Thus saith the LORD of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.
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It’s raining as cars pull into to the dark wet driveway, lit only by a throbbing blue strobe light. The light moves to the beat of the loud trance music coming out of the back of a van covered in stickers reading “Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman.”
As people arrive they receive the greeting “Chag Sameach” (happy holiday). Men and children, with white knitted skullcaps, also proclaiming “Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman,” are dancing to the music. Some are wearing the traditional black and white of Hassidic Jews, while others are dressed in all white.
It is the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser, a controversial Breslov figure of the 20th century, and the founder of the Na Nach sect of Breslov, named after the mantra of “Na Nach…”
Over the past couple of decades, Na Nach’s have made their presence, as an entity different from mainstream Breslov Hassidus, known in Israel. In New York City however, they are small but growing.
Breeah Berezin- Bahr is a Na Nach currently living in Staten Island, but hoping to make her way back to Israel very soon. She became Na Nach at age 19, when she was studying in Tzfat.
“I changed my whole life in three months,” Berezin-Bahr said “I knew I always had to live in Tzfat and I had to be Breslov.”
A highly conspicuous group, Na Nachs spread their message through music, dancing, and displaying their logo wherever possible. This sub-group of Breslov Chassidim believes that Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) was the last righteous person in the world, and spreading his name and teachings is considered to be a large part of fixing the world.
As this group grows in popularity, so does those who are twisting the ideology, and meaning of the mantra “Na Nach.”
This mantra comes from the signature to a letter of comfort, found by Odesser in a time of despair after he transgressed a religious fast. Odesser believed the letter to come from Rebbe Nachman himself, calling it the “Letter from Heaven.” The validity of this letter is highly controversial, and many Breslov Hassidim do not believe in this letter. Those who do are called Na Nachs.
A large number of Na Nachs are Orthodox Jews and understand the letter not as an allowance to sin, but a comfort in case one has sinned.
Berezhin-Bahr understands the mantra of Na Nach as reminder that God loves us, and sees we’re trying, so we shouldn’t worry if something goes wrong. “We have to be the best we can at every moment, and if not – Na Nach. But you can’t plan to do something wrong – it’s there so that if God forbid you do something wrong you don’t get depressed,” she explained.
Covered in NaNach
However, more recently there are those who use the mantra of “Na Nach” as an excuse, a way to right any wrong.
Another NaNach, who says that Rebbe Nachman saved his life, used to be very upset with those who used this mantra to justify sin. “If you have your own problem, deal with it. God still loves you, but don’t say it is Na Nach,” he said.
Simcha Hochman, one of the largest spreaders of Na Nach in New York, is the son of a rabbi and grew up in an extremely religious home in Toronto, Canada. He found Na Nach seven years ago after a lot of spiritual searching and is now a large contributor to www.nanach.net.
His reaction to those who use the phrase Na Nach as a justification? “Someone who is intentionally going to do wrong is going to do it anyway. If they say Na Nach that’s a step in the right direction. Na Nachs do whatever they want,” he said. “Na Nachs want to keep the Torah. If you really want to do anaveirah (a transgression) what’s going to stop you? At least you believe that God is greater than everything, at least you have faith in God.”
Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, the Rabbi of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, N.Y., studies and gives classes on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
He views Breslov Hassidus as the most contemporary of all Hassidus, yet does not align himself with NaNachs. As someone who studies the teachings of many Hassidic masters, he spoke out strongly against those NaNachs who believe that there have been no true teachers of Torah since Rebbe Nachman, calling such people ignoramuses.
*** “Some people say tithing is Old Testament law. No, it's not. It's an Old Testament principle.”? ~ Via a Pastor on giving!
Believers are responsible to measure 'the church*' teachings in the light of the truth of the Bible. It is our duty to recognize error.
