Pesach 5781 | March 2021
Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower
In a discussion about the laws of a Pesach offering with great controversy regarding Shabbat, the Rabbis decide to trust the nation's memory of the laws in ruling. Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower speaks about the importance of hearing the people rather than overruling them.
Rabba Claudia Marbach
The seder night is only discussed for the first time in the tenth chapter of Pesachim, and the discussion there focuses on the different groups of people. This division, proposes Rabba Claudia Marbach, aligns with the overall ethical inclusivity of mishnayot.
Rabbi Marianne Novak
Leil Ha-Shimurim, the Night of the Watch, is an ambiguous concept in Judaism-- who is watching over whom, and from what is the watched party protected? Rabbi Marianne Novak collects myriad mefarshim to explain this night, and posits that the Divine protection works in partnership with out own actions.
Rabbi Atara Cohen
In the Tanakh, Eliyahu has a prickly persona and tends to oppose the nation. In talmudic texts, he is a kind figure who works to aid the Jews. Rabbi Atara Cohen speaks about the role of Elijah on the seder night and what his visit teaches us.
Rabbanit Michal Kohane
The word "hagaddah" comes from the root h-g-d, meaning to tell. As a written text, some of its oral nature has been taken for granted. Rabbanit Michal Kohane takes a closer look at the grammatical structures of certain portions of the text and shows which parts may be instruction rather than narrative.