Pesach 2011 by Federation of Synagogues

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Contents

AY Welcome to the Pesach edition o f Hamaor 5771 I sincerely hope th a t you enjoy â&#x20AC;&#x201D;w reading Hamaor - your essential Federation magazine and th a t it enhances your Pesach experience.

EAL DEALS:

Diary

Delayed Burial

You Did it fo r H im !

The C u rtain - Part II

Gabbai's C onference

V eh ig ad to Levincho A n tic ip a tin g th e challenges

Even though yetzias M itzrayim took place over three thousand years ago, to d a y we s till c o n tin u e to celebrate, talk and learn about it. In the pages th a t follow , you'll find a num ber o f articles th a t help us to th a t, providing an in -d e p th look fascinating insights in to perhaps the m ost fa m ilia r o f all our Yom Tovim. In addition, this year we have a special p u ll-o u t booklet, w ritte n by Chazan Michael Simon, packed w ith inspiration fo r your Seder.

hicken h Chips

W ithin the magazine you'll find co n trib u tio n s by Rabbi Yehuda Aronovitz, Rabbi Johnny Solom on Rebbetzin Barbara Friedman and others as well as Federation President M r Alan Finlay and C hief Executive Dr Eli Kienwald, along w ith news and events from our com m unities w hich prove th a t the Federation o f Synagogues is as vibrant and active as well as diverse as ever.

iH L IK IN C H IP S

SYNAGOGUES

If you're looking fo r inspiration in the kitchen then head straight fo r our m o u th -w a te rin g Pesach recipe page. W ishing you all Chag Kasher V'Sameach vj A BUN

Freedom's in th e a ir Pesach and th e A rab revolt

R edem ption - Then Ft Now

Seder E tiq u ette

The Exodus: Rem em bering vs. Recounting 2 2 Rabbi M o rd ech ai Fachler Z"L

Zayin A d ar Seuda

O b itu aries

Fam ily H am ao r Insights

Paschal M usings

Recipes

Personal

Kashrus D irecto ry

F ed eratio n o f S ynagogues C o n ta c t D etails

Pow er o f A tto rn e y fo r th e Sale o f C h o m etz

List o f S ynagogues

&CHiP$ Published by The Federation o f Synagogues 65 W atford Way, London NW4 3AQ Tel: 020 8202 2263 Fax: 020 8203 0610 Email: info@federationofsynagogues.eom www.federationofsynagogues.com Editor/Advertising: Eva Chapper

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K05hER Hamaor / A pril 2011

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Croydon A nnual Quiz Supper

M itzvah to be celebrated in th a t very hall. He also reflected th a t the kavod we show our parents should translate in to good conduct in our own lives.

On Sunday O ctober 24th 2010, o u r annual Quiz Supper was attended by nearly 90 people. This ever p o p u la r e ve n t is alw ays one o f o u r b ig g e st

Ilford

fundraisers, enjoyed by n o t o n ly our com m unity, b u t people fro m o th e r shuls. The co m b in a tio n o f good food, w hich we are fam ed for, and a lively quiz, alw ays hits the spot.

New Sefer Torah m antle in m em ory o f Dr Izzy Segal

T ribute Evening

On Sunday 31st October, fo llo w in g the stone setting fo r the late Dr Israel Segal, his fam ily, friends and many o f the Ilford Federation co m m u n ity returned to the synagogue.

On Sunday November 28th, the extrem ely talented Laura Butler, daughter o f our ow n Valerie and Mick, perform ed a trib u te evening. It was a huge success, enjoyed by 100 people, again fro m w ith in our co m m u n ity and outside o f it. Croydon is certainly "on the map" fo r great entertainm ent.

Chairman Leon Newm ark presented Dr Segal's fam ily w ith an em broidered velvet Sefer Torah cover in his memory. The Sefer Torah it now adorns is used for weekday services and w ill be a constant rem inder to the congregation o f its late Life President.

These tw o events raised ÂŁ2,000 fo r our Shul.

The Stanley Bookatz m em orial lecture

Finchley

On W ednesday 15th September a large audience came to hear Henry G runw ald OBE QC, past President o f the Board o f Deputies and President o f Shechita UK, speak on "A Jewish Future".

Siyum in H onour o f Mrs Libby Sacks On Sunday 27th February 2011, eighty members o f the shul crowded in to the Fanny R udolf Hall to honour the m em ory o f the late Mrs Sacks w ho was a q u ie tly sig n ifica n t influence fo r good th ro u g h o u t her many years o f membership and active w ork on behalf o f the kehillah. Her son, C hief Rabbi Lord Sacks attended as did Dayan Lichtenstein, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Rabbi Yaakov Hamer as w ell as H onorary O fficers of the Federation. Morris Reich gave a warm p o rtra it o f her and Lord Sacks remembered how much o f his boyhood was spent in the shul - his photo by Harold Greenberg was th e firs t Bar Page 2

During his talk he covered the history o f A nglo Jewry and its prospects fo r the future, as well as the cam paign to protect Shechita in the UK. He also made a m oving trib u te to his late brother in law, M r Stanley Bookatz.

Ohr Yerushalayim It has been an e x c itin g fe w m o n th s a t Ohr Y erushalayim as th is young and v ib ra n t kehilla has se ttle d in to to its b e a u tifu l new b u ild in g . There have alw ays been m any a c tiv itie s ta kin g place in th e shul over th e years b u t th e new premises, in c lu d in g th e lo ve ly Beis H aM edrash, th e w ell stocked S hiur Rooms and th e b e a u tifu l fu n c tio n hall, has allow ed these events to th riv e and expand a t every o p p o rtu n ity . Hamaor / A pril 2011

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DIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARY

memory

the stone setting t friends and many V returned to the

Children's Shabbos Group

Ladies Learning Programme

A few m onths ago a group o f teenage girls set up a Shabbos group fo r the young children o f the Kehilla, which takes place during leyning and the Rov's Drosho on Shabbos M orning. This has proved very popular and regularly attracts 30 children or more and takes place in the upstairs Function Hall.

A highly suceesful Ladies Learning Programme was launched by the ladies o f the kehilla, fo llo w in g the move in to the new building. The usual fo rm a t is chavrusa learning follow ed by a guest speaker. A special series was recently held on the subject o f "Inner Beauty - Rediscovering The Essence o f Jewish W om anhood" given by the Rov and Rebbetzin, which attracted between 50 and 100 ladies.

Family Chanukah Party Ohr Yerushalayim celebrated Chanukah in exciting fashion w ith a Chanukah Family Extravaganza. This included an afternoon o f exciting events run by

1 Dr Segal's family Torah cover in his sdorns is used for stant reminder to sident.

norial lecture

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Rabbi YY Rubinstein's Mussar Series Over years Beis HaM edrash C om m ittee have established a very popular series o f shiurim . The latest series included three in sig h tfu l, th o u g h tfu l and challenging Mussar Shiurim from in te rn a tio n a l speaker, Rabbi YY Rubinstein. Linking w ith his CD series, Rabbi YY stim ulated the 60 plus crowd w ith deep, te xt based insights in to the hum an psyche and hig h lig h te d practical ways fo r im proving interpersonal relationships and self-esteem .

rge audience came st President of the ihechita UK, speak

ry of Anglo Jewry well as the

professional circus perform ers, Shooting Stars Circus Skills workshop. The activities on offer, fo r the more than 100 children w ho attended, included tig h tro p e

Rabbi Kupetz's Series on Megilas Esther Taking a com pletely d iffe re n t subject, but providing equally penetrating insights, Rabbi Moshe Kupetz com bined his eneyelopaedie knowledge o f M eforshim and M idrashim to bring M egillas Esther even more to Rabbi Kupetz's M egillos series never fails to emphasise how much more m eaning there is behind even the m ost seem ingly sim ple Posuk.

Ohr Yisrael

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Ohr Yisrael Photography by Alan Fish Living W orld

Second Sefer Torah

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walking, s tilt w alking, unieyeles, ju g g lin g and diablo. The event was fo llo w e d by a special ch ild re n 's Chanukah lig h tin g between Mineha and M aariv at w hich guest speaker, Rabbi Eli Cohen, spoke to the children about the message o f Chanukah and the Rov o f the shul, Rabbi Berel Cohen then handed o u t treats to all the children. H am aor / A p ril 2011

Ohr Yisrael recently celebrated a m ilestone in history. On Sunday 12th o f December, the sun broke th ro u g h the clouds and shone upon the procession o f a second Haehnasat Sefer Torah. The Sefer Torah was donated by the fa m ily o f Mr. Darren Freedman in m em ory o f his late fa th e r Mr. Reuven Freedman z"l, to g e th e r w ith generous d o n a tio n s from com m unity. Final letters were w ritte n at the home o f Rabbi Raphy Garson. Dayan Lichtenstein, Dayan Elzas and a num ber o f o th e r p ro m in e n t local Rabbis from Page 3

DIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARY Ohr Yisrael (cont) Second Sefer Torah (eont) the H ertfordshire and NW London area attended. Some 250 people accom panied the Sefer Torah to its new home, dancing to the live music and songs sung by 11 year old Avi Garson. This was an amazing sight to

Shim shon Silkin. In the second hour, the focal point fo r all is a Parsha shiur given each week by one o f the local educators including Rabbis N aftali Brawer and Boruch Boudilovsky o f the United Synagogue. Rabbi Garson m entioned, "We are delighted to be hosting th is incredible cross-com m unal in itia tive . Boreham w ood and Elstree is one o f the largest grow ing com m unities w ith in Anglo-Jew ry. The Beis M edrash, and th e o n g o in g c o m m itm e n t o f my members, as well as participants from o th e r local shuls (in c lu d in g Shenley) to learn Torah, is hum bling. M onday n ig h ts w ill become synonym ous w ith a powerhouse o f Torah Study in the Boreham wood II area.

Friday N ight Fevers Second Sefer Torah behold and a rare event in the Elstree com m unity. Singing, dancing, fire torches Et lig h t sticks brought the procession to life. Upon arrival to the shul the children were greeted by Uncle Doovy's ice cream van, a rare sight in H ertfordshire. In the evening, the entire co m m u n ity joined tog e th e r fo r a gala seudah, in the presence o f Rabbi S W eingarten o f the Bridge Lane Bet Hamidrash, other esteemed Rabbanim, M r Alan Finlay, Dr Eli Kienwald and other dignitaries.

BBM - The Borehamwood and Elstree Beis Medrash This past O ctober saw th e launch o f the B oreham w ood and Elstree Beis M edrash. The program m e is a jo in t in itia tiv e o f th a t co m m u n ity to g e th e r w ith the Boreham wood and Elstree United Synagogue and the a d u lt education organisation, Seed. The Boreham wood 6t Elstree Beis Medrash, dubbed th e BBM, is com prised o f a tw o -h o u r program m e; in the firs t hour, Rabbi Raphy Garson o f Elstree Federation, delivered an o n g o in g hilchos Shabbos shiur, w h ils t Seed run a concurrent One to One learning program m e under the guidance o f Rabbi Page 4

The shul organised a series o f five h ig h ly successful Friday n ig h t dinners th ro u g h o u t the w in te r months. Particular h ig h lig h ts were the guest chazzan Jonathan u rg ra ff and the w orld renowned speaker Rabbi Chanoch Teller, w ho fascinated all w ho attended w ith his stories and insights. The dinners attracted excellent tu rn o u ts (despite the w in try weather) o f around 100 people per event ranging from young children to more senior members, and non-m em bers w ho experienced the w arm atm osphere o f our shul fo r the firs t tim e. The re ce n tly erected eruv enabled th e w hole c o m m u n ity to attend.

Chanukah Drumming Event 2011 has seen many innovative projects but this year saw the in tro d u ctio n o f The Chanukah Drum m ing extravaganza! Children from the ages o f 1 to 15 enjoyed m aking m usic to the beat o f drum s, tam bourines, beaters and singing. The session started w ith some vocal w arm -ups and the com posing o f beat rh y th m s and chants o f "d o ughnuts, doughnuts, doughnuts". The atm osphere grew louder w ith chants o f Chanukah, Judah and Maccabi interspersed w ith the basal sounds o f the deep voice o f the djembe, conga and bongo drums. Everyone worked together to create a com plex beat tapestry woven w ith in a stable base o f Chanukah style yiddishkeit. This culm inated in a donut Hamaor / A pril 2011

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DIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARY ach „the, focal Point

and latke feast th a t satiated all but the heartiest appetites th a t had been drum m ed up during the workshop.

have been given so fa r by Rabbi Dovid Tugendhaft, Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt, Rabbi Shimshon Silkin Et Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz.

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Shabbaton w ith Rabbi Chanoeh Teller

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mmitment of my )m other local sbuls ,ratl' 's humbling, nonymous with a the Borehamwood

Chanukah Drumming Event

Sunday N ight Speakers t highly successful he winter months. : chazzanJonathan ed speaker Rabbi who attended with attracted excellent er) of around 100

A series o f m o n th ly guest speakers was launched in January, draw ing in larger crowds. Inspirational talks

Ohr Yisrael were privileged to host a Shabbaton w ith the w o rld acclaim ed Rabbi Chanoeh Teller. Rabbi Teller is a proclaim ed a u th o r o f over 20 books, w hose p o p u la rity has seen sales o f over a q u a rte r o f a m illio n copies. A fte r a sell o u t Friday n ig h t dinner, some 130 people heard Rabbi Teller's in sp irin g w ords and m oving stories. This was fo llo w e d by a special oneg fo r th e y o u n g e r co u p le s o f th e c o m m u n ity . D uring Shabbat, he spoke several tim es in fu s in g his audience w ith messages o f hope and tru s t in Hashem.

Federation Coach Service to Rainham Cemetery A coach service to Rainham cem etery w ill be available on Sunday 18th and 25th Septem ber before Rosh Flashanah. The coaches w ill leave at 10.00am from Flendon and Clapton respectively, allow ing approx 1 hour in Rainham and then returning. Please note last year we were overbooked, so please ensure th a t you reserve yo u r place on the coach no later th a t by Friday 26th A ugust by telephoning the Burial Society on 020-8202 3903.

ects hut this P iukah Drumming iges of f 1 1 IS t o t of lt session startri ,»tT «

Tom Zelmanovits A dm inistrator Federation Burial Society 65 W atford Way, Flendon, London N W 4 3AQ Tel: 0 2 0 8202 3 9 0 3 Email: t.zelm an@ federationofsynagogues.eom

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To see the latest from th e Federation, click on www.federationofsynagogues.com Hamaor / A pril 2011

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iiN D n â&#x2013; K D e R A T io r s OF

SYN A G O G U E S

DELAYED BURIAL By D ayan Y Y L ich te n ste in m ost hallow ed in s titu tio n s o f any Kehilla is Burial Society. Federation is no exception are proud o u r Chevra Kadisha w ho carry o u t their sacred task w ith alm ost religious devotion to all m atters Halacha and respect fo r the dead (kovod hames). The public is not aware o f the selfless dedication o f the Chevra themselves and the extraordinary hard w ork th a t the adm inistrative s ta ff and honorary officers do to ensure th a t the m ost m eticulous a tte n tio n is paid to the Jewish Law. However, as the Rov entrusted to oversee th e ir activities, I can certainly te stify to this and in an annual Chevra Kadisha dinner I always m ention it. But that's it. We often receive letters from the public praising our s ta ff fo r th e ir thoughtfulness and sensitivity (and on the odd occasion the opposite!) is indeed very rarely th a t we receive com plim ents from the public on the dedication to Halacha. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected th a t as an orthodox organisation we w ill be scrupulous in observing every din to the fullest. And so it should be. There is one Halacha, however, th a t u n fo rtu n a te ly som etim es causes frictio n between the public and our staff. It is the prohibition against unnecessary delay o f burial. For w hatever reason it is som etim es inconvenient to the fa m ily or friends to attend a burial at short notice and the Federation Burial Society is asked to delay the burial fo r several days. As this is a halachic question the Beth Din w ill be invariably consulted and a fte r hearing the m erits o f the issue w ill issue a ruling if burial can be delayed or not. When the answer is negative there is often confusion and resentm ent by

the fa m ily or friends. And so I have been asked by the Burial Society to w rite fo r Hamaor the halachic basis fo r this issue. I begin w ith the scriptural source. The Torah says "If a man w ill have com m itted a sin whose judgem ent is death and he is put to death and you hang him on a wooden beam. His body shall not remain fo r the night on the wooden beam. But you should bury him on th a t day, fo r hanging the person is an insult to G-d." (Devarim 21.23) So the Torah tells us clearly th a t in the case o f an executed crim inal he shall not be left o ve rn ig h t but buried on the same day. But does this apply to an ordinary case where a person has died in a usual way? The Mishna in Maseches Sanhedrin says (46a) "That only did the sages say this o f a crim inal but whoever lets his dead lie overnight transgresses th is negative com m and" (m entioned above) and this is codified in M aim onides (Hilchos Avel 4.8) and in the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 357.1) so the above prohibition applies to every Jewish burial. W hat is the reason fo r th is halacha? The Torah describes th a t hanging a person is an insult to G-d and Rashi on the above verse com m ents "It is a degradation o f G-d fo r man is made in the likeness o f his image (as it says in Genesis 9.6 fo r in the image o f G-d He made man and Israel are his sons." But th a t m ight apply only to the hanging crim inal. A careful perusal o f the above m entioned Mishna in Sanhedrin shows th a t the whole issue o f delay is based on disgrace to the body i.e. the longer the body remains unburied the greater the disgrace. How do we know this? Because the Mishna says "th a t if a body was kept overnight fo r the sake o f his honour or to arrange for a coffin or shroud it is perm itted" and the Talmud asks (Sanhedrin 47a) whose honour - the honour to the Hamaor / September 2010

Page 6

deceased or the living? And the Talmud concludes the verse saying "he shall remain overnight on the wooden beam" so sim ilar to the hanged person, prohibition is where the keeping o f the deceased involved disgrace. But where there is no disgrace it does not apply, so we see th a t the reason fo r this prohibition is a lack o f honour and where honour would dictate th a t he should remain unburied it is perm itted. There is however, another reason to hurry up burial - a Kabbalistic interpretation referred to in the Zohar brought by the sefer Maaver Yabok (Sfas Ernes chapter 27). Burial brings peace to the soul and as long as the deceased is not buried the soul can find no peace and does not ascend to its heavenly resting place. In another place the Kabbala says th a t if a soul needs to undergo tra n sm ig ra tio n fo r its good th is ca nnot happen u n til burial takes place. A lth o u g h these esoteric reasons are not referred to in the Halacha they act as an added im petus to the Burial Society w ho are charged w ith the mission o f ensuring the burial o f the member is done w ith his good in mind. It is clear from the Zohar th a t it is d e fin ite ly in the interest o f the deceased to be buried as quickly as possible. A lthough originally the fa m ily was instructed to ensure th a t burial be done correctly nowadays by jo in in g a Burial Society the obligation is transferred to them and if a burial is delayed unnecessary it is th e ir sin.