The Levitical tithe was to meet a need, that of the Levitical priesthood and to help the poor. The Levitical priesthood and all laws and ceremonies pertaining to it ceased when the temple was destroyed in 70 CE. the Books of the Christian New Testament do not teach tithing. "The New Testament" offices or callings of a pastor, etc., are not the same as the Levitical priesthood, which was based on lineage and the Mosaic ceremonial laws, and that the "church*" building is not the same as the Temple. Detriments of the Tithe Teaching 1. The "churchs" tithe teaching can cause tithers to have an erroneous feeling of self-satisfaction, a feeling that they have "paid the bill" and placated God. This can become akin to a superstitious practice of "pleasing of the gods" we see in pagan cultures. Are tithers in some cases even attempting to buy their way into heaven? Wouldn’t this be the same as buying spiritual favor by purchasing indulgences? This practice was soundly condemned in Martin Luther's "Ninety-Five Theses." 2. Mal. 3:8 says, "’ Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.’ But you ask, "How do we rob you?" ‘In tithes and offerings….’" This verse is used prior to the passing of the offering plate in many "church" services to coax the congregation to get out their wallets. But, contrary to the meaning of the verse under the old covenant to which it refers, today people ARE robbing God, not of tithes, but of proper giving to the work of God and to the poor. When people "pay their bill" to the "church", they aren’t as apt to give that cup of water or $20 to a needy person around them. Therefore, they have robbed God by neglecting opportunities to perform a mitzvah in the form of helping the poor. People write out tithe checks in a dogged, joyless manner as if in bondage. They, too, are robbed. They are robbed of the joy of giving to real needs they can see with their own eyes. 3. Tithing can cause an undue financial burden on givers. Young families with children often are living hand to mouth anyway. So are many single parents, college students, and the elderly. They themselves are actually the poor who need help occasionally, yet by sitting in "the church", they are told that they must give up ten percent to a "church" that often is wealthy. 4. This brings us to the next point. It is not uncommon today for the incomes of "church"es (some of whom teach tithing and some of whom don’t), especially large ones in America, to have such enormous incomes that they have investment portfolios. They hire experts to help them manage their funds to make it grow. Why? So they can give to missions or the poor? So they can build more buildings, gyms, bowling alleys, climbing walls? So they can have huge paid staffs? Daycare centers? The kingdom of God has nothing to do with buildings. The early "church" grew by great leaps without buildings.
Trillion Dollar Church!
The American church system through its thousands of schemes to gather money, has amassed over a trillion dollars worth of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance programs, real estate, etc. The interest they pay on the mortgages of their buildings could literally feed all the poor in the world!
The deceptive means 10’s of thousands of ministers use to raise money, of which the modern tithe is one of them, has drained our country of resources that could tremendously bless the world. But the church is sitting on the money. Now they are beginning to be fleeced themselves.
Recently, hundreds of the leading Christian organizations lost millions of dollars investing in a fund named "New Era." It was a scam called a "Ponze scheme." An evangelical, named Bennett, dropping the right names such as Billy Graham and Rockerfeller, convinced most of the leading Protestant ministries to invest as much as over 500 million dollars into a fund that promised them a doubling of their money over a 6 month period of time. Now anyone with a little sense should smell something amiss here, especially since conservative Christians should be looking at conservative investments that usually give a low return on investment. But top Christian ministries invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a fund started by another Christian, whose sole purpose in setting up the fund was to defraud them of their, or should I say "your" money. The federal authorities finally shut it down, but not before millions of dollars were lost. (See Dew from Mount Hermon, issue number 7 for more details.)
A person who teaches tithing robs God’s people from hearing from God Himself about what and whom to give to each and every day. Someone who pays their taxes, and gives 10 per cent of their income to their pastor, plus offerings for missions, building fund, bake and rummage sales, etc., because the law or tradition of their organization pressures them to do so, is likely to develop an attitude that their giving is finished at the offering plate. They are so drained of finances that when Jesus arrives at their door for a piece of bread, their response might be, "Oh, I gave already at the church!" Laws such as the modern tithing law, instituted by either ignorant or deceiving ministers keep God’s children from hearing what they should be doing on a day to day basis! Yes, Mr. or Mrs. or Reverend Tithing Teacher, you are robbing people, God, and the world from the blessings He wants to pour out on them and through us! Now repent and stop it! His mercy endures forever! Go to the fountain of grace, HaShem, and discover how to enter into His rest yourself! Then and only then can you lead God’s sheep into that rest themselves. Until then all you will do is fleece them and eat them yourself!
"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them." (Ezekiel 34:2-4)
"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; they have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill. They have forgotten their resting place. All who found them have devoured them." (Jeremiah 50:6-7)
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that those who twist the Mosaic Law to say what it doesn’t say, are robbing God even though they may not be aware of it. They are also robbing themselves of much-needed rest, and they are robbing the world around them of the true blessings they are to bestow upon their neighbors. * Church
the words "church"
and "circus" both come from a similar pagan origin
circ-
+ (is a Latin root word meaning: circle [a ring; wheel],
round).
Circe Latinized
form of Greek Κιρκη (Kirke, Kirkh ), which possibly meant
"bird". In Greek mythology Circe was a sorceress who
hypnotized men, and changed men into animals, and made them her
slaves.
circle c.1305,
from O.Fr. cercle, from L. circulus "small ring," dim. of
circus (q.v.). Replaced O.E. trendel and hring. Meaning "group
of persons surrounding a center of interest" is from
1714.
circus c.1380,
from L. circus "ring," applied by Romans to circular arenas
for performances and contests (esp. the Circus Maximus), from or akin
to Gk. kirkos "a circle," from PIE *kirk- from base
*(s)ker- "to turn, bend." First attested use for "traveling
show" is 1791.
Church O.E.
cirice "church," from W.Gmc. *kirika, from Gk. kyriake
(oikia) "Lord's (house)," from kyrios "ruler, lord."
