Posted: 13 May 2013 11:55 PM PDT
The reading of the Book of Ruth is one of the traditions of the holiday. Ruth, a Moabite and widow of a Jewish man (and a princess according to commentators), gave up her life in Moab to join her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, in the Land of Israel. She insisted on adopting Naomi's God, Torah and religion.
We present a few of thedozens of "Ruth" photographs found in the Library of Congress' American Colony collection.
See more of the pictures here. Unfortunately, we don't know when the "Ruth and Boaz series" was photographed, but we estimate approximately 100 years ago. Click on the caption to view the original.  Full article: Picture A Day: Book of Ruth |
Showing posts with label Passover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Passover. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Jewish Holidays 2013-2014
Major holidays
| Holiday | Hebrew Year 5774 | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rosh Hashana | Sep 5-6, 2013 | The Jewish New Year |
| Yom Kippur | Sep 14, 2013 | Day of Atonement |
| Sukkot | Sep 19-20, 2013 Sep 21-25, 2013 | Feast of Tabernacles |
| Shmini Atzeret | Sep 26, 2013 | Eighth Day of Assembly |
| Simchat Torah | Sep 27, 2013 | Day of Celebrating the Torah |
| Chanukah | Nov 28-Dec 5, 2013 | The Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the Festival of Lights |
| Purim | Mar 16, 2014 | Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar |
| Pesach | Apr 15-16, 2014 Apr 17-20, 2014 Apr 21-22, 2014 | Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread |
| Shavuot | Jun 4-5, 2014 | Festival of Weeks, commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai |
| Tish'a B'Av | Aug 5, 2014 | The Ninth of Av, fast commemorating the destruction of the two Temples |
Minor holidays
| Holiday | Hebrew Year 5774 | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tu BiShvat | Jan 16, 2014 | New Year for Trees |
| Purim Katan | Feb 14, 2014 | Minor Purim celebration during Adar I on leap years |
| Shushan Purim | Mar 17, 2014 | Purim celebrated in Jerusalem and walled cities |
| Days of the Omer | 7 weeks from the second night of Pesach to the day before Shavuot | |
| Pesach Sheni | May 14, 2014 | Second Passover, one month after Passover |
| Lag B'Omer | May 18, 2014 | 33rd day of counting the Omer |
Public fasts
| Holiday | Hebrew Year 5774 | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tzom Gedaliah | Sep 8, 2013 | Fast of the Seventh Month |
| Asara B'Tevet | Dec 13, 2013 | Fast commemorating the siege of Jerusalem |
| Ta'anit Esther | Mar 13, 2014 | Fast of Esther |
| Ta'anit Bechorot | Apr 14, 2014 | Fast of the First Born |
| Tzom Tammuz | Jul 15, 2014 | Fast commemorating breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar |
Modern holidays
| Holiday | Hebrew Year 5774 | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Yom HaShoah | Apr 28, 2014 | Holocaust Memorial Day |
| Yom HaZikaron | May 5, 2014 | Israeli Memorial Day |
| Yom HaAtzma'ut | May 6, 2014 | Israeli Independence Day |
| Yom Yerushalayim | May 28, 2014 | Jerusalem Day |
http://www.hebcal.com/holidays/2013-2014
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Photos: Old City of Hevron Attracts 15,000 Visitors
Over 15,000 people visited Hevron on Wednesday and more are expected on Thursday.
Israel National News, 3/28/2013
מערת המכפלה
דוברות היישוב היהודי בחברון
Hebron's Jewish community hosted over 15,000 people on Wednesday and more are expected on Thursday. Ohel Yitzhak, the Isaac and Rebecca Hall is open to the public.
The hall is located in the ancient Cave of Machpelah complex. Visitors took part in sightseeing tours of the historic city including the Cave of Otniel ben Knaz and the Tomb of Avner ben Ner, and modern sites such as the Hebron Heritage Museum at Beit Hadassah, the Avraham Avinu synagogue, and other places.
On Thursday the the Hebron community will hosts tens of thousands at the annual Passover music festival, with performances from top name acts. New York based singer Lipa Schmeltzer will headline the concert along with local musicians Haim Israel, Udi Davidi, the Kinderlach, Yishai Lapidot, Amiran Dvir, Benyamin Landau, Nadav Gilad, Ohad Mashiach and more.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Pesach (Passover) Holiday to Begin Monday Eve
Jewish families world over will sit down to the Seder Monday evening, read the Haggadah and recall the Exodus. Chag Sameach!