This brings us to our final question is it ever permissible to delay burial to w hich the answer is yes. There are occasion where the Halacha does sanction a delay in burial. The Mishna m entioned above speaks about a delay fo r honour w hich is perm itted. The Piskei Hatosfos in Sanhedrin perm it a delay up to 72 hours if one o f the relatives cannot make it in tim e (relatives fo r this purpose means only the deceased spouse, parent, child or sibling). Other examples include where a burial on Friday or erev Yom Tov m ig h t cause some people to desecrate the Shabbos or Yom Tov. A more contem porary example is if a post m ortem can be avoided by arranging a non-invasive MRI scan. (A post m ortem autopsy is forbidden according to Halacha and all e ffo rts m ust be made to avoid it). There are other examples but it is up to the Beth Din to decide on these issues. W hat is im p o rta n t is to report a death im m ediately to the Burial S ociety and to m e n tio n if there are e x tra o rd in a ry circum stances th a t m ig h t delay a funeral. To understand th a t if the Burial Society refuses to delay a burial they have good reason and are ju s t fo llo w in g the halachic principles m entioned above. Let us pray th a t this Pesach the festival o f redem ption bring the final redem ption and none o f these issues shall be relevant any more. A happy and kosher Passover fo r a

U ntil now I have m entioned the obligation to bury the same day as the death. Often fo r practical reasons o u t o f anyone's control burial has been delayed u n til the next day. Is there still an obligation to bury quickly? Once the firs t day has passed the Shaagas Aryeh (an 18th century halachist) in his new reponsa no. 6 says there is. Every day th a t there is an additional delay there is an additional transgression and no m a tte r how many days have elapsed burial should still be expedited as quickly as possible. Hamaor / September 2010

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By A la n Finlay, P resident o f the F ederation o f Synagogues I regularly lecture at conferences on em ploym ent law. The fictional case studies are always popular and the one that produces the most discussion is where John, a long standing employee w ith an unblemished disciplinary record, announces his engagement, goes out fo r lunch to celebrate w ith work colleagues and returns to the office so drunk that he is incapable o f working in the afternoon and has to be sent home. The question is whether any disciplinary action should be taken against him. The overwhelming view from conference delegates is that no disciplinary action should be taken and the very suggestion is received w ith disbelief. I inform the conference that this case study is taken from the ACAS (the Government mediation service) website and the advice from ACAS is that, follow ing a disciplinary procedure, the employee should be issued w ith a final w ritten warning. To most delegates, this suggestion is incomprehensible. I then explain that my advice to the employer would be to initiate a disciplinary procedure, explain to John that some action has to be taken and issue him w ith a w ritten warning. The rationale behind my advice is that an employer has to be consistent in its dealings w ith its employees and impose a sanction because if it does not and later that month, Mark gets drunk at lunchtime because his football team won a trophy and the employer does take disciplinary action, Mark can justifiably complain o f inconsistency. "You didn't do it to John, why are you doing it to me?" This need for consistency in the workplace follows through into communal organisations. Some years ago, there was public criticism o f a shul that did not allow a hard o f hearing grandfather on the bima for his grandson's barmitzvah. Accusations o f insensitivity and poor judgem ent were thrown at the shul's wardens. The long standing rule o f that shul was that only the boy’s father was allowed onto the bima. I presume the rationale was that, w ithout such a rule, one can imagine a whole host o f relatives crowding onto the bima, all w ith special reasons for wanting to be close to the barmitzvah boy, w ith the result

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that he could become distracted. To make one exception would mean that the next tim e the wardens enforced the rule and said no to four Australian cousins, they would be met by the outraged cry o f "you did it for him ”. In many shuls, there is a rule that someone who wishes an aliyah should be in shul well before the leyning starts. The reason for this is that the wardens need time to organise who they can call up and life is hairy enough on the bimah w ithout the wardens having to keep an eye on the door, see who walks in late and then juggle w ith the aliya list. So, let us say that someone comes in during the Torah reading wanting an aliyah for his father's yahrzeit, explaining that he had been taken ill during the night and had not been able to get to shul earlier. Give him an aliyah and then refuse the next late person because he had overslept and the cry be heard "you did it for him". Head Office Honorary Officers face the same dilemma between either keeping to consistent principles or responding to situations on a case by case basis. For example, the rule is that all constituent shuls must produce a budget for Head Office approval that shows, at the very least, a break even position. A budget can only show a deficit w ith the prior approval o f Head Office and Federation Council. W hat if, by the end o f the financial year, it is discovered that a shul has in fact overspent and is in deficit? Does the reason for such deficit m atter or does the need to be consistent prevail. If one shul is allowed to incur an unauthorised deficit, another shul will exclaim "but you did it for them". Or let us say that a Minister's house needs extensive internal redecoration. The local com m unity is outraged that the Rabbi is living in such conditions and since the house is owned by the Federation, demands that Head Office pays for the cost o f redecoration. The w ritten agreement w ith the Rabbi clearly states that all internal redecorations are the responsibility o f the Rabbi. Should the Federation sympathise and pay out o f respect for the Rabbi or insist that the contractual terms prevail, on the basis that if the Federation does pay and then refuses a similar request from another community, the cries will be heard "but you did it for them". No one ever said communal life was easy. My colleagues in Head Office join w ith me in wishing you and your families a happy and kosher Pesach.

Ha mao r / A pril 2011

THE CURTAIN

Part

By D r Eli K ienw ald, C h ie f Executive, Federation o f Synagogues The m urm ur o f prayer suddenly stopped. "W hat are we going to do? We are doomed. Our beautiful synagogue will be ransacked. We must hide the Menorah...". The cries o f desperation filled the small room as every man tried to put forward his own suggestion at the same time, each more futile than the other. Yehuda Sacerdoti, the Parnas, gestured fo r silence and all present hushed.

Part 1 o f this story can be read in the Rosh Hashana 5771 edition o f H am aor on the Federation website www.federationofsynagogues.com . Alternatively, you may request a hard copy by phoning Federation Fiead Office on 0208 202 2263 "The Vandals, the Vandals" - the scream reverberated over the roof tops o f Rome as the vast m ultitude of people who were filling the narrow streets o f the market place in Trastevere started to disperse in all directions. Very rapidly the area was deserted except for the dozens and dozens o f stray cats scavenging for food among the overturned stalls. Throughout the city, doors were bolted, windows battened down, valuables were carefully hidden or buried but the inhabitants o f Rome knew that it was all to no avail because soon, perhaps in just a few hours, the wild hoards o f barbarians from North Africa, wearing w hite tunics and riding their thoroughbreds would burst into the capital in advance o f their Teutonic allies to rob and pillage. The little boy who had raised the alarm had run all the way from Portus where the Vandal ships had cast their anchors: he did not stop after delivering his unwelcome message but sw iftly disappeared down a side alley, under a couple o f open culverts and finally into a dark doorway. "Here you are, Shabbatai, w hat news are you bringing?" - asked the Parnas, a tall man w ith a flow ing w hite beard as he turned away from the group collected in prayer and draped in w hite and blue tallesim. "They are half way up the Via Portuense and moving fast - came the reply they will be here by the middle o f the day". Hamaor / A p ril 2011

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"This is w hat we w ill do - the Menorah cannot be saved, it is too large, but the curtain...Pinchas, remove it from the Aaron haKodesh, fold it and give it to me". Pinchas obeyed instantly, left the Beth haMedrash through the connecting door to the main synagogue hall and a short while later returned w ith a parcel which he placed delicately on the table in fro n t o f Yehuda. "Each man should return to his home - ordered the Parnas - and let us pray to the A lm ighty that we should once again be able to see this curtain hang in our synagogue". The men dispersed. Yehuda took the parcel and, accompanied by little Shabbatai, walked the short distance to his modest home in Trastevere, w ent up into the roof space, opened a wooden chest full o f old clothes, emptied it, draped the curtain inside it and filled the chest up again. *

It was the year 455 CE. Since the day Moshe Sacerdoti had brought it back from Jerusalem, the curtain had been the pride and joy o f the Roman Jewish community. Moshe had done teshuva, became the Arcisinagogo1 and the guardian o f the synagogue treasures, the curtain and the Menorah which Jewish captives had carried under Titus Arch and which was returned to the Jewish people of Rome by Emperor Settim io Severo in the year 201 CE. By this tim e everybody knew that the curtain had once adorned the Temple in Jerusalem and only members of the Sacerdoti fam ily were allowed to touch it. Now it rested at the bottom o f an old chest and all the com m unity could do was to pray that it would escape the voracious greed o f the marauding Vandals. The pope, his name was Leo, the first o f the Leos, the one who had succeeded in preventing A ttila the Hun from sacking Rome three years earlier, tried to repeat the miracle this time, by meeting King Genseric at the city gate but the Vandal, although he listened patiently to the oration in Latin, through an interpreter made it clear that while he would spare the city and its inhabitants, he was Page 9

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going to loot it at w ill "sine ferro et igneâ&#x20AC;?. The Vandals helped themselves through the helpless Rome fo r thirteen days, removing everything o f value methodically, systematically and w ith ferocious accuracy. Beautiful marble statues were uprooted from their pedestals, mosaics were torn from walls, bronze pillars, being too large to be transported in one piece, were carefully sawn o ff by skilled craftsmen and taken away in pieces. And o f course anything precious, gold, silver, coins and furs, was loaded onto oxen-driven carts which made up a constant procession towards the waiting ships. The Great Synagogue was not spared: silver wine cups, pointers, breast plates, finials, the b e a u tifu lly embroidered Sefer Torah m antles and the golden Menorah were added to the booty. The Vandals even opened up sarcophagi in the catacombs to remove jewellery from the dead. They searched Yehuda's house but the tall Numidian who opened the old chest recoiled at the musty smell and moved on. The curtain had survived the sack o f Rome. *

And the curtain remained in the attic fo r years and years, unseen, untouched, unspoilt but not forgotten. The Sacerdoti fam ily continued to occupy the old house in Trastevere generation after generation, through the many vicissitudes of the Roman Jewish community, reflecting some better times and some terrible times, periods o f high hope such as when Theodoric, king o f the Ostrogotes (VI century) showed m agnanim ity towards the Jews and periods o f great fear, one such when G iustinian introduced the violently anti-sem itic Giustinian Code. In the year 1312 CE, Henry VII o f Germany was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Laterano and the Jewish com m unity showed their respect by presenting him w ith a Sefer Torah, a tradition which had become a common procedure a couple o f centuries earlier at the investiture o f new popes. They were rewarded w ith the permission to buy property throughout the city. The Sacerdotis moved from Trastevere to a more affluent area along the river. A new Synagogue was built at Ponte Quattro Capi, next door to the Sacerdotis and the curtain hung again in fro n t o f the Aaron haKodesh. In 1492 CE, the Rome com m unity was swelled by the influx o f Jews expelled from Spain. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon. In 1555 CE, a new pope was elected, Paul IV, the Teatino2, who in the four short years o f his tenure, caused immense damage and untold Page 10

suffering to the Jewish community. W ithin months of ascending to the papal chair, Paul IV issued an edict forcing Jews to live in a ghetto3, a small run-down area across the river between Trastevere and the ruins of imperial Rome, w ith no sanitation and no drinking water. Jews living elsewhere in the city were forced to sell their property and move into squalid and unhealthy accommodation, locked in by a high wall. They had to wear the "seiamanno"4, a yellow net on the hat for men and a yellow patch on the hair for women, were forbidden from doing business w ith the Gentiles and were subjected to constant abuse and ridicule. By this tim e the Jewish population o f Rome was diverse Jews from Catalonia, Aragona, North Africa, Portugal, Germany (Ashkenazim), together w ith the original Italians - different cultures and different rites. In the ghetto there was no room for separate synagogues to cater for so many groupings and so one building in Piazza delle Cinque Scuole (Square of the Five Synagogues) was divided into five Batei Knesioth. The Synagogue Ponte Quattro Capi was forcibly closed and the curtain found its way into the Nuovo Tempio (the New Synagogue), one of the five in Piazza delle Cinque Scuole. *

Settimio Di Castro, aka Selieodde5 was the Shamash o f the Nuovo Tempio. Experienced and very thorough, he knew that he could expect a papal inspection at any time. Since the public torching o f all copies of the Talmud twelve months ealier, synagogues and also private houses in the ghetto had been searched regularly for prohibited texts. Selieodde went round the pew boxes once again to make sure that they contained only the prescribed Siddurim. It was a Friday morning in May 1557 and the guards always came on the eve o f Shabbat. Selieodde heard the heavy steps and the clinging o f armour but was content that nothing untoward would be found. Alas, it was not so. Nobody could be sure o f how it really happened, whether Selieodde had missed it or whether one o f the guards had cruelly planted it, but the Shamash knew instantly that something was wrong when he saw the sergeant walk towards him w ith a grave face and a page w ith Hebrew text on it. The papal guard looked straight into Selicodde's eyes and said: "Moshe Maimon, Mishne Torah, Hilchot Melachim, Chapter XI6. Forbidden. All books in the synagogue w ill be taken to the House of Cathecumens7 for further checking and - pointing peremptorily to the Aaron haKodesh - that curtain too. You Jews think you are so clever but if you have hidden anything in the seams o f that curtain, we shall find it". Hamaor / A pril 2011

Selicodde's heart sank: "Oh, please, not the curtain, not our beautiful curtain"- he thought as the guards started to remove it. When they left, Selicodde sat on one of the pews, sobbing. W hat now? It's lost forever. I shall have to call a meeting o f the Congrega8.

daily routine included fasting until late morning, being forced to listen to several sermons before being given anything to eat, flagellation to 'purify' his soul, being forced to attend prayers in the chapel, more sermons before supper and an interview w ith the priest before retiring to assess his progress in the process o f conversion.

Beniamino Sacerdoti, aka as Sciammalamore9, was the Arcisinagogo at that time and, when he heard the news, he im m ediately despatched Selicodde to advise all members o f the Congrega that a meeting was to be held three hours before Shabbat. The 36 members making up the highest Council o f the Roman Jewish com m unity were all present at the appointed time. Sciammalamore chaired the meeting, Selicodde sat on his right and Angelo Di Segni, the Parnas, aka Venefesh'0, sat on his left. There was general agreement that everything possible should be done to recover the curtain. Some o f the men suggested an appeal w ithin the com m unity to raise money with which to buy it back. However the general feeling was that this would only encourage the authorities to become even more suspicious and inquisitive. The meeting o f the Congrega appeared to be ending up in disarray. Suddenly everyone turned to Moshe Sacerdoti, aka Sim antow e", Sciammalamore's ninety-year old father, the oldest member o f the Congrega, who had asked to speak. "All we can do at this stage is to try and find out where the curtain is, get close and keep and eye on it; in the meantime we can assess the situation". 35 men looked questioningly at their elder. "But, Simantowe, the curtain is in the House o f Cathecumens, it is like a fortress, how can anyone get in there?" "Easy - said Sim antow e - after Shabbat, tw o o f you should go for a walk near the ghetto entrance where the guards stand. You should speak loudly enough to be overheard and drop a hint that I, Moshe Sacerdoti, have decided to convert". "But they will take you to the House o f Cathecumens for fo rty days, they will torture you, at your age you cannot be allowed to go through that". "Do as I say - Sim antowe put an end to the pleas - and may the Alm ighty protect us and His curtain". *

The papal guards came to arrest Moshe Sacerdoti at daybreak on Sunday morning. He was taken to the House of Cathecumens, placed in a bare cell w ith just a wooden plank for a bed and a small chair. His clothes were removed and he was made to wear a white robe tied at the waist with a thick cord. The cell door was not locked but there were papal guards everywhere and no obvious way out. His H arraor / A p ril 2011

One night, during his third week in the House, he heard a shuffling noise in his cell. "Psst, Sim antowe, it's me, I'ln ve llu ta ta "'2. Moshe recognized Celeste Di Castro immediately - the ghetto seamstress who was most renowned in the art o f "ricucire all'ago d'oro"13. "I know why you are here - she said - and I think I can help. My team o f women and I have been given the task of unpicking the seams o f the curtain so that the officials can examine it." Moshe shivered - "What? Have you destroyed our precious curtain?" "No, no, Sim antowe, w hat we have done is to make a new curtain from some old material. We now have tw o identical curtains and no one but I can tell the difference". "Bring me the real curtain to m o rro w night, InvelIutata, and may the A lm ighty bless you and your workers". Moshe spent the rest o f that night planning his escape. During the previous tw o weeks he had observed the layout o f the House and had noticed that a window at the end o f the corridor outside his cell was left open. It was a small window through which it m ight be d ifficu lt to climb but it had no bars and he had worked out that once outside he would be about six cubits from the ground. L'lnvellutata brought him the curtain the follow ing night. Moshe draped it around his torso in the same way that his distant forefather had done when leaving the Temple in Jerusalem. He put the chair under the window, removed the rope from his waist, tied it to a projecting stud and climbed out. He hurt his arms and shoulders in the process but the prospect o f freedom for himself and the curtain made him forget the pain. Once outside he slid down the rope and realized th a t it was not long enough. He did not hesitate and let him self fall. The old bones shook but did not break. Moshe and the curtain returned to the ghetto. *

The men o f the Congrega celebrated the return of both Sim antowe and the curtain but had d ifficu lt decisions to take. The papal guards would soon find o u t th a t Sim antowe had escaped and would be after him. And the curtain, although it was now back w ith them, was not safe any more. Beniamino Sacerdoti was concerned about his Page 11

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old fa th e r and fe lt th e burden o f responsibility w eigh on him . "S im a n to w e m ust leave Rome and th e cu rta in m ust go w ith him . - Father, there is a ship sailing fro m Ostia at day break. I w a n t you to go". Fie tu rn e d to A ttilio Di Nepi, aka C annavota14, th e d e a f and dum b stro n g m a n o f the Congrega and gestured to him th a t he should accom pany his father. The tw o men le ft th e safe house ju s t outside the g h e tto and silently, fu rtive ly, began th e ir long jo u rn e y to w ards a fa r aw ay w o rld , carrying w ith th e m th e hope o f the Roman Jewish co m m u n ity.

The old m an and his ta ll s ile n t c o m p a n io n looked like m a n y o f th e p ilg rim s w h o w ere tra v e llin g across th e d e so la te h ills and va lle ys le a d in g up to Jerusalem . From tim e to tim e th e y passed w a ysid e huts, th e d w e llin g o f im p o v e ris h e d peasants, b u t th e y did n o t pause. W hen th e y e n c o u n te re d o th e r tra v e lle rs , M o sh e m e re ly e x c h a n g e d th e u su a l g re e tin g "S h a lo m a le ie h e m ". S u d d e n ly th e y s to p p e d . The skylin e o f Jerusalem had appeared on th e h o riz o n and M oshe and C a n n a vo ta looked in a m a z e m e n t, w o n d e rin g h o w it w as possible th a t th e y s h o u ld have m ade it to a rriv e here w ith th e c u rta in s a fe ly in th e ir p o sse ssio n . M o sh e lo o k e d a ro u n d . Fie fe lt ever so tire d . The d a rk ro llin g landscape w as fo rsa ke n . There w as sign n e ith e r o f house n o r o f h u t. M oshe g la n ce d u n c e rta in ly to r ig h t and to le ft. There, to th e rig h t, a h u n d re d paces o r so away, s to o d a tree. Fie lay u n d e r its shadow , fe lt w ith his hands th e c u rta in s till draped a ro u n d his ch e st and closed his eyes, s m ilin g ..

