Get Ready-Pesach (Passover) 2022 is from April 15 to April 23, 2022 (or April 22 in Israel), and does the moon rotate on its axis like the Earth? and Interior Minister Shaked: Israel is national home of the Jewish people above all
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember.
The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave.
Interior Minister Shaked: Israel is national home of the Jewish people above all
Minister rebuffs criticism of not accepting more Ukrainian refugees, tells opponents to consider long-term implications.
Participating in Democracy Day at Reichman University, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked discussed the government's policy with regard to regulating Bedouin settlement in the Negev.
"We are working on a series of three Bedouin settlements and the establishment of ten new settlements following the decision to establish a new city called Kasif. For many years, under the Netanyahu government, there has been a policy of not building new settlements because it's expensive to do so. But the Negev is an exceptional place and we must encourage settlement there and increase the number of communities.
"And then we have the phenomenon of homes and communities that aren't regulated," she continued. "There's polygamy and all the challenges this creates." Commenting on this week's terrorist attack in Be'er Sheva in which four people were murdered, Shaked noted, "A terrorist is a terrorist and this was a very difficult event for the Negev population when this despicable person was murdered, and I think that we need to take a very harsh line here. He didn't emerge alive which is a very good thing - and I salute the civilian heroes who were involved."
With regard to the absorption of refugees from Ukraine, Shaked said, "The State of Israel is now facing a very unique challenge with this war in Europe that involves a country which has very close ties with Israel. There is a very large [Jewish] community in Ukraine. Despite all the quarreling, we must remember that Israel is the national home for the Jewish people. As Interior Minister, I need to look forward and take everything into account, and all those who want us to open our gates and welcome everyone in need to realize that such a policy has far-reaching consequences. The task at hand is to bring Jews and people who are eligible according to the Law of Return here, and so far, around five thousand have arrived from Ukraine. We are expecting many more to arrive," she noted, "and this will present us with a huge challenge, also in terms of providing housing and education for all the new immigrants."
Moving on to the topic of Judea and Samaria, Shaked said, "Most Palestinians live in Areas A and B, and our plan is to apply Israeli law to Area C, and the Palestinians living within that area will become full Israeli citizens in every respect.
The Law of Return is an exceptional law, and there's no other country in the world where an immigrant can arrive and immediately be presented with an ID card, a passport, housing, and so forth. Only Israel grants this aid and only to those eligible according to the Law of Return. I know there are people who disagree with how we are dealing with this situation and the fact that we aren't absorbing thousands and thousands of people, but we have established a field hospital in Ukraine and we are indeed welcoming thousands of Ukrainians here. Some of the pictures coming out of Ben Gurion Airport are simply a distortion of the truth. Terminal One has been dedicated to immigrants. But our general policy in this conflict is for [Prime Minister] Bennett to mediate between Zelenskiy and Putin."
Shaked also discussed the Citizenship Law, and noted that, "This has been a controversial issue for years, but every year, the Shabak insists that the law must be extended. This year, the opposition - which supports the law in theory - voted against for political reasons but the Shabak chief told me that this is a law that is critical for state security. Eventually, we did manage to cooperate with the opposition and get it passed, with the addition of caps, but we have to remember that first and foremost, Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, and we don't want the Right of Return [for Palestinians] crawling in via the Law of Return."
Shaked also referred to a law that bars those with a criminal conviction from forming a government, and noted that, "When that law was passed, we didn't have a Prime Minister who was under indictment and there were no ulterior motives to such a law. The decision of the Attorney-General need not prevent a prime minister from heading a government - the purpose of the law was to enable judicial review. We have had two instances of indictments served and Israeli democracy survived them."
Summarizing her personal ambitions for the future, Shaked insisted that, "My political future is in the Yamina party. I am a member of a varied coalition government but I still maintain my identity."
Pesach (Passover) 2022 is from April 15 to April 23, 2022 (or April 22 in Israel)
On the first two nights of Passover (just the first night in Israel), we hold a Seder. After candles have been lit, we enjoy a ritual-rich 15-step feast, which centers around telling the story of the Exodus. Some highlights include: Drinking four cups of wine, dipping veggies into saltwater, children kicking off the storytelling by asking the Four Questions (Mah Nishtanah), eating matzah (a cracker-like food, which reminds us that when our ancestors left Egypt they had no time to allow their bread to rise) and bitter herbs, and singing late into the night.
Beginning on the evening preceding 15 Nissan, Passover lasts for 8 days in the Diaspora and 7 days in Israel (here's why).
On Passover, Jews may not own or consume chametz, anything containing grain that has risen. This includes virtually all breads, pastas, cakes and cookies. Prior to the holiday, homes are thoroughly cleaned for Passover, kitchens are purged (here's how to kosher the kitchen), and the remaining chametz is burned or sold.
