The Torah Prohibition Against Blood and Hunting

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 26, 2022 | Acharei Mot, Antisemitism, Purity

In Leviticus, God prohibits Israel from eating blood in the strictest terms. This prohibition also includes hunting and eating from the carcass of a dead animal (Leviticus 17:10-16), and the punishment for one who violates this is karet. In fact, the prohibition...

The Symbolism of the Seder Plate

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 14, 2022 | Bo, Mourning, Passover, Redemption

The Passover Seder is a generational affirmation, a transmission of the story of God’s miraculous redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. In this context, the Seder plate, as the centerpiece of the Seder table, is a visual aid, containing symbolic foods that are...

7 PASSOVER TRADITIONS ANYONE CAN ADOPT

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 12, 2022 | Freedom, Humility, Passover

Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the Jewish liberation by God from slavery in Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, the Hebrew Bible describes the Israelites freedom under the leadership of Moses. The holiday begins on the 15th of the Hebrew...

The Biblical Symbolism Of Passover Foods

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2022 | Bo, Israel, Passover, Redemption, Temple

The home-based Passover service, known as the Passover Seder, is brimming with Biblical symbolism. Seder is the Hebrew word for order, alluding to the idea that God runs the world in an orderly manner. Similarly, there are 15 steps to the Seder and they are completed...

Does Being the Poor Man’s Sacrifice Make the Meal Offering Less Desirable?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 8, 2022 | God, Temple, Vayikra

The meal offering was characteristically brought by the poor as it was less expensive than a meat offering. The offering consisted chiefly of fine flour, olive oil and frankincense. The grain could either be raw and mixed with oil, or mixed with oil and cooked into...