Emuna Beams
Passover
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
The 210 years of exile and 116 years of slavery in Egypt ended with on the eve of the 15th of Nissan, 2448 in the Hebrew calendar. This was the year 1312 BCE. Hashem gave a most difficult command to the Israelites. Each family had to slaughter a lamb, which the Egyptians held sacred as their prime deity. This was an act of total dedication to the Almighty, where emuna had to prevail over logic and fear. Such dedication triggered the final exodus from Egypt, in a remarkable chain of events that we learn in todays lesson.
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
When Moses relayed Hashem's message of "Let My people go" to Pharaoh, the Egyptian monarch snarled back, "Who is Hashem that I should listen to Him? Besides, I've never heard of Hashem before" (Exodus 5:2). With such unprecedented insolence, Pharaoh was begging for punishment. The punishment came quickly. There were ten different plagues. Each one was a precise measure-for-measure response to the suffering that Pharaoh and the Egyptians meted out to the Israelites, as we see in today's lesson.
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
How did a fierce, proud and independent people like the Israelites fall into slavery in Egypt? Why did they have to suffer unspeakable atrocities? Here, in first of our 3-Part "Story of Passover," we gain a deeper appreciation of the Passover holiday and of true freedom.
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
The account of the four sons in the Passover Haggadah is like a kaleidoscope where we see many different images. We see how four general types of people relate to emuna. What's more, we learn about four facets that are in each of us. As such, the Passover Seder and the story of the Exodus are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
The Seder night is when we tell the story of our Exodus from Egypt. This is one of the Torah's 613 commandments that one can fulfill only once a year on the first night of Passover. The Zohar and the Gemara laud the amazing attributes of this mitzvah. It strengthens emuna and solidifies the family. In addition, it enhances one's inner joy, especially when we tell of the Exodus as if we were there...
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Emuna Hour this week is all about Passover and particularly a preparation for a meaningful Seder Night, showing how the "Festival of Matzoth", as the Torah refers to Passover, is every bit as relevant today as it was 3,331 years ago when Hashem freed us from bondage in Egypt.
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
The "domain" that we must clean for Passover is not just our external one. We all know what "Shmura matza" is; what about a shmura heart?