Pesach Teachings, Thoughts and Philosophical Musings Boys’ Division Table of Contents From the Head Teacher’s Desk ............................................................................................ 1 - Rabbi Yehoshua Landes The Color of Freedom ............................................................................................................ 2 - Jaylan Smith The Blood Plague - La Plaga de Sangre ................................................................................. 3 - Yaphet Felix Selling Your Chametz ............................................................................................................ 4 - Mikhel Shvarts Young and Free ..................................................................................................................... 5 - Rabbi Yossi Bassman Bedikas Chametz ................................................................................................................... 6 - Zusia Rosenthal The Unleavened Bread .......................................................................................................... 7 - Eliezer Armstrong Three Extra Matzos ............................................................................................................... 8 - Rabbi Sholom Mendelson The Passover Seder, There and Back Again .......................................................................... 9 - Isaac Gelfman Pouring Out Your Problems: Pesach, Kabbalah and a Glass of Wine .............................. 11 - Avi Gelfman The Evolution of the Haggadah ......................................................................................... 12 - Yanky Dlinn The Chacham and the Rasha .............................................................................................. 14 - Avigdor Shifrin 15................................................................................................. אליהו The Cup Of - Zachary Sefia Chametz and Matzah: A Closer Look ................................................................................ 16 - Shmuly Lotman Biblical Mathematics – How long were we in Egypt? ....................................................... 17 - Nosson Hanson Has anyone seen Goshen? ................................................................................................. 19 - Rabbi Yehoshua Landes From the Head Teacher’s Desk still remember the first time I saw hand-bakedShmurah Matzah. I was a young post-Bar Mitzvah boy, living in California. Pesach was just around I the corner, and a Lubavitcher Shaliach in Berkley suggested that we use hand-baked Shmurah Matzot for the Seder. Until then, I had always associated matzah with the uniform square crackers that came in Manischewits boxes. Shmurah Matzot were different. They were round, they were burnt, they had character. Every Matzah was different, no two were alike. Some were oblong, some were thicker, some were folded or had bubbles in the middle – it was as if each Matzah had its own life story. After that Seder, there was no going back. Machine Matzot were simply too cold and clinical, a modern extension of our mechanized society. Hand-baked Shmurah Matzot were authentic, it was what our ancestors ate in Egypt - it was the real McCoy. During my times in a various schools, both as a teacher and pupil, I have seen a large variety of student publications. Many were highly sanitized and heavily edited works. I often felt that it was as if the teachers were writing the articles and only using their students as a façade. In Pesach terms, the pamphlets and booklets were like machine Matzot. Although the topics of the articles differed, they could have been, both linguistically and stylistically, clones of each other. I am happy to say that this booklet is different. Yes, there has been some editing and light touch up work by our staff, but it is primarily the work of our students. Each article is like a hand-baked Shmurah Matzah with its own quirks, personality and outlooks on life. In many ways, this underscores and encapsulates what Hillel High is about – an institute of learning that celebrates and cherishes the differences within our students, rather than suppressing them to a uniformity of one size fits all. We cherish this multiplicity of viewpoints and attitudes at Hillel High, because we believe that it is the only way for our students to discover their true inner potential I hope you enjoy reading this booklet as much as I enjoyed watching it being made. I also hopes it gives an insight of how Orthodox Judaism is broad enough to encompass a variety of different viewpoints and perspectives, depending upon where one currently is, in their spiritual journey to our Creator. As the Zohar puts it, a picture is only truly beautiful when it is composed of a variety of colors. Wishing everyone a Kosher and Freilichin Pesach, Rabbi Yehoshua Landes Head Teacher, Hillel High 1 The Color of Freedom By Jaylan Smith assover is a holiday that celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from P Egypt. It is a miracle that the holiday of Passover has withstood the test of time. Throughout history, Passover has been celebrated by Jews every year. No matter how religious one may be and no matter what the circumstances, Jews have always had this celebration. Throughout our long and difficult history, Jews have constantly been oppressed. At many times, the Jewish people were back in chains once again, reverting to the same original situation as Egypt. Yet, even while being locked in chains and When the Jews received the Torah, they gained oppressed, the Jews continued the celebration something which no other nation could touch or of Passover. The question is why? Why is it that take away. Men can oppress the Jews physically, Jews continued to celebrate Passover even they can cause pain, imprison, destroy their during times of captivity, when seemingly the property, and yes, even gas their bodies. But due reward and gains of the original freedom are to the giving of the Torah, men will never be gone? Why celebrate the freedom they no longer able to spiritually oppress the Jews. have? There are many examples of Jews celebrating The answer is really in the Haggadah “In every Passover while under oppression. During the generation a Jew should see himself as though holocaust there were countless Jews celebrating he personally has been liberated from Egypt.” behind barbed wire with the guards patrolling When the Jews left Egypt, they started their the camp. Many Jews risked their lives in order journey on the path to a true freedom. This to commemorate their freedom. They baked happened when the Jews received the Torah at matzah in secret and even secretly held Sedarim. Mount Sinai. Receiving the Torah was the In the concentration camps Jews were being primary reason for leaving Egypt, as the verse murdered, starved and tortured. No matter what says, "When you bring the nation out of Egypt, the Nazis did there was nothing in which could you will serve God upon this mountain". The break the will of the Jewish people in terms of Torah is not only a book of laws. All of the commemorating their freedom. answers are within the Torah. All philosophies in People may hurt our bodies, but no one can which the Jews live by are derived from the touch our souls. Torah. When the Jews received the Torah, they received direction. As a result, the Jews gained true freedom. Before the giving of the Torah the Jews were an unstable nation because they had no rules or obligations. Ultimately, the Torah is the connection between G-D and the Jewish people. 2 The Blood Plague - La Plaga de Sangre By Yaphet Felix very Sunday morning when I wake up to in the bathtubs in the house. “Even in wood go doven, after washing my hands, I look and in stone” Rashi- Water in wooden vessels E at the tree that sits outside my window. and in stone vessels. As I walk to shul heading north, a big floating From this we see that Egypt had no chance of light the color of brass makes Lake Michigan escaping the blood, since the blood was even in shine like glass. The birds start to sing to the Al- their homes. The Midrash says that Egypt was mighty King- what a beautiful sight, it must be punished with their water because they forced spring. Looking at this magnificent scene, one the Israelites to fetch them water from the Nile. sees all the details of Hashem's glorious crea- What comes around goes around. tions, each one perfectly in sync with Hashem’s master plan. Every single grain of sand, and eve- The question now comes, how come Aaron was ry single drop in the ocean all perfectly playing the one to do the plague and not Moshe? Rashi their distinct role. says that it wasn’t appropriate for Moshe to do it since the water looked after Moshe when he In the story of the exodus of Egypt, in addition was placed in the Nile as a baby. Moshe had to the major characters of Moses and Pharaoh, such a relationship with the sea that he didn't the other elements of nature also played a dis- want to turn it into blood out of respect. tinct and significant role. “Say to Aaron, take your staff and stretch forth your hand over the From all the information above, we see that eve- waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their ca- rything serves Hashem. The sea, which is alive nals, over their ponds, and over all their bodies and full of G-dliness, accepted that its purpose of water, and they will become blood, and there was that one day, it would turn into blood. Eve- will be blood throughout the entire land of rything will always be Hashem’s