Rabbi Avi Weinstein

Archive for March 27th, 2009|Daily archive page

Get your plagues on! Blood is ickier than Water

In Blood, Passover, Pesach, Plagues, Seder on March 27, 2009 at 4:33 pm

Moses water and the plague of blood: A tragic love story.

Charoset–so women are already on the Seder plate, who knew?

In Uncategorized on March 27, 2009 at 4:28 pm

What’s the connection between apples and charoses? The Talmud teaches that:

If it wasn’t for the women of Israel we would have never been redeemed.

Take that Dr. Heschel, they already have a place on the Seder plate, we just have to remember to acknowledge it. Click here for the whole story!

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A Heroine of The Exodus: Serach Bat Asher

In Uncategorized on March 27, 2009 at 3:22 pm

In the Passover Haggadah we say “the more one talks about the Exodus, the more praise one deserves.” With this in mind, the following texts will examine a little known figure from the Exodus story, Serach the daughter of Asher. As you will see, Midrashic literature links Serach to the Exodus story and the rest of Jewish history. Serach offers a wonderful female character to incorporate into the Passover story. As her character is developed in the midrashic sources, she also raises important questions about Jewish memory.

Serach, in Rabbinic literature is the female Elijah, helping out at critical times throughout the generations, for it is written in the midrash–

Her mouth is full of wisdom (Proverbs 31:26) — This refers to Serach the daughter of Asher who did not taste the taste of death.

For more midrashim on the wonders of an Eishet Chayil: Clck here.