Couple of topics today:
1) So Pesach is celebrated 7 days in Israel and 8 days in the Diaspora (except for the Reform movement that aligned with the Israeli schedule). I was looking for a good explanation of why and here is a good link:
https://reformjudaism.org/learning/answers-jewish-questions/passover-7-or-8-days
note on my Arvit...since i started with Yom Tov Prayers...I am gonne go with the 8 days on this one.
2) Washing Hands: so unlike other Blessings, which are usually said before performing the mitzvah, Al Netilat Yadayim is recited after but before drying the hands.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hand-washing/
Also...being originally from Poland, this Blessing is special because of Abraham ben Abraham (Polish convert from 1700s)...and how his journey and death contributed to changing of the rules pertaining to the boundary of 4 amot beyond one's bed...one could not move further to wash hands in the morning after waking up prior to the change.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_ben_Abraham#The_traditional_story
Topics for today:
1) Hallel - set of Psalms (113-118) - Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving...but why is it recited sometimes Full and sometimes Partial? Explanation #1: related to sacrifices in the Temple...often compared to Sukkot when the sacrifices where unique each day thus each day would be considered a separate and unique holiday (thus Full each day) in comparison to Passover when the offering would be the same each day after beginning Yom Tov (thus the Partial). Explanation #2: As joyful as we may be to exit Egypt, we remember the death of the Egyptians in the water....and thus we withhold some of the joy per God's request.
2) Mah Tovu - from the Book of Numbers...recited often right after entering the Synagogue or at very start of the services. Comes from the story involving a non-Jew Balaam (prophet for hire) who not only failed to curse the Israelites as promised to his employer Balak the King of Moabites but instead blessed them.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mah-tovu-a-reminder-of-the-jewish-mission/
https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/torah-commentary/mah-tovu-torah-prayer
3) Tefillin - a great Mitzvah...wrapping is one of my favorite Jewish things to do. I did some research and there are Ashkenazi customs allowing Tefillin on Chol Hamoed Pesach...some don't recite the Blessings, some do so quietly and some recite in a regular fashion. I put on Tefillin and recited the Blessings.
Topics for today:
1) Kitniyot - when I think Kitniyot, I think of beans, peas, lentils, rice and corn. But it's actually more than that. Certain seeds qualify as well...e.g. sesame, mustard and sunflower seeds...those plus their derivatives (e.g. oil) find themselves in many places...thus check the label if you don't eat Kitniyot for Passover.
Good discussion about Kitniyot:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/kitniyot-not-quite-hametz/
2) Prayer for Healing - I saw an ambulance at my neighbor's thus I wanted to add Prayer for Healing. So the first prayer that comes to mind is "Mi Shebeirach" - but when I opened the page: Prayers for Healing in Sim Shalom (I use both: Sim/Lev Shalom and Mishkan T'Filah] I saw "El Na Refa Na La." Explanation was that "Mi Shebeirach" is generally said when the Torah is read in the Synagogue [and it retrospect Mi Shebeirach does feel more communal]. I think that general rule is probable more relaxed now but "El Na Refa Na La" was quite powerfull...one precise sentence in the time of need directed at G-D. It comes originally from Moses who seeing Miriam struck with sickness spoke using those words. My Jewish Learning calls it: "The Bull’s-Eye of the Prayer."
Also when I googled Prayers for Healing, Refa'einu came up as well...the 8th Blessing in the daily Amidah.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/a-caretakers-prayer/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/refaeinu-connecting-physical-and-spiritual-healing/
Topics for today:
1) Kitniyot - more about this...lol...discovered that Hershey's Bar has sunflower oil and the yogurt I like has rice starch. I am starting to understand why those who practice strict Kashrut always look at the label.
2) Washing Hands - so starting to standardize this before every prayer/Torah Study....in order to elevate the moment. Rabbi Donin in his book "To Pray as a Jew" mentions that conventional Hebrew word for washing is Rohetz...but here in the Blessing we have Al Netilat Yadayim, which means "the lifting up of the hands." The blessing with the action allows us to enter higher spiritual ground and show respect.
3) Mara D'atra - learn this phrase today...basically what it symbolizes is the right of each community to hold their specific customs within general framework of Judaism...it points to the authority of the local Rabbi. E.g. Ashkenazi vs. Sephardic, differences between Reform and Conservative Shuls...or even two Shuls same "movement" but different towns. Good specific example would be: Tefillin on Hol Chamoed during Pesach.
Topic for today:
1) Asher Yatzar - it's a lot harder to be connected with Hashem when we have health issues...and our bodies are so intricate and when a small part fails to work in harmony with the rest, it can make a huge difference. With this Blessing we thank for a working body...for this rhythm to life.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/asher-yatzar-gratitude-for-the-rhythm-of-life/
Topic for today:
1) Counting the Omer!
Why are we counting from the 2nd Day of Pesach?
https://www.thetorah.com/article/when-does-counting-the-omer-begin
Why are we counting at night?
Often heard explanation is: because we are supposed to count at the beginning of each day...and the Jewish day begins at night. Now if you forget, you can count during daylight to catch up if missed the night prior.