By Arutz Sheva, Jerusalem Post
First Publish: 3/25/2013
Matza factory
Israel news photo: Flash 90
Jews outside of Israel, and those visiting Israel only for the holiday, observe an additional day in both the beginning and end of Pesach, which lasts eight days for them.
On this evening, the enslaved Jews were freed from Egyptian bondage after the Ten Plagues forced King Pharaoh of Egypt to listen to Moses and Aaron's call to "Let my people go!" The best known name of the holiday is Passover, to commemmorate the passing over of the Jewish homes during the plague that killed each Egyptian firstborn son. The holiday is also known as the Holiday of Matzahs, the Holiday of Our Freedom and the Holiday of Spring.
Jews are commanded to tell the story of leaving Egypt as if it had happened to them personally and not as a mere historical event, in order to emphasize the importance of our hard-won and precious freedom.
The government of Israel sold its “chametz,” leavened bread, to an Arab before the holiday in order not to transgress the commandment of not owning any chametz during the holiday. This includes any food product that contains leavened wheat, oat, barley, rye, or spelt products.
After a search for remaining chametz in houses Sunday night, Jews burn it the following morning, several hours before Pesach begins. Not a drop of chametz is allowed to remain in Jewish hands during the entire holiday, so that each family sells its own chametz for the week as the government does.
Dishes also are changed for the holiday or were made kosher through a procedure that depends on what material they are composed of. Glassware dishes can be koshered for Pesach by cleaning, leaving them unused for a period of time and then dipping them in water. Metal, if completely cleaned, is dipped in boiling water and prior to the holiday, large vats of boiling water are manned by people at various locations for that purpose. Not all materials can be made useable for Pesach and a rabbi should be consulted with any questions.
In the absence of leaven, Jews will eat specially prepared unleavened bread, or matza, on Pesach, as was done at the Exodus, when the Jews did not have enough time to wait for dough to rise before leaving Egypt.
First-born males over 13 are required to fast on the day before Passover – in commemoration of the fact that first-born Jewish males were spared when first-born Egyptian males were killed during the tenth plague – but may be released of this obligation by participating in a special festive meal, like the ones that accompany the conclusion of study of a tractate of the Talmud or a circumcision, on the morning before Passover.
The traditional Seder is held Monday night – Monday and Tuesday nights for Jews outside of Israel. The guide for the Seder is detailed in the Haggadah, literally "narration," which relates the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
A plate placed on the Seder table contains several special foods: a roasted egg, symbolizing the special holiday sacrifices which were brought in the Temple; a roasted shank bone, recalling the Passover lamb offered and eaten by every family in Jerusalem in Temple times and brought in Egypt right before the Exodus; a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon known as charoset, symbolizing the mortar that the Hebrew slaves in Egypt used to make bricks; sprigs of parsley and lettuce, symbolizing spring; a bitter herb symbolizing the bitterness of slavery; and salt water, recalling the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. There are additional explanations for some of the symbols.
Three whole pieces of matza mark the division of the Jewish people into priests (Cohanim), Levites and the general population are also placed on the table. There are also other explanations for this custom, as there are for almost all of the customs.
During the course of the Seder, the Ten Plagues are recalled. When each of the Plagues is mentioned, each participant dips a finger into his/her cup of wine and removes a drop; even though the Jews were oppressed in Egypt, we are reminded that we must not rejoice over the Egyptians' suffering. Our cups of wine cannot thus be full.
Four cups of wine are drunk at specific parts of the seder, to remember the four words symbolizing redemption that appear in the Biblical Exodus narration.
One of the more popular Seder customs for children concerns the afikoman, a special piece of matza that is the last food eaten during the Seder. The head of the household customarily hides the afikoman somewhere in the house, and the children then search for it. Once found, the afikoman is "ransomed," since the Seder cannot continue until the afikoman is eaten. This helps to keep the children focused on the Seder and to pique their curiosity regarding the entire Passover epic.
On the morning of Monday March 26, festive prayers, including a prayer for dew during the spring and summer, and special readings, will figure prominently in synagogue services.
During the intermediate days, between the first and last days, special prayers also are recited in synagogue. In Israel, all of Pesach is an official holiday for schools and most government offices and vacationing families fill the national parks and museums, many of which are free.