An ABC News story written by Steve Osunsami states that Ephren Taylor is being accused of $11 million Christian ponzi scheme by the SEC. Not surprisingly, he has had influence upon New Birth Missionary Baptist Church with Eddie Long, as well as Lakewood Church run by Joel Osteen. Once again the health-wealth, prosperity gospel is showing its true colors.
Ephran Taylor scandal targeted mostly black mega churches in at least 40 different states.
One of the comedic notes on this story written by ABC News is that the “SEC also alleged that he doled out cash to make a splashy music video starring his wife, Meshelle, draped in white fur and diamonds. The name of the song? “Billionaire.”" If you have the slightest imagination you should get a chuckle out of envisioning the gangsta and his wife singing out their bling-bling with money floating out of the sky.
Another kicker from the ABC News story is that, “Lakewood Church told ABC News they opened their doors to Taylor to speak on the subject of “Biblical financial principals,”"
To top it off, one of the investors that were schemed out of their money warned Lakewood Church leadership about Ephren Taylor, and after doing so the leadership blames the victim. These wolves in sheep’s clothing are letting other wolves sneak into the fold, which is crazy that impostors can’t even recognize their own kind!!! SOURCE:
*** “Some people say tithing is Old Testament law. No, it's not. It's an Old Testament principle.”???
Believers are responsible to measure 'the church' teachings in the light of the truth of the Bible. It is our duty to recognize error.
Detriments of the Tithe Teaching 1. The "churchs" tithe teaching can cause tithers to have an erroneous feeling of self-satisfaction, a feeling that they have "paid the bill" and placated God. This can become akin to a superstitious practice of "pleasing of the gods" we see in pagan cultures. Are tithers in some cases even attempting to buy their way into heaven? Wouldn’t this be the same as buying spiritual favor by purchasing indulgences? This practice was soundly condemned in Martin Luther's "Ninety-Five Theses." 2. Mal. 3:8 says, "’Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.’ But you ask, "How do we rob you?" ‘In tithes and offerings….’" This verse is used prior to the passing of the offering plate in many "church" services to coax the congregation to get out their wallets. But, contrary to the meaning of the verse under the old covenant to which it refers, today people ARE robbing God, not of tithes, but of proper New Testament giving to the work of God and to the poor. Didn’t Yeshua say that a cup of water given in His name is given unto Him? When people "pay their bill" to the "church", they aren’t as apt to give that cup of water, or $20 to a needy person around them in Yeshua’ name. Therefore, they have robbed God by neglecting opportunities to minister to Him in the form of the poor. People write out tithe checks in a dogged, joyless manner as if in bondage. They, too, are robbed. They are robbed of the joy of giving to real needs they can see with their own eyes. 3. Tithing can cause an undue financial burden on givers. Young families with children often are living hand to mouth anyway. So are many single parents, college students, and the elderly. They themselves are actually the poor who need help occasionally, yet by sitting in the "church", they are told that they must give up ten percent to a "church" that often is wealthy. 4. This brings us to the next point. It is not uncommon today for the incomes of "church"es (some of whom teach tithing and some of whom don’t), especially large ones in America, to have such enormous incomes that they have investment portfolios. They hire experts to help them manage their funds to make it grow. Why? So they can give to missions or the poor? So they can build more buildings, gyms, bowling alleys, climbing walls? So they can have huge paid staffs? Daycare centers? What WOULD Yeshua do? Would He build any buildings at all? The kingdom of God has nothing to do with buildings. The early "church" grew by great leaps without buildings. "The kingdom of God is not meat or drink." (Rom. 14:17) The kingdom of God is people. SOURCE:
Trillion Dollar Church!
The American church system through its thousands of schemes to gather money, has amassed over a trillion dollars worth of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance programs, real estate, etc. The interest they pay on the mortgages of their buildings could literally feed all the poor in the world!
The deceptive means 10’s of thousands of ministers use to raise money, of which the modern tithe is one of them, has drained our country of resources that could tremendously bless the world. But the church is sitting on the money. Now they are beginning to be fleeced themselves.
Recently, hundreds of the leading Christian organizations lost millions of dollars investing in a fund named "New Era." It was a scam called a "Ponze scheme." An evangelical, named Bennett, dropping the right names such as Billy Graham and Rockerfeller, convinced most of the leading Protestant ministries to invest as much as over 500 million dollars into a fund that promised them a doubling of their money over a 6 month period of time. Now anyone with a little sense should smell something amiss here, especially since conservative Christians should be looking at conservative investments that usually give a low return on investment. But top Christian ministries invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a fund started by another Christian, whose sole purpose in setting up the fund was to defraud them of their, or should I say "your" money. The federal authorities finally shut it down, but not before millions of dollars were lost. (See Dew from Mount Hermon, issue number 7 for more details.)