N ext m o rn in g som e traders on th e ir w a y to m a rke t at Ram leh c a u g h t s ig h t o f a m an in prayer u nd er a tree. They did n o t n o tice th e spade by his side and th e m ound o f s o ft e a rth a t his feet, clear signs th a t a grave had re ce n tly been fille d . No sound co u ld be heard co m in g fro m th e ta ll m an b u t his lips were saying:

"Yitgadal v'yitkadash..." On b e h a lf o f all o f us here a t Flead O ffice, I w o u ld like to w ish o u r readers a Kosher Pesach v'Sam each 1The President o f the Jewish com m unity o f Rome. 2 He was nicknamed Teatino by the Jews, because the gem atria (numerical value) o f this name is the same as th a t o f Flaman. ^Roman Jews had to live in the ghetto for 315 years until they were fu lly emancipated in 1870 CE. 4 A sign (from the Hebrew siman). Sciamanno is a word in the

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Roman-Judaic dialect, the Italian equivalent o f Yiddish. The language is still used today by Roman Jews and has been documented in abundant literature and poetry. 5G hetto Jews gave each other nicknames, possibly not to use their real names w ith in earshot o f papal spies. The custom remained in use fo r centuries and my own maternal great grandfather, Moshe Di Segni, whom I share w ith the current Chief Rabbi o f Rome, Rabbi Dr Riccardo Di Segni, was nicknamed 'Lo Sposino' (the Bridegroom) because o f his sartorial elegance. Selicodde is from the Hebrew Selichot and was given this nickname because it was his job to go round the ghetto waking up men early in the m orning during the m onth o f Ellul. 6 This is a series o f Halachot in which the Rambam deals w ith the question o f the status o f Christianity and Islam and o f their founders and which Christian censors over the centuries have removed from nearly all texts o f the Mishne Torah. The full text o f Chapter XI has been reinstated in the Moznaim edition o f Rambam's magnus opus, published in 1987 w ith a translation by Rabbi Eliyahu Tauger. 7 Papal prison-like in s titu tio n , w hich was used as an enforcem ent establishment, particularly against the Jews. Anybody showing any inclination towards conversion would be locked up in the House fo r fo rty days and subjected to a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;carrot and stick' process, sometimes including torture. If conversion was not effected after fo rty days, the Jewish prisoner would be allowed to return to the ghetto. ^The Congrega was the highest Council o f Roman Jewry, representing their interests w ith the non-Jewish world; a body akin to the current Board o f Deputies o f British Jews. ^Rom an-Judaic dialect meaning 'oil for the lamp' (from the Hebrew shemen le-m aor). He was given this nickname because he was a money lender expecting small and slow repayments like the oil in the menorah which is consumed very slowly. ^ H e b re w word meaning '...and the soul'. He was given this nickname because as the Parnas o f the synagogue he always recited the memorial prayer fo r the departed. 11 Rom an-Judaic dialect meaning 'good sign' (from the Hebrew siman tov). 11 ta lia n meaning 'velvety'. She was given this nickname because o f her silky complexion. 1 ^Italian, meaning 're-saw w ith a golden needle'. This was an art developed by ghetto women as a result o f not being able to buy new clothes from Gentile dressmakers. The women could repair badly torn garments so well that they would look like new. Gentiles would often make use o f these women's services for their own clothes. 14 Italian, meaning 'em pty cane'. He was nicknamed thus because he was tall and thin and considered not very clever because o f his disabilities.

Hamaor / A pril 2011

GABBAI'S CONFERENCE By D avid H ille r On Sunday February 20th, Ilford Federation chalked up a first for Anglo Orthodox Jewry. Having been organised by Rabbi Chapper, we hosted the first Gabbaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference for all London and Home Counties orthodox synagogues. Around 30 Gabbayim attended the conference, having travelled as far north as Welwyn Garden City, Watford and Potters Bar, as far east as Southend and as far west as Edgware. %

The morning began w ith refreshments, a must for any Jewish event and then the proceedings began w ith a welcome from Rabbi Chapper, who explained the details o f the programme and introduced the speakers. The firs t speaker was Dayan Lichtenstein who gave the keynote address. Dayan Lichtenstein provided 16 potential situations that the Gabbai m ight have to deal w ith and admitted that he had edited these, so that he would not overrun the time available. His theme, in practically all o f these situations was that the Gabbai was the first point of welcome in the shul and should do as much as he can to make people feel welcome and comfortable in the shul. This means, for example, that when we have visitors in the shul, they should be given a priority for an aliyah and the Gabbai should ensure that they have a Sabbath meal to go to. This will, o f course, ensure that they see a com m unity as warm and friendly. He also stressed the need for anticipation and preplanning in certain situations to avoid any potential areas o f stress in the shul. These included visits from non-Jewish clergy, who may, w ithout having been advised, display inappropriate religious signs in shul, such as the cross. Other areas o f potential conflict, which should be dealt w ith prior to the event, are fam ily celebrations, where, unfortunately there are major schisms in the family. It is very im portant to do what we can to avoid any unfortunate scenes in the shul. He remarked that although there is a given order of precedence in giving people aliyahs, we should always bear in mind the unw ritten rule, who is going to be the most upset by being left out.

Hamaor / A pril 2011

The next speaker was Rabbi Bennaroch, an eminent scribe, who gave a presentation on the care and use o f Sifrei Torah. He explained that Sifrei Torah, were written in one of tw o ways. The more common w ith a film o f transparent paste, which enables you to see the writing from behind the sefer and the other with a brown background, which is opaque from behind. Each o f these has long-term maintenance issues associated w ith them. In the former case, the letters begin to flick, and either disappear or become indistinguishable from other letters. In the latter case, the letters start to go brown, w ith the same results. He stated that it was very im portant to get these errors corrected as quickly as possible, before the Sefer Torah became uneconomical to repair. It is possible to make certain repairs w ith felt tip pens, as long as they have no treifah ingredients. He also advised, where possible to use modern Etz Chaim, the wooden poles, around which the sefer is rolled. These have double discs at the bottom, w ith a balancing piece o f wood, which helps to ensure that the parchment remains straight and is less likely to tear, which results in a longer life. He advised, that as the Torah was w ritten on skins, that extreme temperatures in the ark, could have a detrimental effect. He also explained that each Torah needs to be rolled from time to time to allow the parchment to breathe. The final speaker was Dr Eli Kienwald, the Chief Executive o f the Federation and also a warden o f some 30 years, first in Belmont Shul and then in Machzikei Adass. Dr Kienwald led a discussion on some o f the halachic priorities o f aliyahs and also the priorities of those, who wish to lead the service. He then led an interactive discussion w ith the Gabbayim present, about some o f the experiences that we had had and how they had been dealt with. We heard about a barmitzvah boy, who whilst leyning the whole sedrah, was crying all over the Sefer Torah from the emotional stress. We heard about family disputes, which threatened to ruin what should have been happy simehas and needed to be dealt with, in advance, to ensure the event ran smoothly. In conclusion, it was agreed that the role o f a Gabbai was somewhat akin to that o f a Football Referee. Nobody notices when he gets it right, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always to blame when something goes wrong. All present found the morning both entertaining and informative.

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PRAYER INSIGHTS

Vehigadto Levincho Anticipating challenges by R abbi Yehuda A ro n o vitz , L o u g h to n S ynagogue based on the te a ch in g o f Rav S him on S chw ab z " t l We all know that one of the mitzvos on seder night is to tell over the story, the nissim, o f yetzias Mitzraim to our children (Some people mistakenly think that the mitzvah is to tell the children the story and the nissim in weeks preceding Pesach so that they can tell it over us on seder night!). " Many com m entators focus on different aspects o f chinuch - education, finding sources and basis for their ideas in the haggadah. There are tw o incidences in the the Torah - one before yetzias Mitzraim and one after which give us fantastic insights into our obligations as parents and educators in the tough surroundings in which we find ourselves. After years o f the servitude in Mitzraim and Moshe had spent some time by Yisro, he requested to be allowed to return to Mitzraim to see how B'nei Yisroel were faring. Yisro gave Moshe blessing th a t should in peace. Subsequently, Hashem told Moshe that he should return to Mitzraim. Moshe listened and took his wife and two children to Mitzraim. The chronology of the verses doesn't seem to make sense why did Moshe request to return to Mitzraim BEFORE he received his commandment from Elashem? Originally Moshe wanted to return to Mitzraim alone because of the physical threat that was there. He feared for his family's safety and didn't want to put them in danger. Yisro gave him permission - "go in peace". Subsequently, Hashem told Moshe that the people who were after his life no longer posed a threat to him - it would be safe for him in Mitzraim. Having found out that it was now OK for him to return, Moshe took his family with him. The Midrash tells us that when Moshe got to the border of Mitzraim, Aharon came out to meet him and enquired as to the identity of the people who were accompanying him. Moshe replied: "this is my wife and these are my children". Aharon asked him "We

lost the first ones and you want to make the loss greater by adding to them? Go back to your father's house" he told Tzipporah. She took her tw o children and returned to Yisro. What was Moshe thinking that he took his wife and children to Mitzraim? What did Aharon tell him that made him change his mind? Reb Shimon Schwab explains that Moshe reckoned that even though there would be challenges in Mitzraim, the risk was worth it just so that his family would be able to witness the miracles o f the redemption. Aharon argued that the spiritual level was SO LOW (he knew - he was there!) in Mitzraim that it would never be worth the risk - when a person is exposed to the decadence o f such a society, he is bound to be influenced. There is an im portant lesson to be learned from this: even when one has the most noble intentions, he has to take into account the spiritual effect that the situation will have on him - only a true Gadol can realise what is really worth it. Many times we as parents think that we can cope and that the risk is "worth it". We have to ask ourselves (and often our da'as Torah) - "Is it?" Much later, after Matan Torah, we learn about the counting o f the Levi'im. Moshe was instructed to include any child over the age of thirty days in the census. Rashi explains that as soon as the child was no longer considered a "nefel" he could be counted as one of the guards o f the mishkan. The medrash [Bamidbar Rabbah] asks on this: How can an infant who is a mere th irty days old look after the Mishkan? He himself needs looking after!? It is from here that we learn one of the greatest "tips" for chinuch - educating our children. Shevet Levi Chazokah that their children would grow up to be guards of the mishkan. They had their chinuch down to such a fine art that it was a sure guarantee that their children would grow up to be Ovdei Hashem. What was their secret? Just before Moshe Rabeinu died he gave a brocha to each Hamaor / A pril 2011

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never have to be told to make a broeha - it will come naturally! This is true by any Middah or Hanhogah a parent wants to imbue in a child. B'nei Levi demonstrated such a love for Hashem in such a strong way that the impression would be left on their descendants FOREVER! Teaching by example, they ensured that their children would stay b'dereeh Hashem.

of the shevotim. The brocha for Shevet Levi said ,,m N l7i i i n i ; y-p n 1? m p in i io n n*7i t i n t in i i ' j v n i hY The one who said o f his father and mother, I have not favoured him, his brother he did not give recognition and his children he did not know" Rashi explains that after the sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe called out "Mi laHashem elai" and B'nei Levi came to him. They were instructed to kill anyone who was involved with the Golden Calf. It turned out that they had to kill their uncles, cousins, parents-inlaw, ehildren-in-law and grand-ehildren - any one who wasn't born into their Shevet but was related through marriage! If any of these people had been involved in the chet, they had to be killed. The Levi'im put their love for Hashem and the Torah before their emotions.

This Pesach as we sit around the seder table ensuring that our connection back to yetzias Mitzraim is as strong as ever, we need to ask ourselves: Are we well positioned to be giving over the message in a way that it will be well received and acted out on? Have we led by example? Did our children see the same joy that our ancestors had in the lead up to yetzias Mitzraim? Or did they hear kvetehing, arguing and kreehtzing?

The biggest chinueh a parent can give a child is to lead by example. The Gedolim who are known to give advice in chinueh matters including Rav Shach zt'T, Rav Wolbe zt'T and ybele"a Reb Mattisyahu Solomon ALL say that the best way for a parent to get their child to make broehos nicely is to make them nicely themselves! This way the child will

May we have a zman ge'ulah which brings out a true simcha in avodas Hashem - a simeha that cement the values we are building in our children. Let our simcha in Yiddishkeit be a catalyst for true avodas Hashem that ensure the final and true ge’ulah.

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SYNAG O G UES

Freedom's in the air Pesach and the Arab revolt By G edalia G u tte n ta g From Cairo to Tripoli, Tunis to Am m an, people are breathing th e fresh a ir o f fre e d o m . D ictators have been toppled, and the w o rld 's a u to cra ts are looking nervously over th e ir shoulders. But freedom is not ju s t w a ftin g over the M iddle East. W ith the a d vent o f Pesach, Jew ish people th e w o rld over are Zm an e x p e rie n c in g Cheiruseinu, the tim e o f our freedom . Or are we? H istorically, Pesach was c e rta in ly a tim e o f freedom , but in w h a t w ay does th a t a ffe c t us? W h a t are we personally liberated fro m , and to w h a t new re a lity do we emerge?

These fa cto rs are external, b u t th e y are n o t the only ones. A t play are also in te rn a l factors; various drives and e m o tio n s -k n o w n c o m m o n ly as th e yetzer h a ra h - cloud o u r th in k in g . The co u n te rfo rce to these cu rre n ts is Bechirah. Pluman beings, u n iq u e ly o f all creatures, are capable o f rising above the cu rre n t o f societal th o u g h t; o f s e ttin g aside all influences, and choosing independently. This is the tru e m ajesty o f Man, raising him above the state o f anim als, subject to every w h im . This fa c u lty o f free choice is the u ltim a te freedom ; one o f the m ost em pow ering, lib e ra tin g experiences possible is th e conscious decision to take a m ore d iffic u lt route because it is rig h t. â&#x20AC;&#x153; Ein leeha ben ch o rin ela m i sheosek b 'ta lm u d to ra h "-w h y is the rigorous study o f Torah any more lib e ra tin g th a n d e c ip h e rin g h ie ro g lyp h ic s? The reason is th a t le a rn in g Torah does m ore th a n increase the sum o f our Halachic know ledge; it provides c la rity in the w ay we view life's choices, and it p ro vid e s reservoirs o f s p iritu a l w illp o w e r to im p le m e n t those choices.

To answ er, we m u st d e fin e fre e d o m and e n sla ve m e n t. W h ils t s u p e rfic ia lly , th e u ltim a te freedom is to be absent o f any re s tra in ts -fin a n c ia l, so cia l-o r duties, such as w ork, o u r ow n experience te lls us otherw ise. People free o f all re sp o n sib ility are o fte n oppressed by sheer boredom . Conversely, it is possible fo r a paralysed person to lead a productive, fu lfille d life, despite the lack o f physical freedom . The lesson is th a t freedom should n o t be defined as physical lib e ra tio n ; rather, it is freedom o f the spirit. The co ro lla ry is th a t re strictio n o f the s p irit is tru e subjection.

This is so m e th in g th a t I have noticed over the past year, w h ils t learning w ith a group o f young Turkish men w h o have com e to study at Yerushalayim 's Etz Flaehayim Yeshiva. Deep existe n tia l questions o f Em unah can be m agically answered by serious Torah learning-even when it is in the m ost unconnected area o f Torah Law. Torah its e lf is the u ltim a te to o l o f fre e w ill.

This approach is basic to our th in k in g as the concept o f 6ec/?/'ra/)-freew ill. M any forces shape o u r lives th a t, w ith o u t our know ing it, a ffe c t o u r decisions. The w ay we dress is d icta te d by fashion; the w ay we relax is shaped by the c u ltu re th a t we live in; w h a t we read and hear influences o u r th o u g h t patterns.

