04-10-2025 Torah Commentary

On Saturday evening, April 12, Jews across the world will once again sit down to what may be the world’s greatest on-going feast: the Passover seder. Passover has a unique and mysterious hold on people. Though it is the hardest holiday to keep (who really likes matzah for 8 days?), ironically it is also the most popular. Even the least religious of us somehow find their way to a seder and manage to enter into Passover’s magic.

Despite the culinary difficulties that the holiday presents, hopefully this holiday has much to teach us.  Passover is the ultimate lesson in understanding the concepts of freedom and personal responsibility.  The holiday, and its unique meal called the seder, forces us to ask such questions as: do we understand that freedom is a precious gift rather than a privilege?  How often do we see ourselves as privileged rather than simply being grateful for our life’s blessings and the people who care about us?  

Passover teaches us about how much we take for granted. It is Passover week, with its long list of prohibited foods, that divides the ethically weak from the strong.  Passover reminds us that it is easy to be ethical when one is in an ethical world, but the mark of real character is when one must be different from the rest, when one must live one’s life for principles that are distinct from that of the majority.

The eight days of Passover are not easy especially in these days of heighten antisemitism and the continual tragedies of the Middle East.  October 7th has taught us once again the importance of freedom and the need to protect it.  These are the days that make us realize that two of freedom’s tools are the “ability to persevere” and the “creativity of one’s soul.”  To be free is not a gift; it is hard work. Freedom is keeping your eyes set on a goal, and learning to deal with frustration. Freedom is taking the time to listen to those with whom you do not agree and looking at issues from multiple sides.  As we read the Hagaddah we are reminded of Passover’s theme: “bchol dor v’dor chayav adam lirot et atzmo k’ilu hu yatzah miMitzrayim/in each and every generation, we all must see ourselves as personally having been liberated from the tyranny of slavery.”  How many of us also suffer from the tyranny of personal slavery?  How many people suffer from the curse of needless worry, anxiety, laziness, or jealousy? 

Passover’s freedom is not chaos;  it is freedom with responsibility. It is allowing the other person to express him or herself and putting aside the arrogance of certainty.   These are not easy tasks but they form the foundation of freedom. 

My family and I wish each of you a Chag Sameach v’Kasher- A happy and healthy Passover! 

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A simple guide to Passover foods

Una guía sencilla de los alimentos de Pésaj

This year evening of April 12 through sundown April 19 (Israel and Reform) or April 20 (Conservative and Orthodox in the Diaspora). 

Este año al ponerse el sol día 12 de abril hasta puesta del sol día 19/20 de abril.

All the laws of Kashrut (keeping kosher) are in effect during Passover. 

Todas las leyes de kashrut están en vigor durante Pésaj.

There is the normal separation of milk and meat, and additionally many people change their dishes (or in the US use paper plates) for the 8 days of the holiday.  

Se mantiene la separación normal de la carne y la leche y además mucha gente cambia su vajilla (o usan vajilla de papel) para los 8 días de la fiesta. 

Additionally, the following foods are not consumed.  An * (asterisk) next to the food means that the prohibition is limited only to those following the Ashkenazi tradition…

Además, no consumimos los siguientes alimentos. Un asterisco * al lado del alimento significa que la prohibición solamente es válida para los judíos Ashkenazi. 

1)   Anything that contains “chametz”. There is no English word for chametz. People just seem to know it.  In the Chametz category is anything that is fermented from the five grains of…..

Todo lo que contiene “jámetz”. No hay palabra en español para jámetz, parece que todos sabemos reconocerlo. En esta categoría cae: todo que es fermentado de los cinco granos (cereales) de….

Barley/Cebada

1. Oats/Avena
2. Rye/Centeno
3. Spelt/Espelta
4. Wheat/Trigo

2)  Unfermented wheat is permitted (matzah).  

 Se puede consumir el trigo no fermentado (matzá). 

 3)  We do not eat bread, rolls, oatmeal, rice*, beer, or     liquor fermented from the above grains. 

No consumimos el pan, panecillos (bolillos), cereal de avena, el arroz•, la cerveza, o licores fermentados de los cereales mencionados arriba. 

 The Kitniyot issue.  Kitniyot are foods that Ashkenazi Jews forbade but are allowed in the Sephardic tradition and often appear on Sephardic seder tables.  The Israeli rabbinate for the most part has come down on the side of the Sephardic tradition:

 El asunto de los Kitniyot. Estos alimentos no son comidos solamente por los judíos Ashkenazi, pero son consumidos por los sefardim. La tendencia del rabinato en Israel es apoyar la posición sefardita

 Kitniyot include/incluyen:

 Beans and string beans: frijoles y habichuelas 

Corn/Maíz, choclo

Lentils/Lentejas

Millet /Mijo

Peanuts*/Cacahuetes* o maní*

Peas/Guisantes (Arvejas) 

Rice/Arroz

 Peanuts (however many American Jews eat peanuts and peanut butter). 

 La gran mayor parte de los judíos americanos comen maní (cacahuetes) o mantequilla de maní (cacahuetes).

 All groups permit the eating of Quinoa during Passover.

 Todos permiten el consumo de Quinua durante Pésaj.