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Pesachtorah & Other Readings Pesach Torah & other readings focused on Seder night because of the First Day of Pesach phrase BAAVUR ZEH, because of this, 15 Nissan, Sunday, March 28th the matza and maror, and other Seder items. Otherwise, R"Ch would have been First Torah a good idea. 5 Aliyot, 31 p'sukim Sh'mot 12:21-51 (Bo) Second Torah Maftir, 10 p'sukim Continuation of what we read on Bamidbar 28:16-25 Shabbat HaChodesh. It contains the actual procedures to be followed in the Contains Korban Musaf of Pesach. bringing of the Korban Pesach, the Begins with Korban Pesach on the 14th account of the night of the 10th plague, and repetition of the "comand" to eat the Exodus, the Exodus-Matza connec- matza for seven days. tion, reference to Leil Shimurim, and mitzvot related to Korban Pesach. Haftara 15 p’sukim SDT: Remember, in the Hagada there is Yehoshua 5:2-6:1 a question as to whether the mitzva of SIPUR, the telling about the Egyptian The Torah tells us of Pesach Mitzrayim, experience and the Exodus therefrom and then of the first annual Pesach. should be begun on Rosh Chodesh After that, KP was not brought for the Nissan, since it was in that month that duration of the time in the Midbar. [The we left Egypt. YACHOL MEIROSH reason given for this is that the people did not CHODESH? No, says the hagada, the circumcise their baby boys out of fear of mitzva applies only on the night of the injuring then during travels - this, because 15th of Nisan, when we have matza and they did not know when they would get their maror before us. Yet we started reading marching orders.] The haftara tells of the in the Torah about the Exodus from the mass circumcision at Gilgal of the males Shabbat right before, or of Rosh who were below military age when we Chodesh Nissan. It isn't a wrong idea came out of Egypt and those born in the that the whole month of Nissan is Midbar. Following the Mila, the first appropriate to telling about Y'tzi'at Pesach in Eretz Yisrael was observed. Mitzrayim. The mitzva of V'HIGADTA The Manna ceased and the new People L'VINCHA, the mitzva of SIPUR, is of Israel ate from the harvest of the Land for the first time. Yehoshua meets but only when they entered Eretz an angel and is about to begin Yisrael (Sh'mot 12:25) and only on the preparations for battle against Yericho, first anniversary of Yetzi'at Mitzrayim the first step in conquering the Land. did Hashem command them to observe the paschal sacrifice. Thirdly, the uniqueness of this ritual was that it involved the entire nation as one. The haftara for the first day of Pesach Whereas the daily and holiday focuses, understandably, upon the first communal sacrifices were individual Korban Pesach offered in Eretz Yisrael, animals offered by the kohanim in the only a short four days after Yehoshua Beit HaMikdash as agents of the and the nation crossed the Yarden and community, this is the only korban in entered the land. As ordained by the which every Jew could be actively Torah, this ritual was observed only involved. Indeed, it is for this very after the generation of men born in the reason only in this instance did desert received a brit mila, thereby individuals who were impure and unable qualifying them to partake of the korban to participate in the korban, complain to Pesach (see Shmot 12:48 "v'chol arel lo Moshe Rabeinu and only in this instance yochal bo"). The Torah dictates that the does Hashem present to the People via sacrifice was to be offered on the 14th Moshe Rabeinu, a "make-up" sacrifice - of Nisan, Erev Pesach, and eaten that an opportunity for those who missed night, i.e., the Seder night. This unique the first korban pesach to offer one a experience in the days of Yehoshua was month later, on the 14th of Iyar. considered the "model" paschal offering, as all of the nation remained For this same reason the paschal camped together as they had been in offering of which we read in this haftara the desert, and therefore, all the people was of so much importance. Although all participated in the mitzva. were commanded to travel to the Mishkan/Mikdash to observe this There is, however, a number of mitzva, once the people took over the misconceptions regarding this mitzva land, each shevet in their specific area, that should be clarified. Firstly, this it became more and more difficult for ritual was NOT part of the chag we refer people to leave their estates, take their to as "Pesach". In fact, whenever the families and