It is th ro u g h th is lens th a t we m ust view Pesach. Yetzias M itzra yim , the Exodus, was an event whose prim a ry aspect was n o t the physical change th a t to o k place, b u t the ideological change th a t occurred. The Jewish people d id n 't sim ply leave Egypt behind; more im p o rta n tly, they le ft Egypt's ideas behind. In

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order to appreciate w h a t happened, we need to understand w h a t Egypt was. A n c ie n t Egypt is described as ’ervas h a ’aretz1- the m ost decadent, co rru p t place on Earth. Its very name, M itzrayim , means 'constraints', because its permissive th in kin g and atm osphere were so pervasive as to be s tiflin g to all alternative values. The freedom th a t Egyptian culture stood fo r was in reality the absolute oppositeit was to ta l im prisonm ent. A person is n o t free to choose when he is conditioned to fo llo w fashion, sheep-like. The Torah th a t was given soon a fte r was the com plete antithesis. Its laws were intended to free people o f slavish subservience to the dictates o f unchecked m ate rialism , persona public. restraints open the door fo r the greatest freedom possible-freedom o f the m ind to ra tio n a lly choose. Yetzias M itz ra y im was an e x tra o rd in a ry act o f cu ltu ra l re d e fin itio n , o f a kind th a t n o rm a lly takes generations. Even if a President Obama had been elected w ith in tw o m onths o f the Am erican Civil War, th is w o u ld pale in to in s ig n ific a n c e versus the com plete acceptance o f the Torah w ay o f life seven weeks o u t o f Egypt. Put d iffe re n tly , it was an unparalleled exercise in Bechirah. This in sig h t is born o u t by a puzzling phrase in the Haggadah. It says th a t if Elashem w ould n o t have released us, "we, our children, and our grandchildren w ould have been enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt." Even the m ost brutal autocracies eventually fail, so surely we w o u ld n 't have been slaves? The explanation is th a t, w hile we w ould surely have gone free physically at some stage, we w ould have missed th is v ita l lesson in freew ill, and never received the Torah, w hich is fre e w ill's m ost p o te n t weapon. We w ould have rem ained slaves to Egyptian culture, paying hom age to the parade o f cultures th a t have come and gone since. Hamaor / A pril 2011

The sto ry o f Yetzias M itzrayim , w ith all its grandeur o f a na tio n a l rebirth, w ould be irre le va n t h isto ry if it changed n o th in g o f o u r lives. But it does. It te lls us th a t given the necessary c o m m itm e n t, we ourselves can deliberately, ra tio n a lly choose w hich elem ents o f o u r ideological baggage to keep, and w hich to discard. This is w hy Pesach is the tim e o f o u r freedom . Its message is one o f Bechirah, th a t we are n o t bound at all to go w ith the cu rre n t; we as in d ivid u a ls can stand up to society, and dare to be ig h t, we can understand d iffe re n t. In fa m ilia r w ords o f M a'ariv: “ vayotzei es am o yisrael m ito c h a m I'cheirus o la m "-G-d released us to 'eternal freedom '. W h a t has been free about subsequent ita n y exile and Jew ish h isto ry, w ith oppression? The answ er is th a t a lth o u g h physically subjugated, we have possessed, and dem onstrated, the u ltim a te fre e d o m -th a t o f fre e w ill. This, then, is th e m eaning o f th e term ‘Z 'm a n C h e iru s e in u , th a t the tim e o f year is suitable fo r freedom . But th is is n o t m erely on a sym bolic level. On a m etaphysical level, Pesach each year is a replay o f the o rig in a l, w ith the same co nditions. Just as 'Es R atzon' means th a t a tim e is infused w ith Elashem’s favour, so to o Pesach is suffused w ith a real p o te n tia l fo r freedom , like th a t w hich occurred on leaving Egypt. So, freedom tru ly is in the air. N ot in the euphoria o f the Arab Street, w here it is m erely a question o f civil liberties, b u t in o u r hearts and minds. It is there th a t a w ar o f independence rages, against the various influences th a t m ould w h o we are. It leads to the u ltim a te lib e rty -th a t o f choosing freely, w h ich is our personal Yetzias M itzra yim . Page 17

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REDEMPTION - THEN

NOW

By Chazan M ic h a e l Sim on As every child learns in school, Yom tov o f Pesach represents our physical redem ption from slavery in Egypt, w hilst the Yomtov o f our Shavuos celebrates sp iritu a l freedom through receiving the holy Torah at Har Sinai. The connection between these tw o Yomim Tovim is strengthened by the specific m itzvah o f Sefiras Ho'omer - counting each o f the days o f the seven-week period from the second day o f Pesach to erev Shavuos. This connection is fu rth e r emphasised in the Mishnah, which uses the word Atseres to refer to Shavuos thereby equating the nexus between Pesach and Shavuos w ith the proxim ity o f Succos to Shemini Atseres. The tw o are inextricably linked. Yet, we are entitled to wonder why Hashem required our ancestors to endure the privations and persecution that blighted their sojourn in M itzrayim , once the beneficial effect o f Yosefs governance had expired. Of course, the fact th a t Yaakov and his descendants found themselves having to travel down to Egypt, staying there fo r an extended period and then being enslaved, all came as no surprise. The whole episode was fo re to ld by Hashem to Avraham A vinu at th e ir encounter known as the Bris Bein haBesorim. An analysis o f the relevant pesukim in Parshas Lech Lecho th a t are also repeated in the Haggodo, however, does not yield much clue as to the purpose o f M itzrayim , only that Avraham's descendants w ill certainly be strangers in a land th a t is not theirs; th a t for four hundred years they w ill serve the indigenous population, who w ill oppress them ; and th a t then Hashem w ill judge the oppressing nation and Avraham's progeny w ill depart w ith great wealth. This latter point on its own cannot have been the reason fo r exile in M itzrayim , because Hashem could easily have provided great material wealth w ith o u t the servitude - indeed our forefathers were blessed w ith great wealth and much o f w hat was taken out from Egypt at the point o f the Exodus was property th a t had belonged to Yosef, his brothers and their fam ilies in the first place, but which had been confiscated in the early

stages o f enslavement the sorei missim collectors (yes, they had them even then!). There is one aspect detail o f the Bris Bein haBesorim th a t sets us on the right track to answer our fundam ental question. Avraham was told by Hashem that his descendants would be slaves for four hundred years. We know that, in fact, they only served a total of tw o hundred and ten years, as is alluded to in Haggodo - "Hakodosh Boruch Hu chishav es ha'ketz” (Hashem calculated the end), because the word " k e tf has the gematria o f one hundred and ninety, the number o f years discounted from the original period set. Interestingly, the Tzelach (Pesachim 116a) asks why it is th a t when we quote Rabban Gamliel th a t "kol shelo om ar shelosho devorim ... lo yotzo yedei chovoso" (someone who does not speak about the three central aspects o f the mitzvah o f korban Pesach ... has not fu lfille d his obligation) the order o f the three items is Pesach, M atzo and then Moror, when chronologically Moror, representing the bitterness o f the conditions, should be first. The Tzelach answers th a t M oror \s placed last to emphasise the fact that the bitter experiences th a t were endured in M itzrayim were an essential and integral ingredient in the redemption. In a novel interpretation, he suggests that the obligation referred to by Rabban Gamliel, which remains unfulfilled through a failure to acknowledge this fact, is not an obligation relating to the seder, but the original 'obligation' to be in servitude fo r fo u r hundred years - foreshortened th ro u g h chasdei Hashem as a result overwhelm ing harshness o f the conditions. A person who does not appreciate this fact, triggers a personal necessity to make up the discounted one hundred and ninety years. The Arugas HaBosem (Vaeira) goes a step further and points out that bnei Yisrael were redeemed earlier than presaged not just as compensation for the harshness of th e ir enforced labour, but also because o f the tremendous unity th a t the people displayed in the face of national calam ity - epitomised by the fact that every Jew felt for the plight o f every other Jew. To whatever extent one person was suffering, he remained concerned for all those around him, whether family, friend or stranger. If one Jew was suffering, it was everyone else's concern. Hama or / A pril 2011

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As fu rth e r proof, Chazal expound how Paroh's astrologers had correctly predicted th a t the man who would act as the saviour o f the Jews was due to be born to the tribe o f Levi. This was the prime reason why the tribe o f Levi was not enslaved, since Paroh and his advisers reasoned th a t someone who was not themselves subject to the rigours o f hard labour could not become the leader for all those who had actually suffered. W hat they had totally miscalculated was the capacity o f any Jew fu lly to identify and empathise w ith the predicament o f another Jew, even if the form er is not him self suffering. As the Bostoner Rebbe ztvk"l explained it was this capacity o f the Jews to be rachm onim bnei rachm onim th o ro u g h ly compassionate and kind-hearted to one another - that had to be forged in the furnace o f Mitzrayim, w ith its dual challenges o f deprivation and depravity. This, therefore, explains the necessity o f the Mitzrayim experience. To be fit to receive the Torah on Shavuos, our ancestors needed to have their characters highly refined so that care, concern and compassion for others would become innate and instinctive. The purpose o f this was twofold - to emulate Hashem who interacts w ith us bemidas horachamim (through His attribute of kindness and compassion) and to create w ithin us a prerequisite characteristic for the proper fulfilm ent of so many mitzvos. As an illustration o f the first aspect, we need only note in passing that the concept o f "chessedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; features twice in the quintessential expression o f Hashem's attributes the yud gim m el midos. The second aspect o f these traits o f chessed (kindness) and racham im (compassion), that is in our interaction w ith one another, acts as a fundam ental pillar o f the world's existence as recounted in Pirkei Ovos (Mishnah 1:2). The Gemoro in Maseches Rosh Hashono (11b) records in the name o f Rebi Yehoshua th a t "be'Nissan nigalu uve'Nissan asidin ligo'et' - in Nissan we were redeemed and in Nissan the ultim ate redemption w ill also occur. Whilst I certainly do not claim to have any magic form ula to hasten the coming o f Moshiach, it would seem to be a given that if achdus (unity) and gemilas chassodim acts of kindness and compassion - were factors in the redemption from Egypt, then surely they must feature prom inently as contributors to our future redemption. We are inheritors of an ancient intrinsic tendency to being merciful and feeling one another's joy and pain - in turn extending this to concern for animals, such as shiluach haken (sending away the mother bird before taking eggs Hama or / A pril 2011

from her nest). We learn from Moshe Rabbeinu that sensitivity and hakoras hatov (expressing gratitude) can even extend to inanimate objects such as the water o f the Nile and the dust o f the earth. It should all come to us so naturally and yet, do we really emulate our ancestors? My fam ily and I were privileged to spend a few days in Yerusholayim recently, including over Shabbos. During our stay, I was struck by tw o particular points. First, as in any major city in the world, there are people begging on the streets - in this case many o f whom were plainly Jewish. Why does it seem to be such an im position for our brethren to take out a shekel or tw o and give it to th e ir less fo rtu n a te kinsfolk instead o f studiously ignoring them or worse gesticulating to move them on? And even if the person begging is not Jewish, is it any less m eritorious to give a few coins? Is it not a prime opportunity to create a gevaldige Kiddush Hashem? Secondly, and, in my naivety, no doubt, even more incomprehensibly, why do 'strangers' not wish each other good Shabbos? I am not solely referring to those passing each other in the street, which is lamentable enough, but even in the hotel, people who did not know each other did not interrelate. As you m ight expect, I realised on my return to London that, although possibly to a lesser extent, the same phenomenon exists here. Of course, I am not advocating a situation in which one im m ediately initiates intrusive enquiries about another person's salary level. All it actually takes is a moment's recognition (the smile is optional) and the appropriate Sabbatical or festival salutation. And next tim e we're approached in shul fo r a nedovo (charitable donation), maybe we can lighten the recipient's load ju st a tad by smiling as we hand it over - after all they are doing us the favour by presenting an opportunity to fu lfil an 'easy' mitzvah. Our ancestors managed to achieve a high level o f achdus and chessed, despite th e ir overw helm ingly oppressive predicament. In the relative com fort o f how we live our lives, do we have an excuse not to follow their outstanding example? We all belong to the same privileged club - the common denom inator being our holy Torah. As we say every Shabbos M evorchin when announcing the approaching new m onth, w hilst the chazzan holds the sefer Torah chaveirim kol Yisroel. May we all take to heart the essence o f our redemption from Egypt and strive to elevate our friendship and interaction w ith each other, so th a t we should indeed m erit to witness "uve'Nissan asidin li'go'eP Page 19

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SEDER ETIQUETTE By R abbi J o h n n y S olom on Rabbi Johnny Solomon is the Head o f Kodesh at Hasmonean High Sehool for Girls the year 2448 our ancestors com m an de d to were sacrifice a lamb, know n as the Korban Pesaeh, and eat it on the n ig h t o f the fifte e n th o f Nissan.

replied "Rav Huna." They then offered him to sit on the couch w hich was reserved fo r special guests (although everyone else was s ittin g e ith e r on the flo o r or on benches). Rav Huna sat on th e couch and did n o t decline th e honour. Subsequently, th e y b ro u g h t him a large cup o f wine, which he im m ed ia te ly accepted and drank in fro n t o f them , b u t he paused once in the m iddle o f drinking.

In describing th e laws regarding the Korban Pesaeh, the Torah tells us: Every man must take a lamb for eaeh

Rav Nachm an's household, w hich included o th e r Torah scholars, fe lt th a t Rav Huna's responses were inappropriate and th e y challenged him w ith a num ber o f questions regarding his behaviour. From Rav Huna's replies we learn th a t w hen you are visitin g som eone's hom e:

extended family, a lamb for eaeh household. I f the household is too small for a lamb, then he and a elose neighbour ean obtain a [lamb together] (1).

a. Alw ays id e n tify w h o you are; b. W hen a great person offers you som ething to eat or drink

Perhaps it is strange th a t the firs t act o f freedom o f the Bnei Yisrael was a fa m ily meal. However, according to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) (2), th is was one o f the fu n d a m e n ta l steps tow ards th e re h a b ilita tio n o f the Bnei Yisrael. The Gemara (3) teaches us th a t a slave has no legally recognized fam ily. Accordingly, one o f the key values to teach the s o o n -to -b e -fre e Bnei Yisrael was the im portance o f fa m ily life. A d d itio n a lly , w here a household was to o sm all to eat an e n tire lam b th e Torah p e rm itte d th e m to fo rm a g ro u p w ith o th e r h ouseholds and share th e Korban Pesaeh to g e th e r as long as eaeh in d iv id u a l w o u ld have a t least a kezayis o f m eat. This to o was an im p o rta n t lesson to Bnei Yisrael. Freedom is n o t ju s t a b o u t h a vin g ; it is a b o u t sharing. This is w h y th e Seder begins w ith th e in v ita tio n 'w h o e ve r is h u n g ry - let him com e and e a t!' M ore than 3,000 years later we repeat th a t same practice and in vita tio n s are sent to frie nd s and fa m ily to share Seder n ig h t together. But is there a proper e tiq u e tte w hen eating a t someone else's table and especially w hen sharing Seder n ig h t w ith them ? A m ajor source fo r the rules o f e tiq u e tte is a story involving Rav Huna (4): Once, Rav Huna visited the house o f Rav Nachm an bar Yitzchak where apparently Rav Huna was n o t know n. His hosts asked Rav Huna, "W hat is yo u r name," to w hich he

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you m ust accept; e. The proper w ay to drink a cup o f w ine is in tw o gulps, (5) and d. You should do w hatever the host asks o f you (6). In lig h t o f this fin a l rule I w ould like to share a beautiful in sig h t on a well know n section o f the Haggadah offered by Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (1899-1985), otherw ise know n as the Steipler. The Haggadah relates:

It happened that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reelining in Bnei Brak. They diseussed Yetzias Mitzrayim all that night until their students eame and said to them: 'Our teaehers, it is time for the reading o f the morning Shema'. In the Gemara (7) we fin d a m ajor disagreem ent between tw o o f these great Rabbis - Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah - regarding the latest tim e one is perm itted to eat the Korban Pesaeh (nb. this has practical im plications fo r us since, w ith o u t a Beis Hamikdash, the A fikom an is eaten in place o f the Korban Pesaeh). Rabbi Akiva rules th a t it may be eaten u n til dawn, w hile Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah believes th a t one m ust eat the Korban Pesaeh by m idnight. We fo llo w the ruling o f Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah and as such, we m ust eat the A fikom an by m id n ig h t (8). A corollary o f th is dispute is th a t according to Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah, the m itzvah o f Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim only lasts u n til m id n ig h t, whereas Rabbi Akiva is o f the opinion th a t this m itzvah lasts u n til dawn.

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W ith praise and thanks to H a K o d osh B ornch Hu

The following insights are culled from a variety of sources, although primarily the sefer Torus H alevi'im of the Bostoner Rebbe ztvk"l and the shiurim of Rav Mordechai Greenfeld shlit"a, Rav of Vizhnitz, Antwerp. Following a pre-Pesach shiur in the Yeshurun Shul last year, it became clear that, although the Jewish book market is saturated with Haggodoh titles, there was general demand for a practical, compact seder companion with interesting and informative insights. Of course, what is presented here is no more than a limited and fairly superficial treatment of the Haggodoh, but I hope that it might, nonetheless, contribute to the enhancement of other people's sedorim, even to a very small extent. One should, of course, still aim to spend time in the weeks preceding Pesach revising all the intricate halochos that are applicable and, where possible, garnering additional insights on the Haggodoh from other texts. In accord with the possuk of ki yisholcho bincho and the dicta of many poskim, wherever possible the insights are presented in the form of sha'alo uteshuvo (question and answer).

I should like to express hakoras hatov to the Federation of Synagogues for agreeing to distribute this booklet with their Hamaor magazine and to Stewart Sinclair of Exco Printers for his tremendous help and patience in producing it.

May we all be zoche to reach the madreigo of chasal siddur pesach kehilchoso , kechol mishpoto vechukoso so that the words of the Gemoro (Rosh Hashono lib ) can be fulfilled - benissan nigalu uvenissan assidin ligo'el in Nissan we were redeemed and in Nissan will we be redeemed again with the coming of the -

go'el tzeddek bimheiro beyomeinu. M.S. C h od esh A d a r Sheni 5771

The Seder night

The Seder night is a unique moment in the Jewish calendar for many reasons. Most positive mitzvos in the Torah are performed during the day, such as the Arba Minim or the Shofar, with some being performed both by day and at night, such as Succah. It is almost unheard-of to have a mitzvoh that is only performed at night, yet on Seder night most of the main mitzvos are indeed night-only mitzvos. Seder night also has a special characteristic of leil shimurim, a night of enhanced divine protection for the Jewish People. On this night, we have nothing to fear from our enemies, whether spiritual (the yetzer horo or tumoh (spiritual defilement)) or physical. Further, the Vilna Gaon and the Shelo Hakodosh both ascribe a very special status to the night of the Seder. Usually, night-time is considered to be a time of spiritual choshech (darkness), a time when tumoh, spiritual impurity, and the yetzer horo, the evil inclination, have the upper hand. Yet Seder night is described as leilo kayom yo'ir, shining with the spiritual attributes of daytime. This imbues Seder night with a tremendous degree of spirituality and holiness - if we can only feel it and focus on it during the Seder, we have the capacity to attain a high spiritual madreiggo (level). One of the reasons why there is a custom to wear a kittel at the Seder is that, just as on Yom Kippur the Kohen Godol achieved great spiritual heights whilst ministering in his special white garments in the Kodesh Kodoshim (Holy of Holies), we have the potential on the holy night of Pesach to reach the most elevated levels of sanctity and closeness to Hashem. The challenge for us is to make the most of this opportunity and then to carry over the experience into the days, weeks and months that follow. Yetzias M itzrayim We always translate this phrase as the Exodus from Egypt, but this is not grammatically correct. The Divrei Yoel, a previous Satmar Rebbe ztvk'T, points out that actually it means the going out of Egypt and indeed represents the need for us to expunge the depravity and tumoh (uncleanliness) of Egypt from ourselves in order to enter the Yomtov of Pesach in purity. M itzvos of the Seder As is well known, there are five primary mitzvos that we fulfil on Seder night: Midoreiso (Biblical) Telling the story of the Exodus (Sippur Eating Matzo

Midrabonon (Rabbinical) Four cups of wine Eating Maror (post-Temple times) Reciting Hallel

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However, the Meforshim (commentators) explain that Seder night is unrivalled by any other point in the Jewish calendar, since a person who is fully involved in the Seder has the opportunity to fulfil a total of sixty-four mitzvos.

Minhoeim (customs) Similarly, Seder night is possibly the occasion in the Jewish calendar when the importance of minhogim is at its most prominent. This is reflected not only in the more universal customs, such as removing a small amount of wine from the becher/glass at the mention of each of the plagues, but also in the hereditary family customs that permeate the evening, such as what to use for Karpas. The story is told of a chossid who came early on Erev Pesach to visit his Rebbe and to present him with a magnificent bunch of carrots to be used for Karpas. When the chossid had departed, the Rebbe ordered the carrots to be burned with the chometz. Surprised at this reaction, the chassidim nonetheless complied. After Yomtov had concluded, the owner of the carrots returned, now thoroughly distraught, and insisted on seeing the Rebbe. When he was admitted to the Rebbe's presence, he explained that he was wracked with guilt as his maid had explained that the reason why the carrots had turned out to be far superior than usual was that she had watered them with beer, making them chometz. The Rebbe reassured the chossid that he need not worry as the carrots had been burnt with the chometz on Erev Pesach. The chassidim who were present now understood why they had been told to burn the carrots but wondered out loud how the Rebbe knew that they were chometz. The Rebbe explained that he had not known at all, but it had never been his custom to use carrots for Karpas, and one should not deviate from one's family custom. Such is the importance of a minhag. [This ma'aseh is brought to illustrate the importance of minhogim, not as a d'var halocho]

W h y do many have the custom to recite the whole list of simonim (the names of the fifteen stages) at the beginning of the Seder?