A person who teaches tithing robs God’s people from hearing from God Himself about what and whom to give to each and every day. Someone who pays their taxes, and gives 10 per cent of their income to their pastor, plus offerings for missions, building fund, bake and rummage sales, etc., because the law or tradition of their organization pressures them to do so, is likely to develop an attitude that their giving is finished at the offering plate. They are so drained of finances that when Jesus arrives at their door for a piece of bread, their response might be, "Oh, I gave already at the church!" Laws such as the modern tithing law, instituted by either ignorant or deceiving ministers keep God’s children from hearing what they should be doing on a day to day basis! Yes, Mr. or Mrs. or Reverend Tithing Teacher, you are robbing God’s people, God, and the world from the blessings He wants to pour out on them and through us! Now repent and stop it! His mercy endures forever! Go to the fountain of Grace and discover how to enter into His rest yourself! Then and only then can you lead God’s sheep into that rest themselves. Until then all you will do is fleece them and eat them yourself!
"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them." (Ezekiel 34:2-4)
"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; they have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill. They have forgotten their resting place. All who found them have devoured them." (Jeremiah 50:6-7)
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that those who twist the Mosaic Law to say what it doesn’t say, are robbing God even though they may not be aware of it. They are also robbing themselves of much needed rest, and they are robbing the world around them from the true blessings they are to bestow upon their neighbors.
Blood, blood, blood. Missionaries insist that you need blood to atone for sins. This is totally untrue. Plus, Passover had absolutely nothing to do with sin.
Jason Scott Sanford (G'yeson Ben Emek) ask's: What do you all think of this post, it seems to be getting no response what-so-ever on the FB main wall. The Rosh Chodeshim brings forth the harvest; the shofar is sounded to usher in the Moedim. On the tenth day of the first month, the Pesach lamb is selected, one without blemish or fault; it is kept alive until the fourteenth day, at the sixth hour, when it is slaughtered whole, not breaking a single bone and roasted by fire at the ninth hour, before the evening. It's shed blood is made in remembrance of YAHUSHUA, who bore the punishment for our sins, by laying down His life for us on the Roman execution stake. At the twelfth hour, an assembly is called for the lighting of the Shabbat candles and the Chag Matzah seder meal, in which the four cups, the matzah and the bitter herbs are observed. The Torah portion is then read, and the redemption story is chanted. At the fifteenth hour, the assembly then spends the night at the place of assembly until the twenty-fourth hour, at the conclusion of the first of two services. For seven days, only matzah is to be eaten, purging our bodies and homes from all leaven, which represents the sin in our lives. The Shabbat following the first day of Matzah, is the waving of the Bikkurim, which are the fifty days or seven weeks of presenting the first sheaves of the wheat and barley harvests to YAHUEH, our Elohim. Just as Pesach is a remembrance of the death of YAHUSHUA, the presenting of the Bikkurim is done in the celebration of His resurrection from the grave. On the twenty-second day, another assembly is called for the closing services of Chag Matzah. On Shavuot, the fiftieth day of presenting the sheaves, an assembly is called to bless YAHUEH (see Blasphemy) for speaking the Torah over all of Israel. It is also a day of thanking Him for pouring out the RUACH HAKODESH, upon the hearts and minds of all the set-apart believers. On the first day of the seventh month, an assembly is called for Yom Teruah, a day of rejoicing and the blowing of the shofar, celebrating the first day of the creation. It is also a day foreshadowing the seventh angel sounding the shofar at the end of days, and the resurrection of the witnesses who believe in the MESHIACH. On the tenth day of the same month, another assembly is called for Yom Kippur, a day of attonment, set-apart for prayer and fasting to Elohim. It is also a day foreshadowing the beginning of the Kingdom of Elohim, and the Melinnial Reign of the MESHIACH on the earth. At the end of the Melinnial Reign, there will be a day of judgment for both the righteous and the unrighteous, which will decide the eternal destinies of every man, woman and child who have ever roamed the face of the earth. On the fifteenth day of the same month, another assembly is to be called for Chag Sukkot, for seven days, we are to build a sukkah booth for which we are to worship, eat our meals and sleep in, depending on the weather conditions. This is a reminder of the time of exile for our ancestors when they were redeemed from the land of Mitsrayim in Egypt. On the twenty-second day of the month, an eighth and final assembly will be called for a closing ceremony to the Moedim.
Jason Scott Sanford (G'yeson Ben Emek) ask's: What do you all think of this post? Ah...it's called Pagan Christianity i.e. Christopaganism or Catholic Dogma. Blood, blood, blood. Missionaries insist that you need blood to atone for sins. This is totally untrue. The missionary error comes from two places: misreading Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews.
Leviticus 17:11 says nothing about blood atoning for sin.
What it does say is that blood atones for the life force (that makes sense -- blood coursing through your veins keeps you alive). But interesting enough the Torah uses the exact same words for two other things which atone in exactly the same way as blood. Somehow the missionaries never mention jewelry!