make the trek to Shilo (the Tanach speaks of "Pesach" it is place of the Mishkan) or Yerushalayim. referring to the paschal sacrifice ritual As a result, fewer people observed the and not the holiday, which is usually mitzva. The story of the haftara brings called "Chag HaMatzot". Secondly, B'nei the reader back to simpler times and, Yisrael were never commanded to offer beyond the nostalgia, reminds us that the Korban Pesach while in the desert the greatest impact of this mitzva is that deal with sacrifices and with the when it succeed in bringing together all mitzvot of Kiddush HaShem. Reference of Israel. is made to G-d's taking us out of Egypt - definitely part of the reason for All of the pilgrimage festivals had the "prefixing" this to the Festival portion. effect of uniting a nation that had But another reason is the proliferation spread throughout the land and had of korbanot during Chol HaMoed due to limited connection with each other. The the influx of Jews from all over the Korban Pesach, however, also filled the country who were Oleh Regel. streets of Yerushalayim with thousands of groups actively observing the same (Outside Israel, this is the reading for mitzva in the same way at the same 2nd day Yom Tov. 5 Aliyot + Maftir & time. What a wonderful message for us Haftara) to remember as we sit down to our Seder tables. Second Torah As one nation serving One G-d. 4th Aliya, 7 p'sukim Probing the Prophets, weekly insights into the Bamidbar 28:19-25 Haftara, is written by Rabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler, author of Bringing the Prophets to Life (Gefen Publ.) Contains just the Musaf of Pesach, without the first 3 p'sukim, which are 2nd day of Pesach read on the first day only. 1 day to the Omer 1st day of Chol HaMoed in Israel 3rd day of Pesach 16 Nissan, Monday, March 29th 2 days to the Omer 2nd day of Chol HaMoed in Israel First Torah 3 Aliyot 17 Nissan, Tuesday, March 30th 52 p'sukim (Emor) First Torah Vayikra 22:26-23:44 3 Aliyot, 16 p'sukim The bulk of the reading is The Festival Sh'mot 13:1-16 (Bo) Portion, Vayikra 23. It deals with the entire cycle of holidays, all of which Continuation of the first day's reading. revolve around Pesach, all of which in Consists of the two parshiyot known as some way commemorate the Exodus. KADEISH and V'HAYA KI Y'VI'ACHA, Contains the mitzva of the Omer which which join the first two portions of the was brought on the second day of Sh'ma as the four parshiyot in T'filin. Pesach. Perfect timing. The Festival Contains the mitzvot of the sanctity of Portion is preceded by several p'sukim firstborns, which derives from the events in Mitzrayim. Extensive refer- 5th day of Pesach ence to Pesach is also found here. 4 days to the Omer 4th day of Chol HaMoed in Israel 2nd Torah 4th Aliya 19 Nissan, Thursday, April 1st same as day 2 Happy Birthday Dvir, y"enr 4th day of Pesach First Torah 3 Aliyot 3 days to the Omer 38 p'sukim (Ki Tisa) 3rd day of Chol HaMoed in Israel Sh'mot 33:12-34:26 18 Nissan, Wednesday, March 31st The main theme of this reading is the 13 First Torah Divine Attributes. In the aftermath of the Sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe 3 Aliyot, 26 p'sukim Rabeinu asks G-d to allow him to know Sh'mot 22:24-23:19 Him (G-d) more intimately. G-d will not allow this completely, for it is (Mishpatim) impossible for any human being, but He Contains many mitzvot including those will show Moshe more of Himself (so to related to the Three Festivals. The speak) than anyone else would ever see. opening mitzvot of this portion deal G-d then commands Moshe to cut new with Tzedaka. This is particularly LUCHOT and write upon them that appropriate in light of the practice of which was written on the first set, "that KIMCHA D'PISCHA, providing for the you broke". G-d forgives the People, Pesach needs of the poor. sends Moshe back to them with the new LUCHOT, and with the knowledge of the YUD-GIMEL MIDOT, which the people of 2nd Torah 4th Aliya Israel are to use in prayer, and some of same as day 2 whose traits, we are to emulate. This is followed by a review of the three major Chagim, including mitzvot related to Pesach. 2nd Torah 4th Aliya same as day 2 there is no Shabbat Chol HaMoed (like 6th day of Pesach this year), then Shir HaShirim is read on 5 days to the Omer Shabbat Yom Tov (which can be the first day in some years, or the seventh day in 5th day of Chol HaMoed in Israel some years (like this year).
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