There is a universal custom to announce the name of each stage of the Seder (Kadesh before Kiddush, Urchatz before washing the hands etc.) just before starting the relevant section. However, many also have the custom to say, or more often sing, the simonim three times before the start of the Seder. The reason for this is that the ultimate purpose that we must bear in mind during the Seder is that our service throughout the night should be fitting and acceptable to Hashem, as embodied in the Nirtzoh section. By mentioning all of the simonim at the start, we will be better able to focus on properly fulfilling all the mitzvos of the night. W h y do we have a mitzvoh to drink four cups of w ine at the Seder?

It is well known that the four cups of wine were established by the Rabbis to correspond to the four expressions of redemption in the Torah - vehotzaisi, vehitzalti, vego'alti and velokachti. [The fifth expression - vehaivaisi relates to the time of Moshiach and is represented by the Kos shel Eliyohu (Elijah's cup).] But why did the Rabbis insist on using wine? Why did they not choose four apples or four items that -

might be easier on the stomach than wine, which some people find very difficult to drink in the quantities required for the mitzvoh? An obvious answer is that wine has a chashivus a highly regarded status - and is often associated with the performance of mitzvos, for example Kiddush, Havdoloh, at a Chuppah etc. Since each of the four cups is a separate mitzvoh in its own right, as well as being associated with four mitzvos at the Seder (Kiddush, Haggodoh, Bensching and Hallel), it is not surprising that the Rabbis should have chosen wine for this purpose aswell. -

There is a deeper meaning in the choice of wine. Each of the four expressions of redemption is intended to depict an incremental stage in the exodus from Egypt, rather than simply four different ways of expressing the same idea. Similarly, the effect of drinking each subsequent cup of wine is increased due to the consumption of the earlier cups, leading to an overall feeling of satisfaction that is more representative of the concept of cheirus (freedom). There is another, even deeper reasoning for the choice of four cups. The Gemoro in Maseches Yumo 77a tells us that mido tovo merubo mimidas puroniyus arbah pe'omim (the quality of goodness is four times the quality of punishment). The Meforshim explain that a cup was involved at the very beginning of our forefather Yaakov's descent to Egypt - golus mitzrayim (the Egyptian exile) - when Yosef placed his silver goblet in the sack belonging to his brother Binyomin. Since one cup was involved at the beginning of the golus, it is only right that in accord with the Gemoro's principle four cups should be involved at the point of redemption, when Hashem's mido tovo came to the fore. Kadesh urchatz Of all the simonim only the first two have a connective-yoi? between them. Even motzee matzo which refers to the two brochos over the matzo has no connective-i>oi>. Why is this? And, furthermore, surely these two simonim are in the wrong order? Before a person makes himself holy (kadesh), one would expect there to be a need for him first to cleanse himself (urchatz). The meforshim explain that the answer to these two questions is the same. On this special night of Seder, Hashem invites us to jump straight in to the available kedusho and not to allow ourselves to feel weighed down by whatever aveiros (sins) with which we may be burdened. Of course, we must work on ourselves and our adherence to the Torah, but that can come later. In this way, we would be doing no more than emulating the example of our ancestors in Mitzrayim. They are described as being at the forty-ninth level of tumoh (spiritual degredation) and yet they jumped at the opportunity of redemption from Egypt despite their spiritual baggage. Thereafter, they cleansed and elevated themselves until they had reached the fiftieth level of taharoh (ritual purity), when they merited to received the Torah at Har Sinai.

Kadesh urchatz A further insight suggests that Kadesh Urchatz represent two facets of our religious lives. Kadesh represents our relationship with Hashem - bein odom laMokom and the need to make ourselves holy before Him. Urchatz represents our relationship with our fellow man - bein odom lechaveiro and the necessity to cleanse ourselves from any trace of interpersonal aveiros, such as loshon horo, rechilus (tale-bearing). These two concepts are in this order to indicate that by rectifying our connection with Hashem, we will have heavenly assistance to be able to improve our relations with others. -

Urchatz Why do we wash our hands twice? One explanation is that the first washing is allied to kadesh and the concept of washing off the avdus (servitude) as a first stage. We then proceed through the stages of carpas, yachatz and maggid which all relate to avdus. Thereafter, we wash again as we fully divest ourselves of avdus and begin embracing malchus (the sovereignty of Hashem). However, at this transitional stage it is still necessary for us to remember the avdus in order to appreciate fully the malchus, so we engage in those stages that combine these concepts, such as motzi matzah, moror and korech. Only then can we fully embrace pure malchus during the stage of tzofun, leading us to express our sincere appreciation of Hashem during beireich and hallel. Karpas What is the symbolism of Karpas? There are many concepts in the Haggodo, which have a dual symbolism of both avdus (servitude) and cheirus (freedom). The Karpas is one such item. The name Karpas is explained to stand for samech porech, an allusion to the hard labour imposed on the six hundred thousand Jewish men who were enslaved in Egypt. Conversely, the whole notion of dipping the Karpas before eating it is reminiscent of behaviour at a royal banquet and depicts the conduct of free men - since slaves have no time to engage in the leisurely dipping of their canapes. The matzo too engages this dichotomy. On the one hand the matzo is lechem oni - poor man's bread and on the other it reminds us of how there was no time for the dough to rise before Bnei Yisroel had to collect their belongings and march triumphantly out of Egypt. Yachatz Why do we break the middle matzo? There are many explanations. One is that as it is lechem oni poor man's bread - we act as a poor man would do. Not knowing from where he will get his next meal, he breaks off a portion of the available matzo and squirrels away the larger part for another time. Also, given the need to eat matzo for the Afikoman, representative of the korban Pesach, it is fitting to reserve some of the choicest matzo selected for the main Seder service for this purpose. -

A further insight is brought by the Bostoner Rebbe ztvk"l who points out that the number four predominates throughout the Seder - the four cups, the four sons etc. corresponding to the four expressions of redemption. So too when the middle matzo is broken, there are then four pieces to connect with the redemption.

Why do we not make a brocho on the mitzvo of Sippur Yctzias Mizrayim (reading the Haggodo)? It is, after all, a biblical command. One explanation is that at the time that we are fulfilling the mitzvo, Hashem himself is also, so to speak, sitting and recounting the going out from Egypt. In those circumstances, it would not be proper for us to say asher kideshonu bemitzvosov (who has sanctified us with His commandments). There is a beautiful explanation brought in the name of the Chasam Sofer. He bases this explanation on the fundamental concept in the Haggodo that chayov odom tiros es atzmo ke'illu hu yotzo mimitzrayim - each of us is duty bound to consider ourselves as if we are personally being redeemed from Egypt on the Seder night. He brings an analogy with a convert to Judaism, who must undergo teviloh (ritual immersion in a mikvah). The convert is required to make a brocho and we have a rule of oiver la'asiyoson the brocho must precede the action to which it relates. This would mean that the convert should make the brocho before immersing in the water. Yet he cannot do this because at that point he is not yet Jewish and, therefore, is unable to make brochos. In this case, the convert makes the brocho at the earliest opportunity, immediately after immersion in the mikvah. The Chasam Sofer compares this situation to our own at the Seder. When we begin the section of the Haggodo dealing with the story of the Exodus, we are maschil big'nuss - we begin by recalling how we were originally idol-worshippers and then became enslaved to Pharaoh. It is not fitting for us to make a brocho at the point when we are still slaves and have not yet been transformed into the Jewish people. Only when we have reached the point at the end of the Maggid section, where we sing betzeis Yisroel mimitzrayim (when Israel went out from Egypt) have we then become the Jewish nation and thus able to make a brocho and that is exactly what we do with the brocho of asher ge'olonu, which introduces the drinking of the second cup of wine. -

Vehigadeto Why do we have a Haggodo on Pesach, but no equivalent on Succos? And why is there such an emphasis on telling over the Pesach story to our children? Since our subjugation in Mitzrayim was so oppressive, it is human nature that we might be reluctant to discuss such experiences as the memories can be too painful. We need only think of the effect of their experiences on some survivors of the Holocaust to appreciate this hypothesis at work. So the Torah specifically commands us to discuss the whole Egyptian episode in great detail so as to pass on our ancient traditions to the next generation. This obligation of transferring our mesoroh (tradition) also features on Erev Pesach at the Fast of the Firstborn. The custom is to conclude a section of learning and to make a siyum. In the special text that is read out, following the conclusion of the mishnayos or gemoro, there is mention of Rav Poppa and his sons. The letters of this unusual name, Poppa, signify peh el peh, the tradition of passing the oral law only by word of mouth from father to son, from teacher to student, which stretches back to the time of Moshe on Har Sinai. It is, therefore, very fitting, that we should make a siyum on Erev Pesach to emphasise the importance of vehigadeto levincho - you shall tell over the story to your children - as a forerunner for this requirement at the Seder.

Ho'lachmo atiyo Why do we say kol dichfiti ycn/say veyaychol (all who are hungry, let them come and eat) at this point? This is in fact a formal invitation to the se'udoh (festive meal) that we will have later in the evening. The intention of the author of the Haggodo is that, whilst being immersed in fulfilling all the specific mitzvos of the night, we must not forget the mitzvo of simchas yomtov (joy) which we fulfil through having a beautiful se'udoh. Hoshato hocho Surely it is obvious that hoshato hocho (this year we are here)? The key is in fact in the second part of the sentence - leshono habo'o b'aroh de'Yisroel (next year we will be in the land of Israel). Whilst we can always appreciate the difficulties that we go through in life, we also have to believe that Hashem's salvation is a fact and will happen. The Bostoner Rebbe ztvk"l learns this out from the halocho of mishenichnas Adar marbirn besimcho (when the month of Adar begins we increase our joy). However, when Adar begins it is still a time of great troubles for the Jewish people (based on the chronology in the megillah). It would make more sense to say misheyaitzai Adar we should increase our joy when Adar ends, once the salvation has already occurred. Yet that would not be the correct approach because as soon as we experience tza'ar (troubles), we have to recognise and believe in the divine salvation that will inevitably follow. -

Vekan haben slio'el Many Haggodos have this phrase (and now the son asks) printed immediately before the ma nishtano. Boruch Hashem, we are privileged to sit at the Seder, surrounded by our whole family, especially children at the table of their parents. This is a much less common phenomenon in the non-Jewish world and is a brocho that must be cherished. Also, just as our children give us great pleasure by asking the four questions, Hashem rejoices in us, His children, as we surround ourselves with His mitzvos in an atmosphere of achdus (unity). Avodim hoyitiu There is a machlokes (difference of opinion) between Rav and Shmuel in the interpretation of the Gemoro's statement that maschil big'nuss umsayem be'shvach (we begin the story with the less wholesome features of our history but we end with the more praiseworthy aspects). One holds that this rule is referring to tnitchilo ovdei avodoh zoroh hoyu avoseinu (originally our forefathers were idol worshippers) followed by kervonu haMokom lavodoso (Hashem brought us close to him in His service), whilst the other holds that it refers to avodim hoyinu (we were slaves to Pharaoh) followed by vayotzi'enu (Hashem brought us out). In fact both interpretations are needed as the author of Haggodo wants to emphasise the dual material and spiritual aspects of our degradation with their corresponding physical and spiritual redemptions. Afilu chachotnim Why would I think that the chachomim, the wise ones, and kulonu yodim es haTorah, all those who are well-versed in the Torah, would not be included in the command to tell the story of the Exodus? The reason is that the tzaddikim, our righteous ancestors,

would not have reached the lowest level of defilement, the forty-ninth. Therefore, one might have thought that their redemption was less miraculous and more deserved. One might also have thought that the Rabbis only needed to teach the story of the Exodus to their pupils without internalising the messages of the Haggodo within themselves. As the story of the Rabbis sitting in B'nei Brak demonstrates, even with no students present, these great Rabbis were all immersed in the m itzv oh of S ip p u r Y etzias M itzra y im the whole night long. K e n e g e d a r b o ' o h b o n im

Why does the Haggodo speak of four sons? It is important to note that each son receives his own personalised (one might say, differentiated) answer, despite the fact that three of them are essentially asking the same question. This comes to emphasise the well-known major Jewish principle in education - ch an och lan a'ar al p i darko (educate the child according to his personality). Learning is most efficacious when teaching is carefully tailored to accommodate an individual child's strengths and weaknesses. C hochom

Of all the answers we could give the wise son, why do we mention the a fik o m a n ? Apart from the last two cups of wine, nothing else is supposed to be eaten or drunk after the afikom an in order that the taste of it (the korban p esa ch in Temple times and the m atzo nowadays) should linger in the mouth. This is a lesson for all of us that the t a a m (taste or sense) of fulfilling a mitzvah should linger with us and leave an indelible impact on our character, rather than being a fleeting experience. R osho

What does it mean when we say lo h oy o n ig ol (he would not have been redeemed)? This is a reference to the time before m atan Torah (the giving of the Torah) when such a wicked person would have been included amongst the eighty per cent of Jews who died during the plague of darkness because they did not want to leave Mitzrayim. However, after the Torah was given, everyone, no matter how far removed from Yiddishkeit, has the ability to rectify his situation through learning Torah and observing m itzv os. We should also pay attention to the fact that even the wicked son is still in attendance at the Seder, so there is certainly always hope for his salvation. The p o ssu k (verse) says li v elo lo (for me but not for him), but as we are addressing the Rosho surely it should say li v elo lech o (for me but not for you)? From here we learn that we should never say directly to someone that they are wicked, but should use a lo sh o n n ista r (a veiled expression). S h e 'e itio y o d e ' a h l i s h o l

Why does the B a a l H ag g od o use the word A T p esach lo employing the feminine form? AT is spelt alep h tofi being the first and last letters of the alep h bais. This is a reference to the need to teach such a child the fundamentals, such as the alep h bais, and then to educate him in all other matters. Another interpretation is that the feminine form is

used deliberately to emphasise the role of the mother in educating children, especially when they are young. B a 'a v u r z e h

To what does the zeh refer? The zeh refers to the very m itzv os that we are performing at the Seder. The Siftsei Tzaddik, a commentary on the Zohar, explains that when Hashem was considering whether to bring B'nei Yisroel out of Egypt he took into account all of the m itzvos that each subsequent generation would fulfil on Seder night, because Hashem will take into account 'future m itzvos but does not reckon in 'future' aveiros (sins). Now we can see how the requirement of bechol d or v od or ch ay ov o d o m ... (in every generation a person is obliged to consider as if he personally is being redeemed from Egypt) fits in, since our fulfilment of the m itzv os of Seder each year has already contributed directly to the original redemption of our ancestors from Mitzrayim. M it c h ilo

Why do we mention Terach in the Haggodo? This is a lesson for us that although Avrohom grew up in an atmosphere steeped in av od oh zoroh (idol manufacture and worship), nevertheless he reached the exalted level of premier patriarch of the Jewish people. This should be a source of great strength and encouragement to any b a d teshuvoh (returnee to a Torah life). V elti s h e o m d o What is the v eh i

referring to? The Abarbanel explains, through g em a tria , that the letters of the word v eh i stand for the m ish n ah (vov = six, which is the number of the books of the m ishn ah), the ch u m ash (hey = five, which is the number of books of the Torah), the aseres h ad ibros (the Ten Commandments/Utterances at Har Sinai, represented by the yud, which equals ten) and the aleph, which equals one, is a reference to Hashem. All these things have come together under the control of Hashem to protect us and preserve us throughout the millennia. T z e h u le m a d

Why does the Haggodo now bring these p esu k im ? In reality, the story of our descent to Mitzrayim, our enslavement and miraculous redemption should be set out in full. However, such a narrative, comprising the whole of P arsh ios S h em os, V o'eiro and Bo, would take far too long. The Ba'al Haggodo therefore looked for an alternative route and found the answer in Parshas haBikkurim, which encapsulates concisely the necessary chronology of events. However, on their own they might seem a little too pithy and not comply with the earlier dictum of kol h a m a rb eh lesa p er bey etzias m itzray im h arei zeh m eshu boch (the more one expounds upon the detail of the Exodus, the more he is to be praised). So the Ba'al Haggodo added commentary and explanation to expand upon the succinctness of the p esu kim , giving much greater room for discussion and elucidation.

Why do we appear to downplay the wickedness of Pharaoh and mention our relation, Lovon? We learn a very important lesson from this paragraph. Pharaoh was open about his antipathy to our ancestors. That is a danger that we can recognise and deal with. Lovon, on the other hand, appeared superficially to be on reasonably good terms with Ya'akov and all his family, although he did try to swindle them. The p esu kim in Breishis that describe the episode with Lovon do not disclose any destructive motive on his part towards his son-in-law and grandchildren. Yet the Haggodo says tzeh u lem ad - go out and learn - meaning depart from the simple meaning of the p esu kim in the Torah and learn something else about Lovon. Lovon is described as o v eid - he hated Yaakov. From the use of such a strong term, which is much more serious than those used to describe Pharaoh's rishu s (wickedness), we learn that Lovon wanted to destroy us completely through assimilation. We must always be wary of even our socalled allies and friends as, otherwise, we can be caught off guard. It is only Hashem in whom we can really put our full faith and trust. V a y e r e d M it z r e im o

What is the connection between a ra m i o v eid ovi (an Aramean {Lovon} sought to destroy my father {Yaakov}) and v a y ered m itzreim o (he went down to Egypt)? The Chasam Sofer brings the Medrash, which says that in the area where Lovon lived there was no famine and Yaakov and his family could theoretically have gone there. However, since Lovon was o v eid ovi, Yaakov was forced to descend to Mitzrayim, with all its negative influences and consequences. An interesting interpretation, beyond the p s h a t (simple meaning) is brought by Rav Shlomo Kluger in the name of the Targum Yonasan. He writes that o v eid and vayered both refer to Lovon - i.e. an Aramean {Lovon} hated my father and he {Lovon} went down to Egypt, whereupon he changed his name and became Bilaam - adviser to Pharaoh and later nemesis of Bnei Yisrael. In support of this he brings a medrash recording the killing of Bilaam by Pinchas in which the latter addresses the former by the name of Lovon. V a y eh i shorn le g o y

Why does this phrase - and they became a nation there - according to the commentary teach us that Yisrael were distinctive there? The phrase immediately preceding this already mentioned the word 'shorn' (there) and the Malbim explains that the superfluous repetition of a word focussing on the concept of place (in this case, Egypt) indicates an attribute that only has meaning when compared with another place. Representing distinctiveness can only be done in respect of one entity relative to another. We know that our ancestors were distinctive by maintaining their Jewish names, their own language and their mode of dress. No h a la ch os (laws) were yet in place to obligate them in any of these things. They did this purely through the power of m esoroh (tradition) handed down from parent to child and from teacher to student. This is in fact a central theme of the whole Seder experience - that parents and grandparents have a solemn duty to transmit to their offspring not just our holy Torah but also authentic traditions and practices derived from earlier generations.