Numbers 31:50 "We therefore want to bring an offering to G-d. Every man who found any gold article [such as] and anklet, a bracelet, a finger ring, and earring, or a body ornament [wishes to bring it] to kafar (atone) for our nefesh (life force / soul) before G-d.'"
Jewelry atones for a life force just like blood in Leviticus 17:11! Did Jesus wear jewelry on the cross?
Money also atones for the life force (nefesh) -- again exactly the same term used in Leviticus 17:11. A half shekel acts as a memorial -- no kind of atonement in Shemot / Exodus 30:16: "You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before HaShem, to make atonement for the life force (nefesh)."
So it is a complete lie that you need blood to atone for sins. You do NOT need blood to atone for sin and Torah makes that very clear as far back as Genesis 4:7. Sin lurks at our door, but MAN can over come it.
If we really need blood to atone for sin (as missionaries insist) please explain why in Genesis 4 when Cain exclaims that his sin is to great to bear, why doesn't G-d tell him to go out and kill a goat?
How about Genesis 18? G-d tells Abraham He will forgive Sodom and Gomorrah's sins if He can find 10 righteous men.
RIGHTEOUS MEN. No blood sacrifices needed. G-d will forgive the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah if Abraham can find even 10 righteous men.
You'll find this throughout Torah -- Pharaoh asks Moses to pray for G-d to forgive him (not make a sacrifice). Moses goes to Mount Sinai to plead for G-d to forgive Israel's sin of the golden calf (no sacrifices).
There are so many of these examples in the Jewish bible which missionaries ignore! Let us not forget:
Proverbs 16:6 "Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the L-RD a man avoids evil."
Blood can atone for SOME very specific sins (see primarily Leviticus 4 and 5 for information on the chatat and asham -- although flour can be a replacement for some who are too poor) but it has never been necessary and it has never been the only way to atone even for those very specific (usually minor) sins. BIG sins (willful disobedience of G-d and conscious sins) always needed repentance, prayer, etc.
On Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) there was a goat which carried the sins of the entire Jewish nation away -- ALIVE into the wilderness. NOT sacrificed. No blood on the altar. (See Leviticus 16).
So we are left with two conclusions:
1. blood is not the only thing that atones for a life force -- so do money and jewelry;
2. blood is not the only thing that atones for sin -- and when it does there are very specific rules about what sins are covered (usually mistakes or minor specific sins related to the Temple) -- and what can be sacrificed (kosher animals one year old) -- and where and when (Temple at specific times and holy days). . .
"Pesach is a remembrance of the death of YAHUSHUA"?.. REALLY?
It's this simple #1 You have to make up your mind to believe Torah (which is not to be changed) or The New Testament that changes it... Now, What is Pesach: Passover?
Pesach: Passover
Level: Basic
Significance: Remembers the Exodus from Egypt Observances: Avoiding all leavened grain products and related foods; Family or communal retelling of the Exodus story Length: 8 days (Some: 7 days)
And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes ... you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. - Exodus 12:14-17
Seder Plate
Pesach, known in English as Passover, is one of the most commonly observed Jewish holidays, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. According to the 2000-01 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), 67% of Jews routinely hold or attend a Pesach seder, while only 46% belong to a synagogue.
Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two areShavu'ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season inIsrael, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15.
The name "Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the Hebrew rootPei-Samekh-Cheit, meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv , (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot , (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z'man Cheiruteinu , (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s).
Pesach Laws and Customs
Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves avoiding chametz (leaven; sounds like "hum it's" with that Scottish "ch") throughout the holiday. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls.
Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after first coming into contact with water. Orthodox Jews of Ashkenazicbackground also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, legumes (beans) and some other foods as if they were chametz. All of these items are commonly used to make bread, or are grown and processed near chametz, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion or cross-contamination. Such additional items are referred to as "kitniyot." (usually pronounced as in Yiddish, KIT-nee-yohs).
We may not eat chametz during Pesach; we may not even own it or derive benefit from it. We may not even feed it to our pets or cattle. All chametz, including utensils used to cook chametz, must either be disposed of or sold to a non-Jew (they can be repurchased after the holiday). Pets' diets must be changed for the holiday, or the pets must be sold to a non-Jew (like the food and utensils, the pets can be repurchased after the holiday ends). You can sell your chametz online through Chabad-Lubavitch. I have noticed that many non-Jews and non-observant Jews mock this practice of selling chametz as an artificial technicality. I assure you that this sale is very real and legally binding, and would not be valid under Jewish law if it were not. From the gentile's perspective, the purchase functions much like the buying and selling of futures on the stock market: even though he does not take physical possession of the goods, his temporary legal ownership of those goods is very real and potentially profitable.