Now...there is more to it:
https://etzion.org.il/en/holidays/sefirat-haomer/sefirat-ha-omer-night
Why are we counting?
We are eagerly counting the days until we receive the Torah (on Shavuot) at Sinai. It symbolizes our eagerness and desire towards that very day. Also, the count points to a transformation. We left Egypt where we were slaves for hundreds of years...we become free physically but also lose the spiritual chains and move onto a new spiritual level that enables us to receive the Torah...we count those days of transformation. We need that time to become new.
As much as the Omer symbolizes the journey towards the Beloved Torah which should bring us enormous joy, the transformation is gradual and demanding and combined with events that took place during the Omer throughout history, that joy is muted. Now that I think about it, Omer may symbolize what is about to come..."Everythingness" of the Torah (unconstrained joy) + the hard times connected with carrying It.
Great article below:
Topic for today:
1) Elohai Neshama - it's a short but powerful Blessing...with it we thank G-D for creating a pure soul within us...and a subsequent restorations of it. Restoration (concept of return) of the soul we first encounter in the first Blessing of the Day (Modeh Ani) as we thank G-D for allowing the soul to come back to our body....but here we thank G-D for the fact that the soul exists, its pure and we start with a pure soul each day. Sort of like we are given a new shot at life each day when we wake up...one of the ways to think about it.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/elohai-neshama-breathing-the-soul-alive/
Topics for today:
1) Passover - it's done and I have enjoyed it immensely; I wanted to save here the reason this holiday requires higher Kosher observance https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12.19?lang=bi&aliyot=0
2) Covering One's Head with the Tallit during Amidah - no matter what "movement" you belong to, you must try this. I am not kidding. As you travel through the course of the Standing Prayer, wrapped in the Tallit from all sides creating this holy bubble around you, you will feel Amidah like you never felt it before....particularly with the Tefillin on your arm and head and with a minyan.
3) Learned a new word: POSEK...Hebrew origin...rabbinic authority who decides Halakha...and more importantly stands for higher level of authority that makes the final determination when issues arise between competing rabbinic interpretations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posek
4) Timing of the Tefillin Wrap - so even though it's customary to wrap in the morning, it's permissible to wrap later on throughout the day as well...just not at night [rabbinic prohibition to avoid disrespecting Tefillin if one falls asleep). If you are looking for a good book: Tefillin by Aryeh Kaplan.
Topics for today:
1) Thanksgiving - so sometimes things happen, things out of our control that happen fast and unexpectedly and surprise and scare everybody...but as fast as they enter our lives, just as fast they quickly disappear...dissolve with little to no impact...and these are the times when we just long for a way to verbalize our deep gratitude. This morning that was me. Something took place overnight that could have been quite dangerous but everything ended up being ok. ... so I spent some time looking for a way to say Thank You.
So I found Birkat Hagomel - traditionally recited in the Shul around Aliyah time with a minyan after limited number of events. Long standing practice shows that it's more of a communal way to give Thanks... with some delay. But, this Blessing is so powerful and as it really reminds me of the "El Na Refa Na La" in terms of the suddenness and magnitude of the intention that it just sounds right to say it on the spot when we understand how close this moment was a disaster and how closely G-D is watching over us.
Below is the first part of the Benching Gomel...and I did add it to my Shacharit on this day as I was overwhelmed with emotion. This is a one time addition. But if you have teenagers, memorize Birkat Hagomel for sure.
"Blessed are You, Lord our God, ruler of the world, who rewards the undeserving with goodness, and who has rewarded me with goodness."
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/birkat-hagomel-a-jewish-prayer-of-gratitude/
Worth mention here as well is that just as the Amidah incorporates a Prayer for Healing (8th Blessing - Refa'einu), it also gives us an opportunity to Say Thanks - Modim/ Hoda'ah (18th).
ALSO...Psalm 100 was on my mind...the reason I added P'Sukei D'Zimrah at that point.
2) Yom HaShoah - my son Isaac and I had the opportunity to visit the WW2 Museum in NOLA in order to attend the Night of Remembrance and Reflection...Two Holocaust Survivors were present and Father Patrick Desbois was a speaker. Father Desbois is a French priest who founded Yahad-in Unum - organization dedicated to locating the sites of mass graves of Jewish victims of Nazi mobile killing squads.
Topic for today:
1) Torah Study Passages - so after the Birkhot HaTorah (Torah Study Blessings towards the end of Birkhot HaShahar:), it is customary to engage actual passages from Torah, which means: The Torah, The Talmud and also additional writings. To start with I am going to use both Mishkan T'Filah and Sim Shalom for those and then when I restart my Talmud reading will read subsequent pages from Koren each day.
Topic for today:
1) Ashrei - just like Shema, Amidah and the Kaddish, Psalm 145 is one of the mostly recited prayers in our tradition. Great summary in the link below.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ashrei-pslam-145/
Couple quotes from Donin's "Pray as a Jew":
"All who say Ashrei three times every day are assured of their place in the world-to-come."
"...if one arrives late at services and there is only time to say one psalm before continuing to pray together with a congregation, Ashrei should be that Psalm."
