Category: Pesach
The First Question and the Captive Prince
Passover is coming fast. It is a time filled with questions and the reading of the Haggadah. Too many times within the questions and the retelling of the journey from slavery to freedom we become lost in the yearly ritual.
The prominence of science and technology has weakened faith throughout the community. Sadly, this has led to many to go through the motions of faith by conducting rituals by rote.
During this season of Pesach (Passover) maybe we need to ask, “What is the first question in the Torah (Scriptures)?
Before man was created, there were no questions. The first occurs in the Garden of Eden. The man and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. G-d calls out to them, “Ayecha?” “Where are you?” (Genesis 3.9)
How can that be? Does G-d not know where the man and Eve are? For centuries, the Jewish people have recognized that this question has a deeper meaning. G-d is not seeking to find the man and Eve. That is why they do not answer, “We are over here!” Instead, it is a question of spiritual geography. The man, understanding the importance of G-d’s question, and answers that he was frightened, so he has been hiding.
Man has seen, enjoyed and explored the wonders and mysteries of creation, yet still questions faith. People become lost as they question everything, many times using science and technology to define “what is real(ality).” It is easy for many to separate the “religious” from the “spiritual” to those who are simply “unbelievers.”
It is hard to understand, but easy to accept and follow what others say, and so we come back to that first question, “Where are you?” This simple question leads to many many more. “I have not lived according to my religion so I can’t be special or holy” “Why should I believe in this religious stuff that has so many rules and restrictions?” “It too hard to believe in something that cannot be proven?”
It once happened that there was a king had two strong and brave sons. The sons loved their father very much and tried to honour him in all they did. One day the kingdom was attacked by a powerful enemy that wanted to destroy the king and prey on the people and lands of the kingdom.
The king went into battle with his sons to stop this powerful enemy. His two sons were commanders in the army. Each son led his soldiers into battle and fought with much strength and bravery, but the enemy was able to surround one of the sons. The battle raged on, but at the end he was taken captive by the enemy.
The enemy commander ordered, “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water.” (1 Kings 22:27) The king’s son suffered in the enemy prison, starving and deprived. He asked many times, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison?“ (Jeremiah 37:18) But he never received an answer. After being in the enemy prison for a full year, he finally succeeded in digging a tunnel so that he could escape.
The prince journeyed at night, crossing over rivers and lakes, and trekking through forests and over mountains. After a while, he finally returned to his father’s home. How great was the happiness and joy in the king’s palace upon the prince’s return. Large celebrations were held in his honor, and the king sat him to his right and showered him with gifts. Without a doubt, this son’s joy is ten times greater than a son who had never left his father’s home.
This is the identical happiness that a person feels when they rediscover and explore their faith in our Father in Heaven. A person’s joy is ten times greater than one who has never questioned their beliefs and faith, for only once a person has returned and strengthens themselves in faith can they truly perceive the taste of “captivity.”
The RaMbaM (Rabbeinu Mosheh ben Maimon – Maimonides) wrote, “The Children of Israel believed in our teacher Moses not because of the miracles he performed. If one believes in something because of miracles, he may suspect that they were performed through sleight of hand or sorcery. All the miracles that Moses did in the desert were performed for the needs of the moment, not in order to prove his prophecy to them” (Yesodei HaTorah 8:1).
The question ““Where are you?” is not only the first question; it is also the eternal question. At each moment in our lives, this question is addressed to us: Where are you? Where are you spiritually? Where are you morally? What have you done with your life, and what are you doing with it now? Are you proud of your conduct in the garden?
We say at the beginning of the Seder:
This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat.
As we become more and more involved with the trends of society, we are afflicted by the urges to abandon our traditions and beliefs. Too many have been lost and enslaved by the impulse to blindly follow others or assimilation. Let’s invite those at the Seder who are hungry for spirituality and searching for meaning to their beliefs to “come and eat” because “today we are slaves” to all types of distractions and confusion, but “next year may we be free men” able to grow in faith.
The first question is a single word, whose echoes are endless. “Ayecha?”
Where are you?
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
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Burning the Chametz
Holy Rabbi once asked, “how do you burn the chametz? With the fire of your heart, with the fire of serving the Holy One, blessed be He.” And the fire goes one burning all through Pesach.
