Pesachim

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

Pesachim 114: Lets Drink Some Wine

Rabbi Jay Kelman

While “only” a rabbinic command, drinking four cups of wine is given special status at the seder. Unlike matzah and marror—which are foods fit for a slave—being awash in wine is a symbol of joy and celebration. Those who…
Article
Mar 23, 2021

Pesachim 113: Crossing the Line

Rabbi Jay Kelman

There is a fine line between matzah and chametz. They are, by definition, made of the same ingredients. All that separates them is a fleeting moment. Bake it fast enough and one fulfils the mitzvah of matzah; let it rise just a tad too long and one…
Article
Mar 17, 2021

Pesachim 99: Wine for the Poor

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The most repeated mitzvah in the Torah—and hence, one can argue, the most important message of the Torah—is to be kind and sensitive to strangers, ki[1], because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Over and over—…
Article
Mar 11, 2021

Pesachim 99: To Lean or Not to Lean

Rabbi Jay Kelman

“On the eve of Pesachim, one may not eat adjacent to mincha time until it gets dark; even a poor person of Israel should not eat until they lean; and they must not give [the poor] fewer than four cups of wine even [if they need to take]…
Article
Mar 5, 2021

Pesachim 99: What's to Eat

Rabbi Jay Kelman

“On the eve of Pesachim, one may not eat adjacent to mincha time until it gets dark” (Pesachim 99b).  The seder meal is the most elaborate meal of the year. Four cups of wine, an appetizer spread, a meal fit for a king, topped off…
Article
Mar 2, 2021

Pesachim 66: Anger Management

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Judaism eschews extremism. “The two extremes in each and every tendency are not a good way, and it is not proper for a man to follow them, nor to have himself instructed in them….The straight path is the mean disposition found in…
Article
Feb 17, 2021

Pesachim 66: A Wise Leader

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The Shulchan Aruch, the most accepted code of Jewish law, consists of four sections: Orach Chaim, dealing with the day-to-day routine of Jewish law; Yoreh Deah, dealing with Jewish ritual law, primarily that of kashrut; Choshen Mishpat, monetary law…
Article
Feb 13, 2021

Pesachim 50: Time to Work

Rabbi Jay Kelman

There is a fascinating debate amongst the medieval greats as to whether one is obligated to act lifnim meshurat hadin, over and above what the law demands. On the one hand, it defies logic to claim that there could be a law requiring one…
Article
Jan 29, 2021

Pesachim 50: That's My Minhag

Rabbi Jay Kelman

In one of his teshuva derashot, Rav Soloveitchik lamented the fact that, while there are many shomer Shabbat Jews in America, there are very few “shomer erev Shabbat Jews”. Many, especially (but not only) in the winter months, make…
Article
Jan 25, 2021

Pesachim 49: A Great Family

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Language is much more than a method of communication. It conveys the values and culture of those who speak it. The Hebrew language is known as lashon hakodesh, the holy tongue, explains the Ramban (Shemot 30:13), because it is the language G-d…
Article
Jan 20, 2021