Jewish tradition maintains that the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army occurred on the seventh day of Passover, but even though Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt, Jews nevertheless do not rejoice over the death of the Egyptians in the sea and only an abridged version of Hallel (Psalms 113-118) – a holiday prayer – is recited after the first day of Passover.
On the Sabbath of the intermediate days of Passover (Saturday March 30), the day's special readings will include the Song of Songs and Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
From the evening prayer ending Tuesday March 26, Jews will keep a nightly count of the 49 days (seven weeks), until the evening of Tuesday, May 14, one day before the holiday of Shavuot. This count commemorates the Temple offering of the omer, or sheaf of new grain, in keeping with the Biblical injunction of Leviticus 23:15-16.
Maimouna – an informal, yet widely celebrated holiday which originated among the Jews of North Africa, particularly those from Morocco – will be celebrated immediately after Passover, from sunset on Monday April 1. According to custom, families prepare elaborate tables with various sweets and baked goods, and host friends and family members. Whole neighborhoods often close as celebrations spill out into the streets and parks.
Israelis tell Israel Today what Passover means to them
Monday, March 25, 2013 | Israel Today Staff
Around the world Jews, and not a few Christians, are preparing to celebrate the biblical festival of Pessach (Passover), the chief of the appointed times given by God to the nation of Israel.
Israel Today went out on the streets of Jerusalem to ask local residents what it means to them to be once again celebrating Passover as a free and sovereign nation restored to its biblical homeland.
Yossi Krisp: “It means liberty, it means freedom, it means family.”
Gal Yerushalmi: “It’s so important to celebrate this here in Israel. We are Jewish and this is our country, and we’re happy for this freedom.”
Beyla Potash: “Passover is the beginning of a nation.”
Yeshurun Luz: Passover means "liberation from the other nations, from being under the rule of other nations, and as a personal liberation from whatever holds me. It has been and it will be one of the most kept holidays ofthe Jewish people.”
Moshe: “It means remembering the miracles we had when we were slaves in Egypt.”
Israel Levin: “It doesn’t only represent something that happened a few thousand years ago; it represents something that is able to happen to us all the time. In every generation our enemy tries to destroy us and God saves us. But it's not only about national security, it’s also something that relates to each and every person; that there’s power for a person who yearns for freedom from his own personal things that hold them back.”
Moshe Frank: “No pizza… and no bagles!”
Adam Segal: “It’s a holiday of thanking God for our freedoms; spiritual freedom, physical freedom, freedom to develop as people, and freedom from oppression. One of the most important things according to Torah (Bible), is you’re supposed to teach your children that God is the one who took us out from the land of Egypt. And that develops an appreciation from generation to generation to connect with God and connect to the Jewish people, and to be eternally grateful for where we are and where God brought us."
Yisrael Dalayahu: “It means two things; we remember our ancestors who were delivered from Egypt, and we are waiting again to be delivered from all our problems and all our neighbors and the war to come.”
Sarah Goldman: “It represents for me the deep, stronglove that God has for His people. That even when we were at the worst spiritual level that one could possibly be in, God came and took us out of Egypt. Not through the back door, but in front of everybody. It shows that He loves us and He cares for us. And even when all seems to fail, God always comes through.”
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23757/Default.aspx?hp=article_title
Israel Today went out on the streets of Jerusalem to ask local residents what it means to them to be once again celebrating Passover as a free and sovereign nation restored to its biblical homeland.
Yossi Krisp: “It means liberty, it means freedom, it means family.”
Gal Yerushalmi: “It’s so important to celebrate this here in Israel. We are Jewish and this is our country, and we’re happy for this freedom.”
Beyla Potash: “Passover is the beginning of a nation.”
Yeshurun Luz: Passover means "liberation from the other nations, from being under the rule of other nations, and as a personal liberation from whatever holds me. It has been and it will be one of the most kept holidays of
Moshe: “It means remembering the miracles we had when we were slaves in Egypt.”
Israel Levin: “It doesn’t only represent something that happened a few thousand years ago; it represents something that is able to happen to us all the time. In every generation our enemy tries to destroy us and God saves us. But it's not only about national security, it’s also something that relates to each and every person; that there’s power for a person who yearns for freedom from his own personal things that hold them back.”
Moshe Frank: “No pizza… and no bagles!”