The holy Rabbi continued, “I once learned how to serve Holy One, blessed be He from the knights that serve the king, especially in the cold winter. I was once passing by a training camp filled with squires and young knights when I saw a number of the young knights beating one of their own as a punishment. I asked them, ‘what terrible thing did this knight do that he deserved such punishment?’ One of the young knights stepped forward and answered, ‘last night he was standing guard, and in the morning we found him half frozen.’ I thought this was strange and said that the knight who stood guard should be given honor and respect, since despite the cold he stood by his post. The young knights laughed and said, ‘you don’t understand! If you’re really serving the king, everything you do gets done with so much fire, it keeps you warm.’ “
We learn that “The soul of man is a lamp of G‑d” (Proverbs 20:27). In today’s society that is dominated by science and technology it is easy to forget that man is a very complex mixture of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, fire and wick. Like the lamp, man, too, is comprised of three elements which determine the direction of his actions. The candle’s wick, flame and oil resemble man – mind body and soul – the very source of Torah and its mitzvos.
As we prepare for Pesach/Passover would look forward to conducting the Seder. Just as Passover represents freedom – of body and soul – so it is today that we must remember that slavery is more than just physical bondage. The lessons and messages we share at the Passover Seder remind us of yesterday and today and prepares us for tomorrow. The stories eternal, just as the Jewish spirit has endured through the ages.
As we look into the holiday candles and see the flames dance as we recite the story of the leaving of Egypt we become the everlasting light. We know this because it is written in the Torah, “A continuous fire shall remain on the altar; it shall not be extinguished” (Lev. 6:9).
As we gather around the Seder table that is filled with meaning and holiness let us allow it to fill our hearts to strive to the beauty and wonder that happened so many years ago and is still happening today to give us the strength to turn away from the glowing screens of cell phones and computers and focus when the fires of our souls there ignited during the Passover Seder. Let us allow ourselves to remember the miracles that brought us from Egypt to this very day and remember that the “… Fire will renew the righteous….(Saadia Gaon, Emmunos v’Deos 9:3)
So on Pesach we are really serving the Holy One, blessed be He, once we found the chametz and burned it in our hearts on fire.
Chag Kasher V’Sameach
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
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The Beggar’s Seder
This story was posted on the Story Tour Blog in April 2009, we dusted it off and removed the chometz and have it ready for Passover this year. Enjoy and share with others, or even at your Seder table.
Pesach (Passover) was approaching quickly and everyone was preparing for the holiday. Once two Jewish beggars were traveling together. One beggar told the other to go to the shul (synagogue), and the Jewish householders would have pity on him and invite him to a Passover Seder.
And so it was, both beggars were invited to seders. The evening started with Kiddush (the blessing over wine), and the one beggar thought to himself:
“Good wine means good food.”
As the seder continued to karpas, the beggar was given a green vegetable and thought:
“Wine now a piece of salad, this is going to be a great meal.”
The seder progressed as there was much discussion until it came to the part of matzah. The beggar was given a piece of matzah, and thought,
“Thank goodness the meal is about to begin.”
After eating the matzah, the beggar was given a piece of maror (bitter herb – horseradish) which burned his mouth and made his eyes water. He jumped up from the table and ran out the door.
“How was your Seder?” asked one beggar to the other. The unhappy beggar then told him what had happened. They gave me 2 cups of wine, a sprig of parsley, a dried cracker (matzah) and hot stuff. It was torture so got up and left!”
“Fool!” replied the one beggar to the other. “If you had waited just a little longer, you would have had a fine meal, as I had.”
The same is true when we want to come close to G-d. After all the effort to begin, we are given a little bitterness. This bitterness is needed to purify the body. But we might think that this bitterness is all there is to serving G-d, so we run away from it. This is a mistake. If we would only wait just a short while — if we would allow ourselves to be purified – then we would experience every joy and delight in the world in our closeness to G-d.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3) Please share this story with family and friends and leave us a comment or two.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 250 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 of these special tales are now available in the new book
Story Tour: The Journey Begins
This special book of stories would be a nice Pesach/Afikomen Gift Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click here for the the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins filled with 72 stories from the Story Tour Blog
The Simple Seder is the Greater Seder
One Passover, after the conclusion of the Seder, the holy Rebbe of Berditchev felt very satisfied. He had fulfilled all the Passover mitzvos carefully and carried out all the mystic intentions associated with them. As he reviewed his behavior, his thoughts were interrupted by a heavenly voice:
“Don’t be so proud of your Seder. In your city, there is a poor Jewish water carrier whose Seder far surpassed yours.”
Disturbed and curious, the Rebbe dispatched some of his students to bring the water carrier to him. Despite the lateness of the hour, the students set out to fulfill their teacher’s request. Unfortunately, the water carrier was not a known person in the village and none of the students were sure where he lived.
