Q&A with the Rabbi
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PESACH PESACH PESACH ניסן תשפ׳׳א ISSUE RECIPES WITH PETS KASHERING 03 page 16 page 18 page 20 MARCH 2021 PESACH Q&A with THE ACCIDENTAL the MASHGIACH Rabbi WHAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A BENEFITS OF HECSHER charoset FOR PESACH MEDICINES GUIDELINES FOR MEDICINES & ORAL CARE AN INDEPENDENCE CREATED BY: DAY CELEBRATION PAGE 14 PESACHCHECK 1 Passover freedom and the coronavirus MESSAGE FROM RABBI AVRAHAM FEIGELSTOCK Each year, when we sit world. This commandment reminds fulfilled their obligation. ty. The ability to subjugate oneself to a and one is servitude to the Almighty We watch as people walk alone with down to the Seder table, us that "LEAVING EGYPT", which This leaves us with an obvious ques- Higher Power. through infinite spiritual connection. masks, trying to avoid contact with we begin the recitation represents a place of physical and tion! Does matzo represent slavery or The matzo of slavery, was the lesson The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos states, others as much as possible. Religious gatherings severely curtailed. Not "אין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתורה" .of the Hagaddah with spiritual impurity that tries to limit our does it represent freedom? of humility the opening paragraph ability to connect spiritually, is the job In truth, matzo represents both. It taught us to focus on our spiritual The only "Free" person is one who many will have a table of guests cele- of of each Jew in every generation. In order to understand how this can component. involves himself in the study of Torah. brating our freedom. This is the bread of Therefore, we eat matzo, the poor be and why it must be, we have to That was the matzo that we experi- Freedom, as we see from The Exodus So what will Pesach, the Holiday of - הא לחמא Eעניא affliction. bread of slavery, to relive the expe- explain the concept of slavery. ence in the beginning of the seder. of Egypt, means freeing oneself from Freedom mean to us this year? rience of being enslaved to physical A person by nature must either serve Then there is the matzo that heralds the limitations of physical servitude to Torah is focused on our inner selves, We speak of the "poor bread" that our limitations that inhibit our ability to his body or his soul. Either I am our freedom when we choose to run a finite entity. our personal growth and our ability to forefathers ate as slaves in Egypt. rise spiritually. focused on my material satisfaction away from all those things that pre- Once we have begun to focus on our connect spiritually even as an indi- We invite guests to join us in remem- such as a beautiful home, car, materi- vent us from giving expression to our soul, and the unlimited connection vidual. Although we would prefer the bering and reliving the experience of Yet, as we make our way through the al wealth etc. or I am focused on my soul. with the Almighty we become truly physical freedom of travel, prayer in the Exodus from Egypt. Hagaddah and describe first the bitter spiritual fulfillment, such as prayer, Hashem said to Moshe at the burning free from physical bondage. shul and guests at our Yom Tov table, enslavement of the Jews and then the As slaves, our forefathers were fed the Torah, mitzvot etc. Either I am feed- bush that He is liberating the Jewish Yet this past year seems like anything we must look at the present situation subsequent salvation, we find a curi- minimum amount in order to survive. ing my physical being or my spiritual nation in order for them to serve Him but freedom. The Corona virus seemed as an opportunity for introspection. ous paragraph. This paragraph, found אין לך בן חורין אלא מי In the Hagaddah, we confirm that in being. at Har Sinai by accepting the Torah. to sap us of any freedom we had. Last It gives us the ability to free ourselves ,towards the end of the Hagaddah שעוסק בתורה every generation, each one of us is re- In order for the Jewish people to The Torah, the book of instruction as to Pesach, many of us sat at the Seder from the many distractions and addic- states that the reason we eat matzo quired to relive the Exodus experience understand the concept of servitude/ how we should lead our lives, would table without our family around us. It tions to physical pleasures. It allows on Pesach is because when our forefa- and view ourselves as if we, too, are devotion, they first had to realize what serve to guide us in self discipline by hardly seemed like the joyous cele- us to focus the inner Me and My thers were being led out of Egypt, they leaving Egypt. is means to accept a Higher Authority. minimizing our focus on the materi- bration of freedom that we've become essential connection to G-d in any set had to leave in such haste that their .Matzo was that lesson. al and redirecting our efforts to the used to for so many years. And this of circumstances בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו dough didn't have time to rise. Ordinary bread, chametz, rises. It spiritual. year, might not be much different for Wishing you a healthy and spiritually .