Topics for today:
1) Shlissel Challah - special Challah made for the first Shabbat after Passover. This Ashkenazi Jewish tradition signifies unlocking prosperity and good fortune. I learned this past week.
https://www.kosher.com/article/shlissel-challahs-why-how-102/
2) Prayers that need a minyan: anything under the umbrella of "Davar Sheb'Kedusha"
- Kaddish
- Barchu
- Kedushah (3rd Blessing of the Amidah)...maybe with some Minhagim allowing??
- repetition of Amidah
- reading of the Torah/Haftarah cannot take place without a minyan
- Sheva Berachot (seven wedding blessings)
- Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing)
- Birkat Hagomel
Interesting link pertaining to Kedushah:
3) Minyan - I am sure I am gonne come back to this topic...but wanted to include a general description of what a Minyan is.
Topic for today:
1) Shema:
From R. Donin: ["To Pray As a Jew."]
"Shema is a declaration of faith, a pledge of allegiance to One G-D, an affirmation of Judaism...it is said even when one questions G-D." ... pretty powerful. "It's the first verses we learn and the last we recite."
Shema Consists of Three Parts:
Deuteronomy 6:4–9
Deuteronomy 11:13–21
Numbers 15:37–41
Reform Shema tends to be abridged: the second portion of the Shema is often not recited and the third one is shorter.
When praying alone [and I did not know this]....one should say "El Melekh Ne'ema" [God, Faithful King] in order to bring the number of words in the Shema to 248---proverbial 248 parts of human body, thus symbolizing total devotion. In a congregation/minyan, this is done by the Prayer Leader reciting "The Lord God is true" at the end.
Another interesting fact: third portion of the Shema references Exodus out of Egypt. As we are obligated to read daily a Torah passage (twice: by day and by night) that refers to Exodus, it helps us fulfill that mitzvah.
Topic for today:
1) Ashrei - so interestingly enough Ashrei involved 3 psalms. The main longest portion is Psalm 145...but the beginning of Ashrei borrows a verse from Psalm 84 and 144.
Topics for today:
1) Ashrei - so correction on Ashrei...feel embarrassed but I did not notice...the ending of Ashrei is actually from yet another Psalm: #115. So 4 Psalms (1 whole and 3 partial) make up Ashrei.
2) Psalm 30 - that is an interesting one...caught my attention because its kinda hidden between two Kaddishes at the end of Birchot Hashahar in Sim Shalom. Link below explains what the Psalm 30 communicates and dives as well into its connection to Hanukkah.
3) "Baruch shem kavod malchuto l’olam va-ed" - interestingly enough the response following the first sentence of the Shema is not a Biblical verse per Donin. It was first used when people heard the Telegrammaton uttered by the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur. Later on, it became a response to all blessings recited by the kohanim in the Temple. It was used in lieu of "Amen." It was also the response to the declaration "Hear O Israel, The Lord is out G-D, the Lord is One!" and later on it was formally adopted as "the response" in the Shema in the synagogue.
Topic for today:
1) Rosh Chodesh - since I forgot about it today...lets learn a little about it.
from MyJewishLearning:
"Rosh Chodesh — which literally means “head of the month” — is the minor holiday that marks the beginning of every Hebrew month. The Jewish calendar, which combines both lunar and solar aspects, has 12 months (and 13 in leap years); half of these months are 30 days long and half are 29 days." - .
" In contemporary practice, Rosh Chodesh celebrations begin the Saturday before the new month ..... "
"Extra paragraph is added to Amidah and an abbreviated form of Hallel is recited."
pls find more here:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/rosh-chodesh-101/
Other:
https://unpacked.media/the-ultimate-guide-to-rosh-chodesh/
Online Jewish Calendar: https://www.hebcal.com/
Topic for today:
1) Some Talmud Vocabulary:
Masekhet - tractate
Perek - chapter of a tractate
Daf - single page of a Babilonian Talmud...one page but two sides.
Amud - side of a page..so either A or B.
Topic for today: ...more Talmud :)
1) Berakhot - Perek 1 - 7A:
So Berakhot is the first Tractate of the First Order [Seder Zeraim] of Mishna (there are 6)....Chapter 1, the first side [Amud A] of page [Daf] 7.
I am mentioning this point of Berakhot because the Rabbis discuss why G-D did not allow Moses to see His face [Exodus 33:20] as He was passing by. Gemara states that G-d wanted actually to show His Full Glory to Moses at the burning bush but Moses chose not to receive it [covered his face]...this time Moses wanted to see G-d's face but God did not want to show it. Some Rabbis disagree stating that by covering his face, Moses actually showed his humility and was rewarded with seeing the back of G-d's Tefillin [knot of the phylacteries]. Even due to Moses stature as the master of all prophets he could not see G-d's Full Glory at that point no matter what since Israel was no longer on an elevated spiritual level [due to their sins in the desert]...thus the window of opportunity that was present at the time of the burning bush was no longer there.
Really cool...since I never heard any other discussion on Exodus 33:20 other than you can't see G-d and live.
On another note:
Berakhot appears to be the only tractate in Zeraim that has Gemara.
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