After a considerable search, the students located the water carrier’s home and knocked at the door. Somewhat astonished to see the Rebbe’s attendants arrive at her home so late at night, the water carrier’s wife opened the door.
When the students asked to see her husband, she shyly answered “He can’t speak to you now.”
“But the Rebbe wants to see him,” they insisted.
Realizing that they would not take no for an answer, she pointed to their bedroom. “There he is, lying on the bed. He’s stone drunk. What could the Rebbe want from him?”
Without pausing to answer, the students approached the sleeping water carrier and tried to wake him. Unable to rouse him, they were forced to carry him to the Rebbe. In the holy rabbi’s presence, the water carrier began to come to his senses. When the Rebbe looked him in the eye, he began to cry continuously.
With soothing words, the Rebbe gently calmed his guest. When he regained his composure, the holy rabbi asked him: “Tell me about your Seder.”
Again the water carrier burst into tears. After calming him once more, the Rebbe assured him there was no need to worry. His Seder had found favor in G-d’s eyes and he, the holy rabbi, wanted to learn from it.
Stuttering, his words interrupted by occasional sobs, the water carrier began to tell his story:
“There’s one custom which I have adopted that I follow loyally. Each morning after prayers, I take a little vodka and say l’chayim to to the Holy One, blessed be He.
“This morning, after following my daily custom, it occurred to me that since I wouldn’t be able to drink alcohol for the next eight days, I should say I’chayim for the entire holiday. Without thinking much longer, I downed eight more l’chayims. My head became groggy and I went to sleep.
“I slept very soundly without realizing how the hours passed by. At nightfall, my wife tried to wake me to go to shul, but I couldn’t get out of bed. When everybody was coming home, she tried to wake me again, but I just turned to the other side.
“She waited a little longer, then, came to wake me a third time. Shaking me with all her strength, she cried: “Husband! It’s Pesach! What about the seder? All the Jewish people are celebrating the holiday. What about us?'”
“I felt terrible. She was almost crying. Summoning whatever strength I could, I stumbled to the table and began to speak: “I am a simple person and my father was a simple person. I can’t read Hebrew and don’t know what we’re supposed to say now, but I know one thing about Passover. Our ancestors were slaves to the Egyptians and G-d took them out of exile. We’re in exile again now. May G-d redeem us very soon.”
“Afterwards, I noticed that my wife had prepared matzos, wine, eggs, and some vegetables on the table. I drank the wine, ate the food, and went back to bed. That was my Seder.”
The holy Rebbe of Berditchev again assured the water carrier that his Seder had been accepted by G-d and asked his students to take him home. When they returned, he told them: “The few words he said, he said with all his heart, and therefore. G-d appreciated his Seder.”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3) Please share this story with family and friends and leave us a comment or two.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 250 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 of these special tales are now available in the new book
Story Tour: The Journey Begins
This special book of stories would be a nice Pesach/Afikomen Gift Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click here for the the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins filled with 72 stories from the Story Tour Blog
Passover, Smugglers and Guards
This story was originally posted in 2009, so we dusted it off and polished it just a little.
Passover is one of the most celebrated holidays among the Jewish people. Every year they clean their homes and remove unleavened products, chometz. As they celebrate the Seder, the story of the leaving of Egypt and slavery is told as family and friends enjoy fellowship, prayer and good food in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He.
It was late in the afternoon before the beginning of Passover, and the holy rabbi was wandering through the streets of the Jewish quarter when he came upon some smugglers. From one he quietly asked how much for some tobacco, from another he inquired about the availability of smuggled brocades and imported embroideries. No matter what item he wanted, it was available for the right price.
When he asked if the smugglers could get him some bread or whiskey, they became upset and one stepped forward and said: “Rabbi, are you trying to insult me? The Passover Seder will be starting in just a few hours and no Jewish person would have even a speck of chametz left in his home or business.”
Not one merchant was able to come up with even a crumb of bread or drop of alcohol. No matter the price offered, not one merchant was willing or able to come up with even a crumb of bread or drop of alcohol. The town had removed its chometz and was ready to fullfill the religious requirements of the Seder meals and the Passover holiday.
Thrilled with the results of his failed quest, the rabbi looked up to heaven and declared: “Ribbono shel olam (Master of the Universe), look down with pride at Your people! The Czar has border guards and tax-commissioners dedicated to his commands. The law-enforcement and justice systems are devoted to tracking down and punishing smugglers and black-marketers and yet anything one could possibly want is freely available. Compare this with the faith and devotion of Your children. It has been over 3000 years since you commanded us to observe Passover. No police, no guards, no soldiers, no jail-and yet every Jewish person keeps your laws to the utmost!