Adam Segal: “It’s a holiday of thanking God for our freedoms; spiritual freedom, physical freedom, freedom to develop as people, and freedom from oppression. One of the most important things according to Torah (Bible), is you’re supposed to teach your children that God is the one who took us out from the land of Egypt. And that develops an appreciation from generation to generation to connect with God and connect to the Jewish people, and to be eternally grateful for where we are and where God brought us."
Yisrael Dalayahu: “It means two things; we remember our ancestors who were delivered from Egypt, and we are waiting again to be delivered from all our problems and all our neighbors and the war to come.”
Sarah Goldman: “It represents for me the deep, strong
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23757/Default.aspx?hp=article_title
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
And ye shall observe this thing [Passover] for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever:.. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord 's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt... (Exodus [Shemot] 12:24,26-27).
Here is an excellent website site for understanding the Feasts of the Lord, and in particular, the Passover (Pesach) season: http://feastsofthelord.com/ss/live/index.php?action=getpage&sid=204&pid=2188
The following, excluding artwork, is taken from that complete article.
How Did Yeshua Fulfill the Passover?
The Feast of Passover (Pesach) was given by G-d to be a rehearsal (miqra) of the first coming of Yeshua. The Passover ceremony was observed in remembrance of the past and in preparation for the future. Many years after the Passover in Egypt, a person named John (Yochanan) the Baptist (Immerser), pointed to Yeshua and declared that He was the Lamb of G-d (John [Yochanan] 1:29). After John (Yochanan), a type of Elijah (Eliyahu) who would prepare the coming of Messiah, proclaimed Yeshua as the Lamb of G-d, Yeshua ministered for three-and-a-half years. At the end of that time, on the tenth of Nisan, the high priest marched out of the city of Jerusalem to Bethany where a lamb was to be slain. The lamb was led back into the city through streets lined with thousands of pilgrims singing the Hallel (Psalms [Tehillim] 113-118). The liturgy for Hoshanah Rabbah says that the Messiah will come to the Mount of Olives and weep over the city. This happened in Luke 19:41. The people also waved palm branches as Yeshua rode into the city on a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. Today, Nisan 10 is known as Palm Sunday in the non-Jewish community.
The lamb that was to be slain by the high priest was led into the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and put in a prominent place of display. Likewise, Yeshua the Lamb of G-d went on public display when He entered the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and spent four days there among the people, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the scribes, as the leaders asked Yeshua their hardest questions. Yeshua was questioned in front of the people for four days, showing Himself to be without spot or blemish, fulfilling Exodus (Shemot) 12:5.
On the fourteenth of Nisan, at the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m.), the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) took the lamb and ascended the altar so he could tie the lamb in place on the altar. At the same time on that day, Yeshua was tied to the tree on Mount Moriah (Mark 15:25). At the time of the evening sacrifice (3:00 p.m.) for Passover (Exodus [Shemot] 12:6), the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) ascended the altar, cut the throat of the lamb with a knife, and said the words, "It is finished." These are the exact words said after giving a peace offering to G-d. At this same time, Yeshua died, saying these exact words in John (Yochanan) 19:30. Yeshua died at exactly 3:00 p.m. (Matthew [Mattityahu] 27:45-46,50).
In Exodus (Shemot) 12:8-9, we are told the lamb was to be roasted before sundown. According to the tractate Pesahim in the Mishnah, the lamb was roasted on an upright pomegranate stick. This pomegranate stick is representative of the tree upon which Yeshua died. The lamb was to be gutted, and its intestines were to be removed and put over its head. Thus, the lamb is referred to as the "crowned sacrifice." This is a picture of Yeshua in (Psalm [Tehillim] 22:13-18).
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:16 says that all the congregation of Israel was required to be present at the feasts of Passover (Pesach), Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Sukkot). This explains why all were gathered to witness the death of Yeshua on the tree (Matthew [Mattityahu] 27:1-26).
The night of the fifteenth of Nisan, G-d commanded the people to eat the lamb with unleavened bread (matzah) and bitter herbs (maror), their sandals on their feet and their bags packed and on their backs (Exodus [Shemot] 12:6,8,11), for on this night they are to leave Egypt. Likewise, we are to be quick to accept Yeshua into our hearts and leave Egypt, which represents the sin and idolatry of this evil world.