The process of cleaning the home of all chametz in preparation for Pesach is an enormous task. To do it right, you must prepare for several weeks and spend several days scrubbing everything down, going over the edges of your stove and fridge with a toothpick and a Q-Tip, covering all surfaces that come in contact with food with foil or shelf-liner, etc., etc., etc. After the cleaning is completed, the morning before the seder, a formal search of the house for chametz is undertaken, and any remaining chametz is burned.
The grain product we eat during Pesach is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. We have come up with many inventive ways to use matzah; it is available in a variety of textures for cooking: matzah flour (finely ground for cakes and cookies), matzah meal (coarsely ground, used as a bread crumb substitute), matzah farfel (little chunks, a noodle or crouton substitute), and full-sized matzah (sheets about 8 inch square, a bread substitute).
Some people observe an additional strictness during Pesach known as gebrochts, from a Yiddish word meaning "broken," although I'm not sure what brokenness has to do with this restriction. Those who observe gebrochts (or more accurately, "no gebrochts") will avoid any matzah product that has come into contact with liquid after being baked. The rule arises from a concern that matzah may contain bits of flour that were not completely cooked and that would become leavened upon contact with liquid. People who observe this strictness cannot eat many common traditional Pesach dishes, such as matzah ball soup, and cannot even eat charoset on matzah at seder. They are careful not to spill seder wine on their matzah, and promptly remove the wine spilled as part of the seder. Observance of this additional restriction is not common, but many people become exposed to it because it is followed by theChabad-Lubavitch, who are active in Jewish education. Some have criticized gebrochts for unnecessarily complicating Pesach and taking some of the joy out of this celebration of freedom for no good reason, noting that the premise of this rule contradicts codes of Jewish law that explicitly say it is impossible for matzah to become chametz once it is baked. Nevertheless, this effort to more fully observe G-d's law is worthy of respect, even if you are not inclined to add this restriction to your own Pesach experience.
The day before Pesach is the Fast of the Firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague.
On the first night of Pesach (first two nights for traditional Jews outside Israel), we have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a seder , from a Hebrew root word meaning "order," because there is a specific set of information that must be discussed in a specific order. It is the same root from which we derive the word "siddur" , (prayer book). An overview of a traditional seder is included below.
Pesach lasts for eight days (seven days in Israel). The first two days and last two days of the holiday (first and last in Israel) are days on which no work is permitted. See Extra Day of Holidays for more information. Work is permitted on the intermediate days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Sukkot.
When Pesach Begins on a Saturday Night
Occasionally, Pesach begins on a motzaei Shabbat, that is, on Saturday night after the sabbath has concluded. This last occurred in 5768 (2008), and will not occur again until 5781 (2021). This complicates the process of preparing for Pesach, because many of the preparations normally undertaken on the day before Pesach cannot be performed on Shabbat.
The Fast of the Firstborn, normally observed on the day before Pesach, is observed on Thursday instead. The search for chametz, normally performed on the night before Pesach, is performed on Thursday night. The seder should be prepared for as much as possible before Shabbat begins, because time should not be taken away from Shabbat to prepare for Pesach. In addition, there are severe complications dealing with the conflict between the requirement of removing chametz no later than mid-morning on Saturday, the prohibition against eating matzah on the day before the seder, and the requirement of eating three meals with bread during Shabbat! For further details, see an excellent summary from the Orthodox Union, the world's largest, oldest and perhaps most respected kosher certification agency.
The Pesach Seder
And if your son asks you in the future, saying, What are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, that the L-RD our G-d commanded you? You will say to your son, We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt; and the L-RD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The L-RD gave signs and wonders, great and harmful, against Egypt, against Pharaoh, and against all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out of there to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised our fathers. -Deuteronomy 6:20-23
The text of the Pesach seder is written in a book called the haggadah. The haggadah tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt and explains some of the practices and symbols of the holiday. Suggestions for buying a haggadah are includedbelow. The content of the seder can be summed up by the following Hebrew rhyme:
Kaddesh, Urechatz,
Karpas, Yachatz,
Maggid, Rachtzah,
Motzi, Matzah,
Maror, Korekh,
Shulchan Orekh,
Tzafun, Barekh,
Hallel, Nirtzah
Now, what does that mean?
1. Kaddesh: Sanctification
A blessing over wine in honor of the holiday. The wine is drunk, and a second cup is poured.
2. Urechatz: Washing
A washing of the hands without a blessing, in preparation for eating the Karpas.
3. Karpas: Vegetable
A vegetable (usually parsley) is dipped in salt water and eaten. The vegetable symbolizes the lowly origins of the Jewish people; the salt water symbolizes the tears shed as a result of our slavery. Parsley is a good vegetable to use for this purpose, because when you shake off the salt water, it looks like tears.
4. Yachatz: Breaking
One of the three matzahs on the table is broken. Part is returned to the pile, the other part is set aside for the afikomen (see below).
5. Maggid: The Story
A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Pesach. This begins with the youngest person asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings designed to encourage participation in the seder. The Four Questions are also known as Mah Nishtanah (Why is it different?), which are the first words of the Four Questions. This is often sung. See below.