“Mi K’amcha Yisrael – Who is like Your nation, Israel?”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3) Please share this story with family and friends and leave us a comment or two.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 250 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 of these special tales are now available in the new book
Story Tour: The Journey Begins
This special book of stories would be a nice Pesach/Afikomen Gift Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click here for the the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins filled with 72 stories from the Story Tour Blog
Shema and Pesach
This was originally posted in April 2011, this is based on that post with some changes.
One prayer unites Jewish people around the world, the Shema. Everyday in every Jewish community the words of the Shema are said: Hear O Israel, the L-rd is Our G-d, the Lord is One.
Many rabbis and many more people have pondered over the first sentence of the Shema. The Shema has become a declaration of the Jewish people, an affirmation of faith, a vital part of the prayer service, and meditation.
Every Jewish person can have a relationship with G-d as it says in the Shema “our G-d” Pesach is a time when Jewish people come together to read the Haggadah and celebrate this joyous holiday.
Before beginning his own Seder, the holy rabbi of the village would wander about the cottages of the local people to see how they conducted their Seders, As he walked down the cobblestoned alleys he could hear from all sides the voices of simple Jewish families singing and reciting the narrative of the Haggadah. He once stopped near the wooden shutters of one of the cottages and heard a voice reading aloud:
The Torah speaks of four sons: one wise son, one wicked son, one simple son, and one who does not know how to ask questions.”
And every time the reader came to the word for “one” — echad — he would cry it out aloud with prolonged concentration, just as people do when they say Shema Yisrael.
The holy rabbi was delighted, and commented later that this simple villager had made out of the Four Sons of the Haggadah — including even the wicked son — a sublime prayer, a prayer as sacred as the Shema.
There are always the scholars and learned in the community, but too many people drift away, and some never learned much, others search for meaning in Judaism, while a few corrupt or even ridicule Jewish teachings to their own purposes. No matter where one looks they will always find in the Jewish community the wise who follow the ways of Judaism, the wicked who deny their Jewishness, the simple who know they are Jewish and have limited understanding and those who do not even know how to ask questions to begin their search.
Every year we read the words of the Haggadah: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are needy, let them come and celebrate the Passover with us.” Let all of our prayers come together so that all Jewish people can unite as one and say the Shema and bring peace so that we can all celebrate Pesach in the Holy City of Jerusalem next year.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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“You Shall Remember that You Were a Slave in the Land of Egypt”
(Deuteronomy 5:15)
The requirement to recall “that you were a slave in Egypt” enables an individual to avoid feelings of conceit and pride. For “when pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble. (Proverbs 11:2) To what can this be compared?
There once was a king who set out on a hunting trip. As he was exploring the fields in the hope of finding game, he came upon a shepherd in a meadow who was sitting next to his flock of sheep and playing a flute.
The king was delighted by the pleasant tunes that were coming from the flute, and he found himself unable to move from his place. After some time had passed, the shepherd finished his melody. The king approached the shepherd and began to speak with him and discovered that he was very wise.
The king was amazed by the shepherd’s complexity of thought, and he invited him to come with him to his palace. The shepherd agreed and went with the king.
From then on, the shepherd lived in the royal palace, and the king asked his advice regarding all matters. In time, the shepherd rose to become one of the king’s closest advisors.
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who is able to stand before jealousy (Proverbs 27:4) and the other advisors were jealous and filled with hatred towards the shepherd who was so beloved by the king. They decided to tell terrible stories about him, informing the king that his trusted advisor had stolen from the royal treasury.
The king summoned the shepherd and questioned him, but he managed to convince all those who were present that he was an honest and upright individual. However, the jealous advisors still managed to persuade the king to conduct a search of the shepherd’s quarters, in hopes of finding some evidence of theft.
They all went together to search the shepherd’s quarters, but found nothing more than a modestly furnished home, lacking any luxuriousness whatsoever. They went from room to room finding nothing suspicious, until they came to a room that was sealed by both lock and bolt.
“What is inside this room?” asked the king.
The shepherd fell to his knees and began to plead with the king:
“Your Highness, I beg of you, do not ask me to show you what lies beyond this door! I am embarrassed by what you will find there.”
The shepherd’s pleas only served to strengthen the king’s suspicions, and he demanded that the door be opened.