G o d o l o tz u m

What exactly does the commentary on this phrase come to teach us about the proliferation of the Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim? The commentary is actually a much more detailed account of the reasons for such population growth. The Mechilto and other m eforshim explain how each expression represents a different facet of miraculous childbirth. Poru (they were fruitful) means that no couple experienced any fertility problems whatsoever - all were able to conceive easily. V ayishretzu (they increased abundantly) signifies that, just like sh rotzim (swarming animals or insects) pregnancies followed closely one after the other, rather than with an interval of months or years in between. In fact, not only did Jewish women fall pregnant again immediately after giving birth but they had foreshortened pregnancies, lasting only six months and a day or two. Vayirbu (they multiplied) indicates that everyone had multiple births and C hazal learn out from the number of words in this phrase (poru...m e'od) that every pregnancy resulted in six children (some opinions put the figure much higher). V aya'atzm u bim 'od m e'od (they became exceedingly strong) implies that, although in multiple births, particularly premature ones, the babies are often small and weak and require specialist care to survive, the children born to Jewish mothers in Mitzrayim were all, without exception, physically well-developed and strong. - v a u itn u o le in u a v o d o h k o s h o h What is the difference between inu'i (affliction) and av od oh kosh oh (hard labour)? Inu i denotes causing others to suffer for no aim other than the suffering itself. Conversely, avodoh koshoh refers to persecution with a purpose, in this case to achieve an increased yield from the work of the Jewish slaves. V au e'an u n u

V a u e i'o n c h u ...v a m z 'a k u

What is the difference between an och o (sighing) and zo'acko (crying)? The Malbim explains that an och o is really an internal emotion concealed within the depths of one's heart, while zo'acko is the outward expression of that emotion. Since the description of these two emotions is juxtaposed to the report of Pharaoh's death, we can say that the internal sighing represented the Jews' deep feelings of desperation at the crushing toil imposed on them. Meanwhile, the Egyptians only heard the external manifestation of the emotion through crying and assumed that this was an expression of communal grief at the death of their ruler. Thus, the Bnei Yisrael were able to cry out to Hashern without fear of retribution. The Medrash brings another explanation in that Pharaoh did not die; he was 'merely stricken with leprosy. The court physicians prescribed twice daily bathing in the blood of Jewish infants - the blood of one hundred and fifty babies being needed for each bath. It was this horrendous news that caused Bnei Yisrael to cry out - vayizaku . V a y a r e s o n e in n How does the p ossu k

quoted support the commentary which explains 'our affliction' to mean the enforced disruption of normal family relations? The p o ssu k in the commentary also uses the verb v a y a r (Hashern saw), but it does not reveal what He

saw. This reticence indicates that it must be a matter about which a din (rule) of modesty applies as no explicit indication is given. Further, the implication is that only Hashem saw, clearly suggesting a private matter, as the personal relations between a husband and wife would be. V e'es a m o le in u

How does the Haggodo see any illusion to children from a reference to 'am oleinu' (our toil)? We find the word om el associated with what one might call a 'labour of love', something that one wants to do and is beneficial, such as 'am eilim baT orah' (working hard to acquire Torah). The Malbim also points out that om el can equally refer to toiling in vain. The p o ssu k can then be understood to demonstrate that although the Bnei Yisrael exerted themselves voluntarily in order to have children, such effort was in vain given that any sons were destined to be thrown into the Nile. As to the daughters, they are included here not to mitigate Pharaoh's terrible decree but either (a) in compliance with a rule in the Haggodo that part of a p o ssu k only should not be cited, but rather always the whole p o ss u k ; or (b) to emphasise Pharaoh's iniquity in that the girls were saved merely so that he could exploit them for immoral purposes. If the daughters were forced to marry Egyptians, in the absence of suitable Jewish men, then the Jewish people would be wiped out in time. The Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer assures us that, despite Pharaoh's decree on the children, the baby boys thrown into the Nile did not perish. Rather they were catapulted out of the Nile and into the Egyptian desert, where Hashem provided two stones for each one - one stone to nurse them with honey and the other with oil for their skin. Later they would be reunited with their parents. B ex jo d c h a z o k o u v iz r o ' a h n e t u g o h

Why does the the commentary on these two phrases refer to d ev er (pestilence) and ch erev (a sword) respectively, the latter being an allusion to m akkas b ech o ro s ? These two plagues can be singled out as having a special status as d ev er is the only m akko which is referred to with the phrase y a d H ash em (the hand of G-d) and m akkas bech oros was the culmination of all the other preceding plagues. However, other m eforsh im interpret d ev er to mean actually the first five m akos and then ch erev to represent the second five m akkos. E sser m a k k o s

Why were there ten plagues, not just one miraculous event that would release Bnei Yisrael from their captivity? The redemption was not the only reason for the plagues. They served also to impress the supremacy of Hashem on idol-worshipping Jews and on non-Jews alike. R a b b i Y eh u d o

Why does the Haggodo relate the fact that Rabbi Yehudo assigned a mnemonic to the list of the plagues? We learn out from this that each part of the mnemonic represents an incremental, required level of belief in the power of Hashem. The d etzach category

comes to prove that Hashern is the Creator of the World. The adash category is needed because the Egyptians accepted that Hashem presides over the spiritually superior heavens but not that He has a hand in the material world, leaving it to other powers. Thus Hashem proves otherwise through the nature of these three plagues. Finally, the seventh, eighth and ninth plagues demonstrated that there is no other power beside Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Once Pharaoh and all the Egyptians acknowledged the threefold message of the first nine plagues, then the final m akko was brought to force the release of Bnei Yisrael. Each of the m akkos also represents divine justice through the prism of m iddoh ken eg g ed m iddoh - measure for measure. The specific nature of each m akkoh correlates directly to a particular way in which the Egyptians afflicted us. D a y e in u

What does this word really mean in this context? There is a common misconception that throughout this p iy u t the word dayein u means that if Hashem had provided one stage but not the next "it would have sufficed for us", i.e. we would have been satisfied. Rather, the meaning is that if, for example, Hashem had brought us out of Egypt but not executed his judgments on the Egyptians, such benevolence alone would have been enough for us to be obligated to give praise to Hashem. This interpretation sits much better with the following paragraph of al ach as katntno vekam m o. E c h o d m i n o d e 'a h

Careful attention paid to each of the subjects in this song reveals that all are strictly Jewish in nature or application, save for one - "Who knows nine?...Nine are the months of pregnancy". Why do we deviate in this verse to something which is applicable to Jew and non-Jews alike? The Bostoner Rebbe ztvk'T reminds us that there is a qualitative difference between the experience of a foetus of a Jewish mother and that of a non-Jewish mother, since the Jewish baby spends the months of pregnancy learning Torah with a m alach (angel). Once born, life is spent trying to regain that knowledge, but the potential is undoubtedly there for all of us.

Leshono Habo'o Birusholoyim Leshono Habo'o Birusholoyim Leshono Habo'o Birusholoyim Habenuyo

"Chayiv odom liros es atzm o ke'ilu hu yo tzo m im itzra yim "

This b o o k let is distributed w ithou t cost but anyone w ishing to m ake a charitable donation (to a charity o f either the donor's or com piler's choice) should em ail to: shemetz. taher@ gm ai Lcom

Further copries o f this b o o k let m ay be obtain ed by em ail to the sam e address.

So why did Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah discuss Yetzias Mitzrayim until dawn when he believed that the mitzvah only applied until midnight? Why didn't he simply go to sleep at midnight?

1Shemos 12:3-4 2See Rav Hirsch's com m entary to Shemos 12:3-6 2 Bava Metziah 86b ^Pesachim 86b 5See Derech Eretz Rabbah 8; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 170:8. It should be noted th a t many have the custom to drink the four cups o f wine in one gulp (see Rema on Orach Chaim 472:15). However, in this case where the drinking is for a mitzvah, such an action is deemed not only permissible but in fact praiseworthy (see Piskei Teshuvot OC 170 note 12) 6 See Derech Eretz Rabbah 6:1; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim

The Steipler (9) answers by observing that Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah was in Bnei Brak, where Rabbi Akiva was the 'Chief Rabbi' (10). Rabbi Akiva believed that the mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim continued until dawn and one must always adopt the practice of the place one is visiting (11). Seder night is a special time when Jews celebrate Yetzias Mitzrayim with their family and friends, just as was done in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. We learn from the episode of Rav Huna that we should do whatever our host asks of us, and we learn from Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah the sensitivity we should show to our hosts - even if it means staying at a Seder later than we expect!

170:5 2Pesachim 120b 8 Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 477:1 8See Haggadah Shel Pesach M im aran B'al Kehilos Yaakov p. 161 10See Sanhedrin 32b 1 l0 f course, if by doing so this would lead to compromises in kashrus, then this should not be done. See Shaarei Teshuva on

To be free is not simply to be able to eat together and share together; it is to be free to act in a way that shows the utmost sensitivity and respect towards one another.

Orach Chaim 170:5

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She arim

C O L L E G E OF J E W I S H S T U D I E S F O R W O M E N

www.shearim.com shearim@shearim.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 34629 Jerusalem, Israel 91346 Tel.: 972 - 2 - 651-4240

A t She'arim College o f Jewish Studies for W om en in Jerusalem, we believe that educating women is the link to our heritage and the key to our future. With outstanding educators and a warm environment, She'arim offers its students an opportunity to experience the depth, beauty, and excitement of Torah. We offer several levels of classes which balance intellectual challenge with a focus on spiritual development and practical skills. O ur diverse student body is comprised of women from around the world, who are taking time off from university studies or professional careers in order to explore Judaism. Whether you have a week, a month, or a year to dedicate to learning, She'arim allows you to develop a personal attachment to Torah and gain the skills and motivation to continue growing after you leave. Ha m o o r / A p ril 2011

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The Exodus: Remembering vs. Recounting By R abbi Yonoson Hughes Why is this night different from all other nights? Rabbi Chaim Soloveitehik of Brisk z f"/ (18531918) posed a most fundam ental question th a t echoes the Haggadah's famous question. He asked w hat the precise distinction is between zeehirat yetziat m itzrayim - the daily m itzvah of remembering the Exodus from Egypt, which we fu lfill during the recitation o f the Shema prayer, and the specific mitzvah reserved for seder night, known as sippur yetziat m itzrayim - the telling o f the exodus from Egypt. Reb Chaim discovered three crucial differences between these tw o mitzvot, based on the w ritings o f the Rambam: 1.) To fu lfil the daily m itzvah o f remembering the exodus, one is merely required to remind oneself o f it personally. In contrast, the essence o f the m itzvah o f sippur yetziat m itzrayim involves discussing the events o f the exodus w ith another person in a derech sh'eilah u'teshuvah - a question and answer form at. This is based on the verse in Shemos 12:26: 'And it w ill be when your son asks you... And you shall tell your son...' Indeed, the root o f the Hebrew phrase, 'v 'h ig a d 'd ta '- 'And you shall teir, is gad, which means 'connect'. In this instance, the m itzvah is to connect w ith the inquisitive child through verbal communication and share the miraculous story together. The word Haggadah itself stems from this root. In fact, even if someone conducts a seder alone, halaehah dictates that he must speak out loud the story o f the exodus to himself! 2.) The m itzvah o f sippur yetziat m itzrayim on seder night requires the story teller to begin by conveying that the Jewish journey from enslavement to emancipation began in shame and hum iliation, but ended in praise and celebration. In contrast, the daily mitzvah to remember the exodus requires one merely to recall the fact that God took us out from m itzrayim ; there is no obligation to intim ately describe the transform ation o f the Jewish experience in this manner. Page 22

3.) Sippur yetziat m itzrayim includes an investigation into the m itzvot o f the seder. As is clarified in the Haggadah itself, one does not fu lfil one's obligation w ith o u t mentioning the m itzvot o f the korban pesaeh (the Paschal lamb offering), matzah and m arror (bitter herbs). Probing the concepts behind these m itzvot engenders a deeper understanding o f the religious significance o f the exodus. No such exploration exists in the context o f the daily m itzvah to remember the exodus. Reb Chaim's analysis reveals th a t sippur yetziat m itzrayim on seder night is much more than a mere remembrance o f the exodus from Egypt. Rather, it is reÂ experiencing o f yetziat m itzrayim and its events that must be relived in a collaborative manner. Indeed, as the Haggadah teaches, a person is obligated on this night to view him self as if he personally w ent through the exodus. Additionally, one is enjoined to appreciate the ascent of the Jewish people from the depths o f slavery to the elation o f freedom. Further, this m itzvah includes a profound investigation into the significance o f the main m itzvo t o f Pesaeh. Perhaps we can gain an extra insight into the special mitzvah o f sippur yetziat m itzrayim from the etymology o f the word sippur. The root meaning o f this word relates to the Hebrew words, mispar (number) and sephirah (counting). Enumerating and counting denote breaking something down into its finer details and systematically going through them. This precisely depicts the unique avodah o f the mitzvah o f sippur yetziat mitzrayim. The seder night experience is like undergoing a mathematical accounting and a detailed exploration o f the exodus. Indeed, this process can be compared to a psychological consultation, during which the client itemizes all the details o f past experiences, delves into the reasons behind the events, and shares them w ith another person. Through this unique and interactive journey, the participants at the seder table hope to reach a new and more refined level o f recognition o f Hashem's intervention in our lives. Only through such a rigorous simulation o f the miraculous events that occurred during this momentous chapter o f Jewish history can we expect to connect to God in a moving and life-changing manner. That is why this night is different from all other nights. Hamaor / A pril 2011

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REFLECTIONS ON THE LEGACY OF RABBI MORDECHAI FACHLER Personal Tribute By Charles Levin - S hom rei H a d a th - M arch 2011

Words cannot express the pain th a t we, as a c o m m u n ity , experienced over the tw o and a h a lf years during w hich Rabbi Fachler was ill. Our c o lle c tiv e e m o tio n s raged fro m denial to disbelief as we read the te xt on th a t a w fu l day, the firs t o f May 2008, asking us to Daven fo r the Rav, fo llo w in g the aneurism he had suffered. In a state o f shock, the stark reality o f w h a t had happened, begun to sink in when we gathered at Shomrei Hadath on th a t dark n ig h t and heard from our President, Dr Lionel Davis, how critica l a co n d itio n our Rav was in. Over the fo llo w in g six m onths, we endured the long jo u rn e y fro m hospital to hospital - w a itin g , hoping, praying w ith optim ism and then experiencing despair and then optim ism again as we tried to fa th o m the diagnoses and em pathise w ith w h a t was happening to our Rav and his loved ones. On his return home, our small co m m u n ity rallied round and no ask was to o big as we visited, learned in his presence, recited Tehillim and prayed fo r a Refu'ah Shleimah. We fe lt privileged to have more tim e w ith our Rav and each fa m ily eagerly looked fo rw a rd to th e ir tu rn to be at the Rav's Shabbat table in the hope o f getting a smile, w hich was w o rth a thousand words. Those days came to an end in Novem ber 2010 w ith the passing o f the Rav and the g rie f o f the Fachler fa m ily became our grief. We prayed th a t B'ezrat Hashem we w ould all be spared fro m experiencing such d iffic u lt tim es ever again. H am aor / A p ril 2011

F ollow ing his passing, we heard a b o u t th e m any acts o f kindness as m em bers o f th e c o m m u n ity reached o u t to s u p p o rt Naom i and her fa m ily. However, I believe th a t th is was m erely th e Kehilla p u ttin g in to practice th e lessons and exam ples o f tru e s e n s itiv ity and chesed th a t we had w itnessed and had learned fro m th e Rav and his devoted w ife Naom i. This was part o f Rabbi Fachler's legacy and we, as a com m unity, have grow n s p iritu a lly and have drawn in sp ira tio n fro m our beloved Rav. The w ider Fachler Family is part o f the DNA o f Shom rei Hadath. Very soon a fte r my arrival in London in 1988, I recall m eeting Eli and Chava, Rabbi Fachler's parents, w ho had jo ined the c o m m u n ity some seventeen years earlier. I fe lt an im m ediate connection to them as a fam ily, as th e y also had a branch in South A frica, consisting o f Rabbi Fachler, Naom i and the three boys. The Fachler's (senior) w a rm th and h o s p ita lity were legendary and one still meets people w ho rem em ber the w eekly kiddushim fo r the w hole c o m m u n ity held at th e ir hom e in D unrobin C ourt on Finchley Rd. It was th e re fo re n o t at all surprising th a t w hen Rabbi Fachler and Naom i arrived in London in 1999, they were draw n to th e ir fa m ily shul, Shom rei Hadath, w here several o f his siblings had been b ro u g h t up, w h ile he was aw ay studying in Israel or w o rkin g in South Africa. Rabbi Fachler com m ented th a t Shom rei was a shul he w ould daven in, even if he were n o t its Rabbi. As we were looking fo r a Rav, our decision to a p p o in t him Page 23

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REFLECTIONS ON THE LEGACY OF RABBI MORDECHAI FACHLER fcont fi

was clear. The fit was like a glove - his lamdus was unquestionable and his 25 years experience as a com m unal Rabbi in Johannesburg, was appealing to the w ide spectrum o f our members. There was little need fo r reference checking. Having know n his parents and the solid values fo r w hich they stood, an a u to m a tic guarantee was in place. A t his firs t o ffic ia l service at Shom rei Hadath in 2000, the Hon Life President, M aster Jonathan W inegarten, welcom ed R' Fachler on R'Chodesh lyar by saying th a t Rabbi Fachler was o u r Rosh, he was Chadash and he was fin a lly "hiyar". It was n o t long before he introduced a w eekly drosha. We learned abo u t R' Chaim S hm ulevitz his Rosh Yeshiva at Mir, R' W olbe's lessons in Mussar, Rav Dessler, R' Moshe Finestein and m any o th e r Gedolei Hador w ho had ta u g h t and inspired him . He expanded o u r w eekday G em orrah Shiur, he invigorated the m orning M inyan and encouraged us to extend th e b u ild in g to p ro vid e a d d itio n a l accom m odation fo r our yo u th w ith w hom he had developed a special ra p p o rt around the m em orable singing on S im chat Torah. It was a forgone conclusion th a t Rabbi Fachler w ould su p p o rt the in tro d u c tio n o f proper kiddushim every Shabbat - n o t ju s t on Shabbos M evarachim . N ot fo r anyone's need fo r sustenance, b u t fo r the o p p o rtu n ity to chat to members, forge friendships, w elcom e new people to the area and provide a social o u tle t fo r some people w ho had little o p p o rtu n ity to do so d u rin g the week. Rabbi Fachler was a te a m player and was c o m m itte d to his c o m m u n ity and all our activities. W h e th e r t h a t m e a n t p la y in g c ric k e t f o r the a c co m p lis h e d S hom rei fir s t team , tra v e lin g to Page 24