The maggid is designed to satisfy the needs of four different types of people: the wise one, who wants to know the technical details; the wicked one, who excludes himself (and learns the penalty for doing so); the simple one, who needs to know the basics; and the one who is unable to ask, who doesn't even know enough to know what he needs to know.
At the end of the maggid, a blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.
6. Rachtzah: Washing
A second washing of the hands, this time with a blessing, in preparation for eating the matzah
7. Motzi: Blessing over Grain Products
The ha-motzi blessing, a generic blessing for bread or grain products used as a meal, is recited over the matzah.
8. Matzah: Blessing over Matzah
A blessing specific to matzah is recited, and a bit of matzah is eaten.
9. Maror: Bitter Herbs
A blessing is recited over a bitter vegetable (usually raw horseradish; sometimes romaine lettuce), and it is eaten. This symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. The maror is dipped in charoset, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine, which symbolizes the mortar used by the Jews in building during their slavery. (I highly recommend it -- it's the best tasting thing on the holiday, and goes surprisingly well with horseradish! My recipe is included below.)
Note that there are two bitter herbs on the seder plate: one labeled Maror and one labeled Chazeret. The one labeled Maror should be used for Maror and the one labeled Chazeret should be used in the Korekh, below.
10. Korekh: The Sandwich
Rabbi Hillel was of the opinion that the maror should be eaten together with matzah and the paschal offering in a sandwich. In his honor, we eat some maror on a piece of matzah, with some charoset (we don't doanimal sacrifice anymore, so there is no paschal offering to eat).
11. Shulchan Orekh: Dinner
A festive meal is eaten. There is no particular requirement regarding what to eat at this meal (except, of course, that chametz cannot be eaten). Among Ashkenazic Jews, gefilte fish and matzah ball soup are traditionally eaten at the beginning of the meal. Roast chicken or turkey are common as a main course, as is beef brisket.
12. Tzafun: The Afikomen
The piece of matzah set aside earlier is eaten as "dessert," the last food of the meal. Different families have different traditions relating to the afikomen. Some have the children hide it, while the parents have to either find it or ransom it back. Others have the parents hide it. The idea is to keep the children awake and attentive throughout the pre-meal proceedings, waiting for this part.
13. Barekh: Grace after Meals
The third cup of wine is poured, and birkat ha-mazon (grace after meals) is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any Shabbat. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk. The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald the Messiah, and is supposed to come on Pesach to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point (supposedly for Elijah, but historically because Jews were accused of nonsense like putting the blood of Christian babies in matzah, and we wanted to show our Christian neighbors that we weren't doing anything unseemly).
14. Hallel: Praises
Several psalms are recited. A blessing is recited over the last cup of wine and it is drunk.
15. Nirtzah: Closing
A simple statement that the seder has been completed, with a wish that next year, we may celebrate Pesach in Jerusalem (i.e., that the Messiah will come within the next year). This is followed by various hymns and stories.
Many people think of Pesach as a time of deprivation: a time when we cannot eat bread or other leavened foods. This is not the traditional way of viewing the holiday. Pesach is Z'man Cheiruteinu, the Time of Our Freedom, and the joy of that time is evident in the music of the season. There are many joyous songs sung during the seder.
Mah Nishtanah (Why is it Different?)
This is the tune sung during the youngest participant's recitation of the Four Questions.
Why is this night different from all other nights, from all other nights?
Mah nishtanah ha-lahylah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-layloht, mi-kol ha-layloht?
On all other nights, we may eat chametz and matzah, chametz and matzah. On this night, on this night, only matzah.
Dahyenu (It Would Have Been Enough For Us)
This is one of the most popular tunes of the seder, a very up-beat song about the many favors that G-d bestowed upon us when He brought us out of Egypt. The song appears in the haggadah after the telling of the story of the exodus, just before the explanation of Pesach, Matzah and Maror. I provide just two sample verses from a rather long song. The English does not include all of the repetition that is in the Hebrew.
Had He brought us out of Egypt and not judged them, it would have been enough for us.
Ilu hotzi-hotzianu hotzianu mi-Mitzrayim, v'lo asah bahem s'fateem dahyenu.
Eliyahu Ha-Navi (Elijah, the Prophet)
Many people sing this song when the Cup of Elijah is poured and the door is opened in anticipation of his return.
Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah, Elijah, Elijah the Gileadite
Speedily and in our days, come to us, with the messiah, son of David, with the messiah, son of David.
Bimhayrah v'yamenu, yavo aleynu, im Mashiach ben David, im Mashiach ben David.
Adir Hu (He is Mighty)
Adir Hu is a great sing-along song, because it has a lot of repetition. You don't need to know much Hebrew to get by with this one! It's also got a catchy tune. It's sung as the seder comes to a close. It expresses our hope that the messianic age will begin soon, and the Temple will be rebuilt. Each line of praise begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetical order, a common gimmick in Jewish hymns.