When the door was opened, they glanced around the room but saw nothing more than the old clothing of a shepherd and a flute. The king and his officers were confused.
“Your Highness,” explained the former shepherd. “from the day that I came to your palace, I have not grown the least bit proud or conceited over the importance that I have achieved. This is due to my daily visits to this room, when I sit here and play my flute, recalling my days as a simple shepherd.”
So it is that remembering “that you were a slave in Egypt” will prevent a Jewish person from becoming arrogant. For whenever he feels himself swelling with pride, he will recall his days as a lowly slave in Egypt and the haughtiness will thus be banished from his heart. “A person’s pride will bring humiliation, but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
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Matzah and Shalom Bayis (Peace in the Family)
Pesach with all of its many preparations, is a holiday of peace. The seder conducted with shalom bayis (peace in the family) is the goal of every Jewish family.
The rabbi’s wife was busy in the kitchen with all the last-minute preparations for the Seder, when there was a knock at the door. A young girl who was helping prepare for the seder at the Holy Rabbi’s house answered the knock at the door. Someone had come to the home of the holy rabbi with a request for matzah for the seder. Seeing a stack of matzos wrapped up in a napkin, the young girl who opened the door innocently gave them away and hurried back to work.
A short time later, the rabbi’s wife realized the matzahs were none other than the special ones that which had been baked that same day with holy intentions. The matzahs were prepared with all manner of careful precautions against chometz. They were baked for the holy rabbi’s Seder. There was no way to get the special matzahs back. She felt her heart sag within her. How could she tell her husband of the mishap and cause him spiritual anguish? There was only one thing to do. She took a bundle of plain, ordinary matzos, deftly wrapped them up in the very same napkin, and pretended to know nothing of the whole affair. And that same evening, her husband conducted the Seder with the ordinary matzos.
Soon after Pesach (Passover) was over, a young couple visited the holy rabbi seeking a divorce.
“What makes you want to divorce your wife?” he asked the husband.
The young man answered that his wife had refused his request to cook for him during Pesach in separate utensils without shruyah — for it is the custom of certain pious folk to avoid allowing even baked matzah to come in contact with water throughout the festival.
Hearing this, the holy rabbi called for his wife and said, “Tell me the whole truth, please. What kind of matzos were placed before me at the Seder table?”
The rabbi’s wife was afraid to speak up, so she held her peace.
“Do tell me, please,” he reassured her; “have no fear.”
The rabbi’s wife mumbled the truth: “Ordinary matzos …” And she proceeded to to tell her husband the whole story.
The tzaddik now turned to the over-zealous young husband standing before him, “Look here, my son,” he said. “On the first night of Pesach I ate plain, ordinary matzah not the special ones that were prepared for the seder.” The holy rabbi continued, “I pretended not to know nor sense the difference, in order that I should not be brought to expressing hard feelings or harsh words to my beloved wife – G-d forbid — and you want to divorce your wife because of shruyah?!”
The holy rabbi then restored harmony between them, and they left him in peace.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
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Creating a Prayer – Shema and Pesach
One prayer unites Jewish people around the world – the Shema. The words of the Shema – Hear O Israel, the L-rd is Our G-d, the Lord is One – are said everyday.
Many rabbis and many more people have thought about the first sentence of the Shema. The Shema is a declaration of the Jewish people. It is an affirmation of faith, a vital part of the prayer service, and a meditation.
Every Jewish person can have a relationship with G-d as it says in the Shema “our G-d”. Pesach is a time when Jewish people come together to read the Haggadah and celebrate this joyous holiday.
One year, before beginning his own Seder, the holy rabbi of the village wandered through the village. He listened as people conducted their own Seders. As he walked down the cobble stoned alleys he heard the voices of simple Jewish families singing and reciting the narrative of the Haggadah. He stopped near the wooden shutters of one of the cottages and heard a voice reading aloud:
The Torah speaks of four sons: one wise son, one wicked son, one simple son, and one who does not know how to ask questions.”
Every time the reader came to the word for “one” — echad — he would cry it out aloud with prolonged concentration, just as people do when they say Shema Yisrael.
The holy rabbi was delighted at this approach. He commented later that this simple villager made out of the Four Sons of the Haggadah — including even the wicked son — a beautiful prayer. A sacred prayer as the Shema Yisrael.
Every year we read the words of the Haggadah: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are needy, let them come and celebrate the Passover with us.”
Let all of our prayers come together so that all Jewish people can unite as one and say the Shema and bring peace so that we can all celebrate Pesach in the Holy City of Jerusalem next year.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)