle of nature is unchanging and once we master the nuances of nature we can control our destiny.

So long as the Jews remained Pharaoh’s subjects, it would be impossible to live a life focused on revealing the inherent divinity within all of reality. Pharaoh’s closed-minded and primitive perspective needed to be utterly rejected.

To achieve redemption, Pharaoh was afflicted with the Ten Plagues, starting with all the water being transformed into blood for seven days. This miraculous malady provides us with an eternal lesson in overcoming our daily challenges today.

Water is cold and blood represents life which is associated with warmth. The first step in being part of G-d’s team is to get rid of spiritual apathy and indifference. True goodness can be revealed and perpetuated only when it is pursued with passion and excitement.

Earlier this week, my friend felt trapped in a life devoid of Tefillin and was not able to break the habit. After tapping into the inherent warmth of his soul, he had the courage to do a mitzvah - regardless of what happened for over seventy years.