He is mighty, He is mighty
Adir hu, adir hu
Chorus:
May He soon rebuild his house
Speedily, speedily and in our days, soon.
G-d, rebuild! G-d, rebuild!
Rebuild your house soon!
He is distinguished, He is great, He is exhalted
(Chorus)
Bachur hu, gadol hu, dagul hu,
(Chorus)
He is glorious, He is faithful, He is faultless, He is righteous
(Chorus)
Hadur hu, vatik hu, zakay hu, chasid hu,
(Chorus)
He is pure, He is unique, He is powerful,
He is wise, He is King, He is awesome,
He is sublime, He is all-powerful, He is the redeemer, He is all-righteous
(Chorus)
He is holy, He is compassionate, He is almighty, He is omnipotent
(Chorus)
Kadosh hu, rachum hu, shaddai hu,
takif hu
(Chorus)
Recipe for Charoset
This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used.
4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup sweet wine
1/4 cup dry wine
1 Tbs. cinnamon
Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish.
Buying a Haggadah
If you want to know more about Pesach, the best place to start is with the haggadah. The haggadah was written as a teaching tool, to allow people at all levels to learn the significance of Pesach and its symbols.
There are a wide variety of Haggadahs available for every political and religious point of view: traditional haggadahs, liberal haggadahs, mystical haggadahs, feminist haggadahs, and others. I have even seen what might be described as an atheist haggadah: one that does not mention the role of G-d in the Exodus.
If you're buying a haggadah for study or collection, there are many haggadahs with extensive commentary or with pictures from illuminated medieval haggadahs. However, if you're buying haggadahs for actual use at a seder, you're best off with an inexpensive paperback. Keep in mind that you'll need one for everybody, you're likely to get food and wine on these things, and you'll be using them year after year.
I'm particularly partial to the Artscroll/Mesorah series' The Family Haggadah. It has the full, Orthodox text of the haggadah in English side-by-side with Hebrew and Aramaic, with complete instructions for preparing for and performing the seder. The translations are very readable and the book includes marginal notes explaining the significance of each paragraph of the text. This book is usually only available at Jewish gift or book stores, and usually sells for about $2.50.
Another good traditional one is Nathan Goldberg's Passover Haggadah. This is the familiar "yellow and red cover" haggadah that so many of us grew up with. Believe it or not, it is frequently available in grocery stores in the Passover aisle. It usually sells for less than $5, and is often given away free with certain grocery purchases.
Watch out for Christianized versions of the haggadah. The Christian "last supper" is generally believed to have been a Pesach seder, so many Christians recreate the ritual of the seder, and the haggadahs that they use for this purpose tend to reinterpret the significance of the holiday and its symbols to fit into their Christian theology. For example, they say that the three matzahs represent the Trinity, with the broken one representing Jesus on the cross (in Judaism, the three matzahs represent the three Temples, two of which have been destroyed, and the third of which will be built when the mashiach comes). They speak of the paschal lamb as a prophecy of Jesus, rather than a remembrance of the lamb's blood on the doorposts in Egypt. If you want to learn what Pesach means to Jews, then these "messianic" haggadahs aren't for you.
Finding a Seder
Are you looking for a place to attend a Pesach seder? Chabad-Lubavitch sponsors Pesach seders all around the country. You can search for a seder in your area using their International Seder Directory.
Key Terms
Note: Pronunciations are intended to reflect the way these terms are most commonly pronounced by Jews in the United States, and may not be strictly technically correct.
Term
Meaning
Pronunciation
Hebrew
Pesach
Passover
PAY-sahkh or PEH-sahkh
Matzah
Unleavened bread
MAHTZ-uh
Chametz
Leavened things
KHUH-mitz
Seder
Home ritual performed on the first two nights of Pesach
SAY-d'r
Haggadah
The book read during the seder
huh-GAH-duh
Video: The Seder Plate
I've put together a video on YouTube that explains the items on the seder table and another discussing the beginning of the seder. I hope to have more of the seder on YouTube soon.
, meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that 
, (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot 
, (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z'man Cheiruteinu 
, (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s).
, from a Hebrew 
, (prayer book). An overview of a traditional seder is included 
The Pesach Seder
1. Kaddesh: Sanctification
2. Urechatz: Washing
3. Karpas: Vegetable
4. Yachatz: Breaking
5. Maggid: The Story
6. Rachtzah: Washing
7. Motzi: Blessing over Grain Products
8. Matzah: Blessing over Matzah
9. Maror: Bitter Herbs
10. Korekh: The Sandwich
11. Shulchan Orekh: Dinner
12. Tzafun: The Afikomen
13. Barekh: Grace after Meals
14. Hallel: Praises
15. Nirtzah: Closing
Recipe for Charoset
Buying a Haggadah
