Pesach

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Pesach resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Pesach 5785: Pidyon ha-ben, Bekhor and Makat Bekhorot: Why the Obsession with Eldest Sons?

Dr. Yosefa Fogel Wruble

Class

Pesach 5785: The Pedagogy of the Haggadah

Dr. Aaron Koller

Class

Pesach 5785: Why is this Seder Night Different from all other Seder Nights? The Sages of Bnei Brak and their Timeless Message of Hope

Rabbi Moshe Shulman

Class

Pesach 5785: He Sent Yehuda to Point the Way to Goshen

Tamar Weissman

In this Pesach-themed shiur, we will study the rich symbolism of Goshen, Israel's home in Egypt, and what Yehuda's tribal concept has to do with both exile and redemption.   
Class

Mishnah to Maggid (Part 4): Why Don’t We Talk More About the Korban Pesach at the Seder?

Yosef Lindell

Following the destruction of the Temple, our Sages grappled with how to have Pesach without its central feature, the Pesach sacrifice. The way they reconstructed the Seder is somewhat surprising, focusing on the story of the Exodus and not on…
Class

Mishnah to Maggid (Part 5): Is Nirtzah Really a Step of the Seder?

Yosef Lindell

The Seder ends when we drink the fourth cup of wine. But then there’s another “step,” Nirtzah, which is a curious collection of songs. We will explore this final, enigmatic section of the Haggadah and weigh in on whether the Seder really has steps…
Class

Mishnah to Maggid (Part 3): Why is the Seder So Disorderly?

Yosef Lindell

For a ritual that means “order,” the Seder is remarkably disorganized. The Haggadah does not tell a coherent version of Exodus story and is missing significant parts of the tale. Yet maybe this is a feature, not a bug. We will explore several…
Class

Mishnah to Maggid (Part 2): How Many Questions are in Ma Nishtana? Are They Even Questions?

Yosef Lindell

Everyone knows the Ma Nishtana. But figuring out how many questions are being asked, or if they were really meant to be questions at all, is an interpretive puzzle that remains unsolved. Nevertheless, it helps us understand what the storytelling in…
Class

Mishnah to Maggid (Part 1): Are You a Karaite If You Leave Out Avadim Hayinu?

Yosef Lindell

In the 800s, Rav Natronai Gaon in Babylonia polemicized against what he called a Karaite version of the Haggadah that was missing the paragraph of Avadim Hayinu andother sections. But discoveries in the Cairo Genizah upended everything we thought we…
Class

From the Mishnah to Maggid: Case Studies in the Development of the Haggadah

Yosef Lindell

Mondays March 10 - April 7 (5 weeks)1:00 PM Eastern time, 8:00 PM Israel time (7:00 PM Israel time for March 10, 17, 24) Every year we read the Haggadah at the Seder, and every year we ask the same questions about it. We wonder about the same odd…
Program