הוא יצא ממצרים Rabban Gamliel maintains that who- signifies arrogance, a false feeling of In other words, both stages were ser- many families. Travel is restricted, uplifting holiday, This is an essential foundation to ever does not mention this reason pride and power. Serving my own ego. vitude, but one was servitude to the people are confined to their homes or the way we view our mission in this for eating matzo on Pesach, has not Matzo in contrast, symbolizes humili- physical, finite limited aspect of man, hotels. RABBI AVRAHAM FEIGELSTOCK 2 PESACH CHECK PESACHCHECK 3 TEAM VANCOUVER Q&A BETH DIN Rabbi Avraham Feigelstock KOSHER Av Beth Din ESTABLISHMENTS with the Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt Congregation Schara Tzedeck CAFÉ 41 - DAIRY chalav yisrael 41 CATERING - MEAT Rabbi Shlomo Gabay 5750 Oak St, Vancouver 5750 Oak St, Vancouver Rabbi Tel: (604) 563-4141 Tel: (604) 440-2259 DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A Congregation Beth Hamidrash PRODUCT, A HECHSHER OR JUST A GENERAL QUESTION ABOUT KASHRUS? NAVA - Creative Kosher Cuisine THE PERFECT BITE CONTACT RABBI MENDY AT (604) 781-2324 KOSHER CHECK TEAM DAIRY (Not Chalav Yisrael) & Pareve CATERING COMPANY [email protected] 950 W. 41st Ave, Vancouver MEAT & DAIRY (Not Chalav Yisrael) Tel: (604) 676-7579 998 West 26th SANDY RAY Avenue, Vancouver General Manager OMNITSKY KOSHER BC (604) 325-9132 [email protected] MEAT & Pareve 5775 Oak Street, Vancouver FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM RABBI MENDY FEIGELSTOCK Tel: (604) 321-1818 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC IS ICING SUGAR make their own oil at home and then CAN I USE FROZEN FRUIT Director, Kashrus & Operations Tel:604-695-5453 ACCEPTABLE TO USE FOR bring it to work to use for coating the DURING PESACH? [email protected] SABRA BAKERY (Kosher supervised events - DAIRY not PASSOVER? fruit. Since both Dextrose and Flour (604) 781-2324 MEAT & Pareve Chalav Yisroel) are Kitniyot or could even be Chametz, Frozen Fruit can be used 3844 Oak Street, Vancouver RABBI SCHNEUR FEIGELSTOCK Icing Sugar, also known as Dried Fruits require Kosher L’Pesach without certification, as long as it is Tel: (604) 733-491 Rabbinical Coordinator Confectioners Sugar, is made up supervision and regular supervision not sweetened or cooked. In addition, [email protected] Alberta kosher of regular granulated sugar that is during the year. you should check the ingredient THE KOLLEL – MEAT (604) 716-2770 establishments then further ground up into a smooth declaration to ensure that it does not 1967 W. Broadway, Vancouver powder. An anti-caking agent, usually CAN I PURCHASE contain Ascorbic Acid or Citric Acid as [email protected] KAREN’S CAFE RABBI BINYAMIN GORDON corn starch is added to ensure the FROZEN FISH TO USE both of these are Kitniyot. DAIRY (Not Chalav Yisrael) Rabbinic Field Representative sugar does not clump up. Since DURING PESACH? GARDEN CITY BAKERY - PAREVE 1607 90th Ave SW, Calgary [email protected] corn starch is Kitniyot, Ashkenazic DO RAW NUTS REQUIRE 360 – 9100 Blundell Rd, Richmond Tel: (403) 255-5311 (604) 782-0410 custom is to refrain from using this on During the processing of Frozen Fish KOSHER L’PESACH Tel: (604) 244-7888 Passover. it is common for food manufacturers CERTIFICATION? MS. LEAH TEGEGNE CARRIAGE HOUSE HOTEL to glaze the fish in Corn Starch. This is Executive Assistant KOSHER FOOD WAREHOUSE (BAKERY – Marked Items only) DO DRIED FRUITS RE- done to increase the shelf life of frozen Any unroasted tree nuts in-shell do [email protected] 612 Kingsway (rear), Vancouver PAREVE & MEAT QUIRE KOSHER FOR PASS- products. It is advisable to avoid not require Kosher L’Pesach (604) 731-1803 Tel: (604) 709-9889 9030 Macleod Trail S, Calgary OVER CERTIFICATION? packaged frozen fish during Pesach. certification. Any Tel: (403) 253-1101 RABBI MENACHEM MATUSOF Please purchase before Pesach and nuts out of shell Rabbinical Representative, Dried Fruits are often coated in either wash well prior to the start of the such as Almonds CALGARY JCC Alberta Kosher DESIGNED BY dextrose, flour or oil to stop them holiday. or Cashews etc. (Packaged Challah only)PAREVE (403) 714-9009 from sticking together. We have seen do not require 1607 90th Ave SW, Calgary facilities in Asia where employees Kosher L’Pesach Tel: (403) 253-8600 INSTAGRAM/RACHGABZ continued 4 PESACH CHECK PESACHCHECK 5 Certification as long as they are not roasted and do not have any additional designated pots and utensils.