Following the intermediate days, when work restrictions are somewhat relaxed but chametz remains forbidden, we celebrate the final two days of Passover (just one day in Israel), during which we look forward to the future redemption through Moshiach (Messiah).
The eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan, April 15 - 23, 2022. Passover (Pesach) commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Pesach is observed by avoiding leaven, and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus.
In Hebrew it is known as Pesach (which means "to pass over"), because G‑d passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.
The Passover Story in a Nutshell
As told in the Bible, after many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, G‑d saw the people's distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: "Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me." But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed G‑d's command. G‑d then sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops.
At the stroke of midnight of 15 Nissan in the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), G‑d visited the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, G‑d spared the children of Israel, "passing over" their homes—hence the name of the holiday. Pharaoh's resistance was broken, and he virtually chased his former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise. Six hundred thousand adult males, plus many more women and children, left Egypt on that day and began the trek to Mount Sinai and their birth as G‑d's chosen people.
In ancient times the Passover observance included the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, which was roasted and eaten at the Seder on the first night of the holiday. This was the case until the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in the 1st century.
The first two days and last two days (the latter commemorating the splitting of the Red Sea) are full-fledged holidays. Holiday candles are lit at night, and kiddush and sumptuous holiday meals are enjoyed on both nights and days. We don't go to work, drive, write, or switch on or off electric devices. We are permitted to cook and to carry outdoors (click here for the details).
The middle four days are called Chol Hamoed, semi-festive "intermediate days," when most forms of work are permitted.
No Chametz
To commemorate the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, we don't eat—or even retain in our possession—any chametz from midday of the day before Passover until the conclusion of the holiday. Chametz means leavened grain—any food or drink that contains even a trace of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives, and which wasn't guarded from leavening or fermentation. This includes bread, cake, cookies, cereal, pasta, and most alcoholic beverages. Moreover, almost any processed food or drink can be assumed to be chametz unless certified otherwise.
Ridding our homes of chametz is an intensive process. It involves a full-out spring-cleaning search-and-destroy mission during the weeks before Passover, and culminates with a ceremonial search for chametz on the night before Passover, and then a burning of the chametz ceremony on the morning before the holiday. Chametz that cannot be disposed of can be sold to a non-Jew (and bought back after the holiday).
Instead of chametz, we eat matzah—flat unleavened bread. It is a mitzvah to partake of matzah on the two Seder nights (see below for more on this), and during the rest of the holiday it is optional.
It is ideal to use handmade shmurah matzah, which has been zealously guarded against moisture from the moment of the harvest. You can purchase shmurah matzah here.
The Seders
The highlight of Passover is the Seder, observed on each of the first two nights of the holiday. The Seder is a fifteen-step family-oriented tradition and ritual-packed feast.
The recitation of the Haggadah, a liturgy that describes in detail the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah is the fulfillment of the biblical obligation to recount to our children the story of the Exodus on the night of Passover. It begins with a child asking the traditional "Four Questions."
Passover, celebrating the greatest series of miracles ever experienced in history, is a time to reach above nature to the miraculous. But how are miracles achieved? Let's take our cue from the matzah. Flat and unflavored, it embodies humility. Through ridding ourselves of inflated egos, we are able to tap into the miraculous well of divine energy we all have within our souls.
Watch this informative video to brush up on the ins and outs of the Passover Seder in simple terms:
The Seder feast is held on the first two nights of Passover (just the first night in Israel), after nightfall. Here are the dates of the Seder for the upcoming years:
2022: The nights of April 15 and 16
2023: The nights of April 5 and 6
2024: The nights of April 22 and 23
2025: The nights of April 12 and 13
2026: The nights of April 1 and 2
Note: The Jewish calendar date begins at sundown of the night beforehand. Thus all holiday observances begin at sundown on the secular dates listed, with the following day being the first full day of the holiday. (Thus, the first Passover seder is held on the evening of the first date listed.) Jewish calendar dates conclude at nightfall.
The first two days of Passover (from sundown of the first date listed, until nightfall two days later) are full-fledged, no-work-allowed holiday days. The subsequent four days are Chol Hamoed, when work is allowed, albeit with restrictions. Chol Hamoed is followed by another two full holiday days.
Pesach Info
If you want to know when is Passover, there is a good chance you may appreciate some other basic Passover info. Here are our top picks:
The traditional burning of chametz is done on Friday. But a little bit of bread is kept in a secure place to eat on Shabbat morning, and then at the appropriate time on Shabbat, whatever the remainder is flushed down the toilet in lieu of burning.
All cooking needs to take place either before Shabbat starts, or after Shabbat on ends on Saturday night before the seder.
The Moon orbits the Earth once every 28 or so days - and it rotates at the same rate - which means that from the point of view of people on Earth, the moon always faces the same direction towards us.
More or less - there is a little wobble…this video shows the motion of the moon over a year or so.
See you tomorrow bli neder
We need Moshiach now!
I have given you the facts about Passover coming up--Now get ready!