Johannesburg fo r a Bat M itzvah or c o n d u c tin g a member's w edding in New York, where his fam ous "broom dance" gave new m eaning to the words "Susson and Simcha". I recall receiving phone calls from Rabbi Fachler to say th a t a new fam ily had arrived from SA or was moving into the area knowing full well th a t the instruction was clear ie The members o f Shomrei needed to reach o u t and welcome them. It is no secret th a t some o f those phone calls were about families w ho became the rock o f support to both the Fachler Family and the w hole Kehilla th ro u g h o u t this d iffic u lt time. Rabbi Fachler and Naomi became synonymous w ith Shomrei Hadath - the glove fitte d perfectly as the hand o f friendship, hospitality and c o m fo rt was extended to all. At the tim e o f his k'vura, Rabbi Fachler's many attributes and m id d o t were described in moving ways in the various hespedim delivered in London, Israel and Johannesburg. But the mark th a t he made on our Kehilla th ro u g h his genial personality was his inclusiveness and his acceptance o f everyone irrespective o f their level o f observance. He did not judge anyone but had a firm belief th a t people would be encouraged to keep more m itzvo t through being w a rm ly welcomed to share the experience o f his Yiddishkeit, witness his observance and benefit from his wealth o f learning. Rabbi Fachler's legacy to Shomrei was his enthusiasm, passion and d e v o tio n to every task t h a t he perform ed. His energy was limitless - w h e th e r reading the megillah, giving shiurim or conducting a Tikkun Leyl. His fervour in prayer and the fu lfillm e n t o f the M itzvo t were an example to all. H am a o r / A p ril 2011

But if there is one area where his im pact was fe lt by s p iritu a lity was e n tire Kehilla, conviction. The Kavanah and the sin ce rity he showed when he davened at the am ud on the Yamim Noraim, was especially evident at Neilah. You could sense the w eight on his shoulders and the gravitas w ith w hich he carried o u t the role o f the Shaliaeh Tzibbur, pleading fo r his congregation, as Yom Kippur drew to an end. It was at this fin a l hour o f the closing o f the gates, th a t one was moved and inspired by Rabbi Fachler's davening and one could not wish fo r a Rav more qualified and fittin g , w ith both the a b ility and ingness to be a true M elitz Yosher, an advocate in the heavenly court. He em bodied and personified a sp irit o f compassion, concern and diligence in praying all those fo r the needs and healing com m unity. It was his learning, his leadership in prayer, his obvious enjoym ent o f his religion, his enthusiasm for his Yiddishkeit, his devotion to and love for his fam ily his c o m m u n ity th a t becam e th e care hallm arks o f M ordeehai Fachler Z"L and w ill serve as an inspiration to all th a t knew him and p a rticu la rly those w ho had the ze'chut to be members o f his Kehilla - Shomrei Hadath. On a personal note, I'd like to share some th o u g h ts about the lig h t th a t Rabbi Fachler b ro u g h t in to my life and the lives o f my fam ily. Towards the end o f 1998 I had the honour to be The Chatan Bereishit at Shomrei Hadath and I chose, as my them e, to explore the concept o f lig h t as it is repeated so m any tim es in the opening psukim o f Bereishit. We were about to em bark on the search fo r a Rabbi so I expressed the hope t h a t : "O r chadash a l tzion ta 'ir m eheira I'oro"

ve'nizcheh

The w a rm th o f the relationship between the Levin and Fachler fam ilies is captured in th is sh o rt message fro m Joyce Levin, sent alm ost 10 years a fte r Rabbi Fachler and Naom i le ft South A frica : H i N aom i Every tim e I w alk o r drive dow n Knox Street, I th in k o f you and yo u r fam ily. I took this pie a few weeks ago when the ja ca ra n d a s were a t th e ir best. I fe lt I w anted to share this beauty w ith you. I daven fo r Baruch M ordeehai every day. I wish you w ell an d w a n t you to know th a t you m ay be gone from S outh A frica, b u t you are n o t fo rg o tte n . Love Joyce Rabbi Fachler's passing ju s t before Chanukah is been s ig n ific a n t because extinguished. We, as a com m unity, have dedicated ourselves to the values w hich he stood fo r hum anity, his com passion, his sensitivity, his learning, his love o f Klal Yisrael. We w ill rem em ber him fo r his smile, his w a rm th , the sparkle in his b rig h t blue eyes th a t reflected the lig h t, th a t special lig h t o f a rig h te o u s man, a role m odel and som eone we could all look up to - som eone I proud to call m y frie n d , m y teacher, m y Rabbi.

ch u la n u

A new lig h t sh o u ld shine on us as Zion, and th a t we sh o u ld a ll m e rit its light. H am aor / A p ril 2011

W ith in a few m onths, th a t lig h t proved to be Rabbi Fachler w ho I had never met, b u t w ho was loved and revered by my extended fa m ily in Johannesburg. They to ld me th a t he was com ing to live in London and th a t I should try to m eet him as he was instru m e n ta l in bringing Torah in to th e ir lives.

"O r za ru a h la tza d d ik u 'le 'yish re i lev sim cha" "L ig h t is sow n fo r the righteous, and jo y fo r the u p rig h t in heart." Page 25

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S Y N A G O G U E S

ZAYIN ADAR SEUDA This year's Zayin Adar Seuda was held on 13 M arch at th e W a lth a m Forest S ynagogue. This is th e Federation's Annual trib u te to the sterlin g w ork o f our Chevra Kadisha. Rev. S Myers, the M in iste r o f W a lth a m Forest S ynagogue addressed th e c o n g re g a tio n co m m e n d in g th e w ay th e Chevra Kadisha carry o u t th e ir w ork taking Aaron as th e ir role m odel in respect o f th e ir selfless d e vo tio n ; acting in silence, w ith feeling fro m the heart and w ith great dignity. The M em orial Prayer was said by Dayan Elzas. A t the Seuda, the guests and m em bers o f th e Chevra Kadisha were welcom ed by Co-Treasurer o f the Burial Society, Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen w ho, as C hairm an o f the dinner this year, enthralled the audience w ith an uncharacteristically b rie f Dvar Torah fo llo w e d by a eulogy fo r the late Mrs Sophie Stern w h o was the previous Ladies C o -o rd in a to r and w ho died last year. Rabbi Cohen thanked all those involved in the Chevra Kadisha in clu d in g s ta ff at Plead O ffice, our excellent groundsm en at Rainham and Edm onton Cemeteries and, o f course Carmel Funerals w ho make th e ir preparations in a m ost bekovodik manner. In his speech, the Chairm an was pleased to announce an im p o rta n t new in itia tiv e o f th e F ederation o f Synagogues w ho w ill henceforth arrange and pay fo r MRI scans fo r B urial S o cie ty m em bers as an a lte rn a tive to surgical autopsy in cases where a Coroner is unable to im m e d ia te ly issue a Death C ertificate due to u n c e rta in ty as to cause o f death. MRI scans, w hich are used w ith increasing frequency fo r th is purpose, are able to establish m edical facts surround ing the cause o f death in over 90% o f cases referred fo r investigation. The Burial O ffice w ill fund the scheme fo r 2011 taking the burden aw ay from bereaved fa m ilie s w h o w ill n o t be asked to c o n trib u te . (Should m em bers w ish to make a d o n a tio n to th is scheme, c o n trib u tio n s w ould be Page 26

most gratefully received and the Burial Office is happy to be contacted in order to provide fu rth e r details.) Dayan Lichtenstein then spoke on the significance o f the Seuda and offered an explanation as to w hy the Federation's Chevra Kadisha Seuda is held in Adar Sheni during leap years as opposed to Adar Rishon w hich is preferred by some o th e r Chevras. The Dayan linked Moshe Rabbeinu's B irthday on 7th Adar to the festival o f Purim w hich, as a Chag Geulah, is always celebrated in Adar Sheni so as to be as close to Pesach as possible. We were greatly honoured this year to have, as our guest speaker, Rabbi Doniel G runewald w ho travelled from Gateshead in order to enrich us w ith his Divrei Torah. Rabbi G runew ald spoke about the reasons we have a Seuda fo llo w in g a Taanis on this day and about its significance. He Rabbi Doniel Grunewald explained in detail about a Photo by Noson Kohler p a rtic u la r aspect o f the soul o f someone w ho has died and said th a t a Neshama is em powered to convey our prayers from this w orld to the next. He gave his Beracha to the members o f the Chevra Kadisha, praising th e ir work, and illustrated its profound im portance by relating a very m oving story taken from a biography o f the Chazon Ish about a man, w ho despite having lapsed in m any aspects o f Jewish observance, nonetheless received a Divine honour fo r an act o f Chesed Shel Ernes w hich he had once perform ed as a youth. The evening concluded w ith a vote o f thanks from M ichael Ezra, the Co-Treasurer o f the Burial Society. Hamaor / A pril 2011

OBITUARIES

RABBI MORDECHAI (MARCUS) FACHLER (5th January 1949 - 23rd of November 2010) Rabbi M ordechai (Marcus) Fachler was born on January 5th 1949 in the orthodox Jewish enclave in Letchw orth, Hertfordshire, the third son o f Eli and Chava Fachler. His mentors in Letchw orth were Rabbi Asher Feuchtwanger and Rabbi Solomon Sassoon. He attended the local grammar school before completing his secondary education in Carmel College, under founder/principal Rabbi Kopul Rosen. A t Carmel, Rabbi Fachler excelled scholastically and outside the classroom too. He won trophies for rowing, chess, and in the debating society, and he was also a keen actor. He showed early promise as a Talmudic scholar, and after spending many o f his school vacations in his teens at Gateshead Yeshiva, he left for Israel in 1967 to attend Be'er Yaakov Yeshiva, where Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe was a huge influence on him. A fter marrying Naomi Posen in 1969, Rabbi Fachler moved to the M ir Kollel in Jerusalem. A t the age o f 24, he was head-hunted to be part o f the recently opened Kollel Yad Shaul in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rabbi Fachlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first communal position in Johannesburg was as assistant rabbi and youth rabbi o f the Oxford Synagogue Centre. His first pulpit was in 1983, when he succeeded Rabbi Alloy in the Berea Hebrew Congregation. A fter a stin t as rabbi o f the Great Synagogue, Rabbi Fachler returned to Berea. In 1994, he was appointed to the Waverley Synagogue, one o f the most vibrant and popular com m unities in South Africa, and he served there until he left for the UK in 1998. In addition to being a learned and respected Torah scholar, a powerful orator and a tireless communal rabbi, Rabbi Fachler made his mark in the fields o f education and counselling. For many years, he was involved w ith Yeshiva College in Glenhazel, and for nearly tw o decades was dean o f the Girls' High School. For a number o f years, he headed the Association o f Jewish Principals, a position which took him to Cape Town and other centres o f Jewish life in South Africa. He enjoyed a special relationship w ith the Bnei Akiva movement. He appeared frequently on TV, the radio and the press as a spokesperson for the Jewish religion in particular and for m onotheistic faith in general. Long before he became rabbi o f Waverley, Rabbi Fachler was involved in the Waverley Crisis Centre's Emotional First Aid Station, and was one o f the pioneers o f the counselling hotline. He was a founding member o f the Nechama volunteer group which dealt w ith bereaved fam ilies, both in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It was while working w ith

Homaor / A pril 2011

Nechama th a t Rabbi Fachler gained the invaluable experience in the field o f bereavement th a t led to his reputation as a gifted and m uch-sought-after bereavement counsellor. Rabbi Fachler expanded this expertise into the w ider area o f counselling, and he trained and supervised generations o f counsellors. As part o f his involvem ent w ith the Rabbinic Association, he also trained other rabbis in counselling. In 1998, Rabbi Fachler returned to the UK to take up the position o f Head o f Jewish Studies at the Hasmonean Grammar School in London. In 2000, he was appointed Rabbi o f Shomrei Hadass in West Hampstead, whose first rabbi had been Kopul Rosen. Under the energetic leadership o f Rabbi and Mrs. Fachler, the com m unity saw a large influx o f new members, including young families. Rabbi Fachler gave regular Daf Yomi classes at Ner Yisrael synagogue in Hendon, and was a popular lecturer at MST College, Chai Life and the Jewish Learning Exchange. A fte r leaving Hasmonean, he served as senior eonsultant/counsellor at the London Clubhouse which catered for disaffected religious teens at risk, and he had a thriving private practice providing therapy w ithin the ultra-orthodox and other communities. He worked w ith the Jewish Marriage Council, and he helped introduce the Prepare/Enrieh program m es in to the com m unity. Rabbi Fachler had a remarkable ability to feel others' pain, to empathise w ith others, and to absorb another person's problems. He had a special rapport w ith the troubled spirit o f children and teenagers. Thanks to his non-judgm ental approach, his gentle smile and his all-encompassing humanity, Rabbi Fachler was able to reach o u t to people across - and beyond - the Jewish com m unity. Over the years, he provided invaluable assistance and inspiration to countless married couples and individuals who needed the unique brand o f sensitivity and kindness that Rabbi Fachler brought to his work. From 2003 to 2007, Rabbi Fachler travelled to various continents to participate in arduous charity bike rides on behalf o f Norwood. In 2008, he had just completed his studies towards a Masters degree in Psychotherapy at Regents College when he fell ill. A fter a tw o -a n d -a -h a lf-ye a r battle, he passed away on the 23rd o f November 2010 at the age o f 61. He was buried in M odi'in, Israel, and it is a sign o f the esteem in which he was held th a t during the shivah period, memorial services were held in every com m unity th a t Rabbi Fachler served over almost fo u r decades. Rabbi Mordechai Fachler (5 January 1949 - 23 November 2010) is survived by his w ife Naomi, his three sons Dovidi, Chily and Gaby, his ten grandchildren, his parents, and his five siblings.

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SOFIE STERN (Sarah Gella bas Moishe Avrohom) nee Goldschmidt Sofie Stern (Sarah Gella bas M oishe A vro h o m ) nee G oldschm idt was born on 23rd M ay 1922 the oldest of fo u r c h ild re n , in A schaffenburg, G erm any a sm all c ity in n o rth w e s t Baveria. Her parents were A d o lf (M oshe A vraham )

and Bertha nee Levy (originally from Frankfurt).

in to th e ir home, w hom th e y helped both e m o tio n a lly and financially. They became th e ir extended fam ily. She was on the A dath Yisroel Ladies Chevra Kadisha and a t the request o f Dayan Lichtenstein she set up the Ladies' Chevra Kadisha fo r th e Federation. She recruited and trained a new group o f ladies w h o to d a y are a cre d it to her memory, and co n tin u e d to w ork w ith them u n til ill health forced her to retire. She also ran a w edding dress g'm ach from her home. Her decision to leave her house and move to Schonfeld Square enabled her to ensure th a t her husband g o t the best care - a t firs t in th e fla t, and later on in co n tin u o u s care, where she was o n ly a few steps away from his room. A fte r his death she rem ained active fo r q u ite a w hile. In the last few years, Sofie's health deteriorated considerably b u t the excellent care she received u n d o u b te d ly helped to prolong her life and enabled her to live co n te n te d ly to th e very end. A t Schonfeld Square, everyone knew her, n o t ju s t the people living there b u t guests th a t visited. She befriended the sm all children o f visitors, and am azingly remembered the names o f all these people. She said w h a t she th o u g h t even if it m eant being to o outspoken fo r tact, w ith a keen sense o f hum our, generous to a fa u lt, w elcom ing, w ith a strong sense o f fa m ily and great pride in her nephews and nieces.

A t the age o f tw o Sofie was very ill w ith sleeping sickness and she bore the e ffe cts o f this illness all her life (a squint, erratic restlessnes, and d iffic u lty to stay focused fo r long periods o f tim e). The G oldschm idts were one o f the few religious fam ilies in A schaffenburg and regularly hosted religious guest fo r meals and Shabbat. There was o n ly one shul w hich served the entire c o m m u n ity and no Jewish school, and therefore Sofie attended a Roman C atholic school. In 1932 her fa th e r travelled to England to make arrangem ents fo r th e fa m ily to move. In the in te rim th e fa m ily m oved to F ra n k fu rt w here she attended th e Samson Raphael Hirsch school. In 1933 Sofie's fa th e r finished m aking all the arrangem ents and the fa m ily made th e ir w ay to England via H olland. She arrived in England a t the age o f 11 and attended various schools. A t the beginning o f Septem ber 1939 she was evacuated to Dorking and in 1941 she jo in e d the rest o f the fa m ily living in Porth in Wales w here th e y rem ained u n til th e w ar ended.

G iving was an im p o rta n t p a rt o f every stage o f Sofie's life and th is in clu d e d Q '7 o n n ib 'n a - nf? 7 ^ and o f course th e years o f v o lu n te e rin g fo r th e - n w 'T j 7 m u n tru e n n N bw io n .

She met and married Mr. Willy Stern. They never had children of their own, but welcomed many young people

She is survived by a siste r in Y erushalayim and nephew s Et neices q m

D7DT 7

HEBREW CLASSES AVAILABLE AT Loughton, Chigwell & District Hebrew Classes, Borders Lane, Loughton Croydon & District Cheder, The Almonds, 5 Shirley Oaks Road, Croydon

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C o-ordinators : Mrs D Shilton and Mrs S Shine C o-ordinators : David and Ophra Gilinsky

Ha m ao r / A p ril 2011

■

FAMILY HAMAOR

INSIGHTS INTO THE "STORIES EGYPT GOING OUT

THE

By Rebbetzin B Friedm an The Mishna in Pesaehim prescribes an order, a seder, for the eve of Pesach. This seder is structured around the mandatory Four Cups of Wine that we drink which represent the four verbs spoken by G-d to Moses in His preview of the impending redemption: Exodus Chapter 6 V'hotzoti- I will take you away from your forced labor in Egypt V 'hotzolti-1will free you from slavery V 'g oa lti-1will redeem you with my outstretched arm V'lakoehti-1will take you to myself as a nation

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These four stages, alluding to G-d's commitment to Israel are followed by a fifth verb: (Exodus 6) Yadatatem ki Ani Elokeiehem- You will know that I am G-d your Lord, the One who is bringing you out from under Egyptian subjugation.