The Conclusion of Passover ( Pesach)
In concluding our study of Passover ( Pesach ), we can see that the G-d of Israel gave Passover ( Pesach) to His people so we could understand the death of Yeshua on the tree during His first coming, as well as understand our personal spiritual salvation in Yeshua from Pharaoh and Egypt (who is liked to satan [ ha satan ] and the kingdom of sin and darkness). Furthermore, the historical Egyptian Passover was also given by the G-d of Israel so we could understand the future redemption of His people (both houses of Israel who are today called by the corporate names of Christianity and Judaism) in the end of days when they will return to the land of Israel (specifically, the mountains of Israel or the West Bank). This redemption will take place in the end of days prior to the coming of King Messiah ( Mashiach ). Because of the historical deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, our personal salvation in Yeshua as Messiah ( Mashiach ) and our future redemption from exile in the nations of the world and return to the land of Israel in the end of days, Passover ( Pesach ) has been given by the rabbis the appropriate title of the "Feast of our Freedom !!!".
http://feastsofthelord.com/ss/live/index.php?action=getpage&sid=204&pid=2188
Passover items used in WWII found at death camp
03/16/2013
An old Haggadah preserved by Bar Ilan University. Photo: Courtesy
The Israel-based Shem Olam Holocaust and Faith Institute on Thursday showcased items that may have been used for Passover rituals at the Chelmno death camp in western Poland. The items were discovered during excavations of the site in pits containing prisoners’ belongings.
One item is a worn out and partially torn Haggadah that was burned by the Nazis. Several portions dealing with the search for chametz (leavened bread) and other sentences managed to survive.
Shem Olam was founded in 1996 by Avraham Krieger. It is located in Kfar Haroeh, just north of Netanya. One of the institute’s projects deals with how Jews coped with the day-to-day struggles during the Holocaust.
“The Nazis told Jews who had been deported to Chelmno that they were being relocated to a village faraway in the east; they told them each person could bring only lightweight items with a combined weight of 3 to 4 kilograms (7 to 9 pounds),” Krieger said.
“Because of the limited number of items they were allowed to carry, the Jews brought their most important items, but many brought with them things that belonged to their spiritual life and identity… The mere fact that they added these things shows that they were loyal to their faith, to the holiday and to tradition; they demonstrated that they did not let the Germans break their spirit,” he said.
According to Krieger, “Most of the death camps had no such items left behind, but since Chelmno was the first death camp on Polish soil, the Nazis had yet to have at their disposal a sophisticated apparatus and consequently, some of the property was buried, and survived.”
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Passover-items-used-during-WWII-found-at-death-camp
One item is a worn out and partially torn Haggadah that was burned by the Nazis. Several portions dealing with the search for chametz (leavened bread) and other sentences managed to survive.
Shem Olam was founded in 1996 by Avraham Krieger. It is located in Kfar Haroeh, just north of Netanya. One of the institute’s projects deals with how Jews coped with the day-to-day struggles during the Holocaust.
“The Nazis told Jews who had been deported to Chelmno that they were being relocated to a village faraway in the east; they told them each person could bring only lightweight items with a combined weight of 3 to 4 kilograms (7 to 9 pounds),” Krieger said.
“Because of the limited number of items they were allowed to carry, the Jews brought their most important items, but many brought with them things that belonged to their spiritual life and identity… The mere fact that they added these things shows that they were loyal to their faith, to the holiday and to tradition; they demonstrated that they did not let the Germans break their spirit,” he said.
According to Krieger, “Most of the death camps had no such items left behind, but since Chelmno was the first death camp on Polish soil, the Nazis had yet to have at their disposal a sophisticated apparatus and consequently, some of the property was buried, and survived.”
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Passover-items-used-during-WWII-found-at-death-camp
Monday, March 4, 2013
Locust swarm of biblical proportions plagues Egypt
Monday, March 04, 2013 | Israel Today Staff
An estimated 30 million locusts are currently plaguing southern Cairo, as Egyptian official struggle to find a way to dispose of a swarm the size of which they could not have predicted.
Egypt's military is deploying whatever means at its disposal to deal with the problem, but the country might have to wait until predicted strong winds later this week carry the swarm away toward Saudi Arabia.
News of the swarm comes just weeks before the biblical festival of Passover, when Jews and many Christians commemorate the divinely-guided exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt.
A major component of the Exodus story is God's afflicting of Egypt with 10 plagues, one of which was a locust swarm of exaggerated size.
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23707/Default.aspx?hp=readmore
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