Yo'datem - "You will know" shifts C O L L E G E OF J E W I S H S T U D I E S F O R W O H E N attention to Israel's awareness of G-d who is behind the whole process. It is a promise/demand that we become capable of knowing and feeling the wonder of G-d's salvation; o f internalizing this experience so that it transforms the way we see and live our lives. How does one get to "know" this way? The Sfas Ernes, basing himself on the verse:"So that you will tell your children... then you will know that I am G-d," contends that telling stories leads to such knowledge. But, how does one tell a story w ithout first knowing? In his listing of the Torah obligations, I'saper b'yitzyas mitzrayim, relating to Pesach, the Rambam lists the positive obligation, "To tell of the Exodus from Egypt". In the body o f the code he defines three indispensable criteria for the fulfillm ent of this mitzvah. 1. To tell the story, progressing from the hardships to praise, both on the physical plane-from slavery to freedom; and the spiritual plane- from idolatry to monotheism. 0

2. To use the brief historical sketch o f Jewish History as stated in the Viduy Bikurim which is the declaration of gratitude for the first fruits of the land. "An Armenian attempted to destroy my father..." (Deut 26 verses 5-8) and then interpret and expound on each word o f the declaration with parallel phrases from the story in Exodus. Ha m o o r / A p ril 2011

3. To present and explain the 3 central themes o f the night; Pesach , Matza and Maror. In summary, the Rambam names th is , Hagada. "All of these things are called Hagada". L'hagid (to tell), is used when one appraises another o f precise relevant inform ation. It would therefore appear th a t this obligation is fulfilled by relaying concisely and precisely the relevant central events of the story. We "stick to the point". Yet the Rambam, in line with the author of our haggadah recommends that we expand and elaborate on the story. Kol m'saper b'yitzyas mitzrayim harei zeh m'shubaeh- Whoever expands on the story of the Exodus is worthy o f praise. This mode of storytelling is no longer simple hagadah. It even surpasses, sepor (telling) a detailed story complete with causes and results, the retelling a story we all know . Rav Soloveichik points out that the mitzvah is defined by the mitzvah I'saper B'yitzyas mitzrayim. We are expected to read into"this story". Here we start o ff w ithout pre-existing knowledge. We hear, ask and teach questions. New knowledge is generated. We are seeking, we demand meaning. We explore, we study, we research. We examine, we speak and hear and develop all kinds o f insights that we could not have thought o f before, and a new understanding results. This is story telling which is so intellectually and em otionally absorbing that it can be told throughout the entire night. i'saper b'yitziyas mitzrayim- To tell the story o f the redemption from Eqypt is to tell a story with dynamic force o f an unfolding redemption. A story o f the ongoing zeroa netuya, the loving force of G-d's outstretched arm which releases us from the constriction of slavery o f Mitzrayim. It is this mode o f story-telling which makes us capable o f reaching the level o f knowledge called, "l/ayedatem", You shall know that I am your G-d- the One who is bringing you out from under Egyptian slavery to freedom. A happy and Kosher Pesach from She’arim. Please feel free to use this at your Pesach seder in order to enhance your own personal "story-telling". Rebbetzin Barbara Friedman was raised in New York and studied at Yeshiva University Stern College for Women, where she received a degree in Jewish Studies, History and Political Science. She finished her education with graduate work in Jewish Studies at Bernard Revel Graduate School for Jewish Studies o f Yeshiva University. Rebbetzin Friedman has taught at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Neve and Bnos Chava. At She'arim she teaches Chumash, Prayer and Jewish Thought.

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1 IN D H

-KDCRATIOIN OF

SYN A G O G U E S

FAMILY HAMAOR

Musings By J a nine Ellerm an A n o th e r Pesaeh draw s on a p a ce ...a lth o u g h as th e firs t n ig h t does n o t fa ll u n til 18th A p ril, it s till seems very fa r away. That extra Adar c e rta in ly sheds a d iffe re n t perspective on "I'll do it by Pesaeh" or "Save it fo r Pesaeh". April is distant, but Nisan is close.

b ro th e r as he lay in his basket o f reeds. Batya's courage- to choose to rescue and raise a clearly Jewish child in the palace o f Pharoah; and her sensibility in entrusting him, via M iriam to a Hebrew w e t nurse. She certainly merits to be the one to give him the name o f "Moshe" - meaning a deliverer. Moshe's life had been assured by the power o f three w om en - the fu tu re o f the Children o f Israel was assured by women. The fo u rth w om an is Zipporah - Moshe's w ife. The d a u g h te r o f the high priest o f idol w orship, she chose to m arry a penniless shepherd and fo llo w him on his m adcap m ission to M itzraim . She stars in a strange episode in ch a pter 4 verse 25. Having le ft M idian, G-d now seems to w a n t to take Moshe's life. Z ipporah realised th a t th is was because th e ir son had n o t had his bris. How could a fu tu re leader o f Israel n o t set the rig h t exam ple by n o t b rin g in g his son in to the C ovenant o f Abraham ? So, she to o k a flin t and did it herself, calling Moshe a "bridegroom o f b lo o d " (surely one o f th e stra n g e st phrases in Tenach). Once th is M itzva was com plete, Moshe could be tru ly wedded to his people.

Pesaeh is a tim e to celebrate p o w e rfu l w om en. It is a fe stiva l driven by the pow er o f a w o m a n - the sheer level o f m u lti tasking w ould defeat y o u r average m an! And the w om en o f the Pesaeh sto ry are th e ir ow n four... Yocheved, Miriam, Batya and Zipporah. The exodus from Egypt could not be com plete w it h o u t them. The m idw ives Shifra and Puah (aka Yocheved and M iriam ) bravely circum vented Pharoah's evil decree If it be a son then she shall kill him , b u t if it be a daughter, then she shall live" (Exodus 1:16). They did exactly the opposite; m aking sure th a t each delivery was safe and insisting to Pharoah th a t the Hebrew wom en were to o "lively" and delivered before they arrived! There was no w ay th a t w om en whose jo b it was to bring life in to the w orld w ould pervert th e ir vocation. In a sim ilar vein, Yocheved is also brave enough to choose to bear a child in those endangered times. Her son is "b e a u tifu l" (Exodus 2:2). The w ord to v lite ra lly means good, yet th is child was more than good. He was hidden fo r three "Yerachim â&#x20AC;?. This w ord is sim ply translated as m onths, a lth o u g h the usual w ord fo r m o n th is "Chodesh". The w ord Yareach describes the m oon - w hich waxes and wanes. W ith the b irth o f th is good child, the fo rtu n e s o f the Children o f Israel could now begin to rise. Miriam's courage was shown as well - as she waited by the Nile to see w h a t would happen to her baby Page 30

fin a l

w o rd

on M iria m : "And M iria m the prophetess...took the tim brel in her hand and all the w om en w e n t a fte r her w ith tim brels and w ith dances". The w om en were equal to the men in their inspired song and thanks to G-d maybe more so, as th e y le ft M itz ra im w ith the in s tru m e n ts o f celebration.

Four strong women, all intrinsic to the story o f the liberation o f the Children o f Israel from Egypt. I had th o u g h t o f regaling you w ith anecdotes o f Pesachs past and present, but the inspiration o f this foursom e drew me to w rite about them instead. W hen yo u r head is on a cupboard, or the oven, or you are stre tch in g on a ladder; th in k about the fo u r w ho were so in trin s ic to the m o m e n t o f liberation and realise the pow er o f w om anhood. H am a o r / A p ril 2011

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Recipes by Denise P hillips

Large bunch of chives - chopped Large bunch of mint leaves - chopped Large bunch of parsley - chopped 500ml chicken stock or water 6 chicken breast,-boneless and skinless cut into 1-1 /2-inch chunks Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Garnish: Flat leaf parsley

Persian Chicken with M int, Parsley Ft Dried Fruit

M ethod: 1) Place dried fruit in medium bowl and cover with water and then cover with cling film. Place in the microwave for 2 minutes to soften. 2) In a large pan heat the oil. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes and then stir in turmeric and chicken pieces. Cook over a medium-high heat about 2 minutes or until fragrant. 3) Add the stock, bring to a boil and cook about 15 minutes. 4) Add the fruit, soaking liquid, herbs and simmer for a final 15 minutes. 5) Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. To serve the stylish way: Sprinkled with parsley and with your favourite roast potato recipe.

Denise's Kitchen This colourful Persian Chicken dish w ith m int, parsley and dried fru it is perfect fo r Passover as it is easy to prepare and ideal when you have extra guests. As I use the breast o f chicken, there is no carving involved and serving is straightforw ard. The recipe is cooked in a delicious flavoured turm eric stock, so should your seder go on for longer than expected, the chicken not dry out. Sephardim would tend to serve it w ith rice, but I like to serve it w ith roasted potatoes in my Ashkenazi household. Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Serves: 6 people

Ingredients: 150g dried apricots cut into strips 100g dried cherries or cranberries 100ml water 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 large onions, chopped 1 -2 teaspoons turmeric Ha m o o r / A p ril 2011

LEARN TO COOK - THE STYLISH WAY Book a date in your diary and make time for yourself. These comprehensive “hands-on" classes, presented in my trademark simple but stylish manner, will enhance your love of food and add to your cooking repertoire. Pick a theme and see the difference it will make. So go and benefit from some great new food ideas. Choose from: Wed 6thor Sun 10th April Thurs 7th April

Exciting Pesach Inspirational Vegetarian

Thurs 12th May Wed 18th May

Chocolate Cooking Friday Night Dinner

Sunday 15th May

Bread Making (inclu challah)

Wed 22nd June Thurs 23rd June Sunday 26lh June

Salads For All Occasions Summer Dinner Party Cooking Salads For All Occasions

Venue: 2 The Broadwalk, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2XD Time: 10.00 am -1 .3 0 pm: Weekday / Sunday 5.00 pm - 8.30 pm Cost: £65 per class. All materials provided Booking: Call Denise Phillips on 01923 836 456 denise@iewishcookery.com

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-fe e R A T IO IN OF

SYNAG O G UES

Recipes (cont) by Denise P h illip s

Passover Chocolate Pavlova with Lemon Mousse

Pinch o f salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons cocoa powder Lem on M o u s s e / Lem on S o rb e t fo r Parev O p tio n 284ml double cream - whipped to soft peaks 1 lemon, juice and zest 2 egg whites 60g caster sugar G a rn ish : Dark Chocolate Curls/ Coarsely grated chocolate

Chocolate desserts o f any description never fail to impress or please family and friends. The slight tartness of the lemon mousse blends well with the crunchy sweetness o f the chocolate pavlova. Both can be made in advance and then assembled just before serving. The addition o f salt helps to stabilise the egg whites and helps to balance the flavours. For a stylish look, pipe the meringues into little individual baskets. Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour plus cooling Serves: 8 - 1 0 people

In g re d ie n ts : 4 large egg whites, room temperature 55g dark brown soft sugar 170g caster sugar

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M e th o d : 1) Pre-heat the oven to 300 C / 150 F. 2) Line a large tray with non-stick baking parchment paper. 3) Draw a 22 cm / 8" circle on the paper and then turn it over. 4) Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Gradually add the sugars, a tablespoon at a time. Add vanilla extract and continue to whisk until the mixture is very stiff. 5) Sift cocoa powder over the meringue and fold until in to the mixture. 6) Spread the meringue with a large spoon or use a piping bag over the circle template. Form a shallow well in the centre. 7) Bake for 1 hour or until dry. Leave to cool in the oven ~ preferably overnight. 8) For the lemon mousse, whisk the cream and lemon zest together until the mixture starts to thicken. 9) Add the lemon juice and whisk briefly again ~ don't let the mixture get too s tiff as it will be difficult to fold in the egg whites. 10) Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Fold into the lemon mixture. Chill for 20 minutes. 11) Spoon the mousse evenly into the centre o f the meringue. To serve th e s ty lis h w ay: Garnish with chocolate curls or grated chocolate.

Ha m oor / A pril 2011

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iiN D n

-KDeRATIOM OF

SYNAG O G UES

V J. v *

Mazal Tov wishes are extended to the following people BIRTHS Mazal Tov to the following: Dayan and Mrs Elzas on the birth of a granddaughter and a grandson Dayan and Mrs M Gelley on the birth of their granddaughter Dr and Mrs Kienwald on the birth of two granddaughters Reverend and Mrs M Brown on the birth of a grandson

Croydon Michael and Beverly Galinsky on the birth of their granddaughter Sonya Brett on the birth of a great grandchild

Finchley Central Rabbi and Rebbetzen Y Hamer on the birth of their son Mr and Mrs H Glass on the birth of their son Mr and Mrs C Solomons (Past Members) on the birth of their granddaughter

Hendon Beis Hamedrash Jack and Rebecca Samad on the birth of a son Miri and Avromi Hirsch on the birth of a daughter

Ilford Hilary and Ashley Kissin on the birth of a grandson Suzanne and Elliot Kissin on the birth of a son Ruti and Nachsun Roche on the birth of a granddaughter Rebecca and David Rones on the birth of a son Gloria and Tony Rones on the birth of a grandson Jackie and Melvyn Zeff on the birth of a grandson

Maehzikei Hadath Mr and Mrs Blachman on the birth of a great grandson Brian and Channa Resnick on the birth of a granddaughter Daniel and Chantelle Kienwald on the birth of a daughter Debbie and David Colman on the birth of a granddaughter Rabbi and Mrs Pearlman on the birth of two granddaughters Jonathan and Ruthie Goldblum on the birth of twin grandsons Ian and Judy Bieder on the birth of a grandson Mr and Mrs Eric Graus of the birth of a great grandson Rabbi and Mrs Goldblatt on the birth of a granddaughter Mark and Sharon Wakefield on the birth of a daughter Flora and David Wieder on the birth of a granddaughter

N etzach Yisrael Mr and Mr and Mr and Mr and Mr and Mr and Mr and Mr and Mr and

Mrs Elad Asnapi on the birth of a daughter Mrs Yossi Shemtov on the birth of a son Mrs Avi Pecha on the birth of a son Mrs Yitzchak Benzaquen on the birth of a daughter Mrs Yitzchak Elran on the birth of a daughter Mrs Sharon Glick on the birth of a son Mrs Avram Cohen on the birth of a daughter Mrs Assi Gabay on the birth of a daughter Mrs Yehuda Benhamu on the birth of a daughter

Ohr Yisrael Eliot and Nikki Hyames on the birth of a daughter Glen and Anat Keller on the birth of a son Martin and Anna Roth on the birth of a daughter Darren and Melissa Freedman on the birth of a son

Shomrei Hadath Jul and Elaine Kornbluth on the birth of a grandson David and Michal Moussaioff on the birth of their son Jul and Elaine Kornbluth on the birth of a granddaughter

Sinai Mr and Mrs David Moussaioff on the birth of their son Rabbi and Mrs David Muster on the birth of their daughter

Page 34

Mr and Mrs Yitzi Scharfer on the birth of their daughter Mr and Mrs Chaim Boruch Leigh on the birth of their son Rabbi and Mrs B Knopfler on the birth of their grandson Rabbi and Mrs M Leitner on the birth of their grandson Mr and Mrs John Simmonds on the birth of their grandson Rabbi and Mrs A Copeland on the birth of their grandson Mr and Mrs Dovid Rosenthal on the birth of their granddaughter Mr and Mrs R Klajn on the birth of their granddaughter Rabbi and Mrs Chanoch Hoffman on the birth of their granddaughter Mr and Mrs Raffi Hoffman on the birth of their granddaughter Rabbi and Mrs Efraim Klyne on the birth of their grandson Rabbi and Mrs Danny Kirsch on the birth of their grandson Mr S Dzialowski on the birth of his great granddaughter Mr and Mrs Lezer Bloch on the birth of their two granddaughters Mr and Mrs Julian Cohen on the birth of their grandson Mr and Mrs Shimon Rose on the birth of a grandson Mr and Mrs Doni Kaufman on the birth of their granddaughter Mr and Mrs R Kaufman and Mrs D Steinberg on the birth of their great granddaughter Mr and Mrs Gerald Halibard on the birth of their grandson Rabbi and Mrs CZ Cohen on the birth of their granddaughter Mr and Mrs Moshe Adler on the birth of their grandson and a granddaughter Mr and Mrs Beri Adler on the birth of a grandson Mr and Mrs David Chontow on the birth of their great grandson Mr and Mrs Yitzchok Kruskal on the birth of their grandson Mr and Mrs Yaakov Greenblatt on the birth of their great grandson Mr and Mrs Andrew Cohen on the birth of their granddaughter Mr and Mrs Moshe Grun on the birth of their grandson Mr and Mrs Mendy Itzinger on the birth of their grandson Dr and Mrs Yossi Spitzer on the birth of their grandson Mr and Mrs Dovid Wilner on the birth of their granddaughter Mr and Mrs Ronnie Moore on the birth of their grandson

Yeshurun Charles and Tonia Green on the birth of a grandson Rabbi Alan and Miriam Lewis on the birth of a granddaughter Aharon and Huguette Menczer on the birth of a grandson Stacey and Richard Taylor on the birth of a grandson Mandy and Mel Estrin on the birth of a granddaughter Martin and Verity Zeidman on the birth of a granddaughter Dayan and Mrs Lopian on the birth of a granddaughter Marilyn and Bob Vertes on the birth of a granddaughter Maria Vertes on the birth of a great granddaughter Philip and Muriel Rapport on the birth of a grandson Renata and Lenny Lowy on the birth of a grandson Sarah and Cyril Solomons on the birth of a granddaughter Lt Col Moraunt Cohen on the birth of a great grandchild Susan and Stuart Lustigman on the birth of a grandson Alan and Sharon Lee on the birth of a grandson Stuart and Hilarie Ifield on the birth of a granddaughter Rena and Julian Greenaway on the birth of a grandson Madeline and Leon Topol and Chover on the birth of a grandson Akram and Joyce David on the birth of a grandson

ENGAGEMENTS Mazal Tov to the following: Dayan and Mrs Unsdorfer on the engagement of their son Rabbi and Mrs D Katanka on the engagement of their daughter Elisheva and on the engagement of their son Eliezer

Finchley Central Mr and Mrs Wittner on the engagement of their son

Hamaor / A pril 2011

Ilford Beatrice and Stephen Lesser on the engagement of their son Keith to Diane Sadie and Jack Biller on the engagement of their granddaughter Lucy Roland Yvonne and Martin Roland on the engagement of their daughter Lucy to John Camissar

Machzikei Hadath David and Doris Lanzkron on the engagement of their son Robert to Naomi Cronin Rabbi and Mrs Newman on the engagement of their son Yishaya Daniel Hanstater on his engagement to Ruth Neuschl

Sinai Mr and Mrs Y Englard on the engagement of their daughter Leah to Mordechai Silbiger Rabbi and Mrs B Knopfler on the engagement of their daughter Rochel to Yisroel Yaakov Krausz

Yeshurun

Alex and Ann Fleishmann on the engagement of their son David to Claire Simon Jeff and Yaffit Gordon on the engagement of their son Daniel to Vanessa Lipman Geraldine and Neil Carton on the engagement of their daughter Joanne to James Lubbock Susie Et Michael Kleiman on the engagement of their son Joshua to Leanne Bergen Elaine Et Shan Abizadeh on the engagement of their daughter Tanya to Ronen Weisz Michelle Et Barry Ferris on the engagement of their son Robert to Leah Mintz Lisa Et Graham Golding on the engagement of their daughter Sophie to Chaim Gothold Rochelle Et Philip Baigel on the engagement of their son David to Miriam Burns Renata and Lenny Lowy on the engagement of their daughter Joanna to Royi Gutkin

WEDDINGS Mazol Tov to the following: Dayan and Mrs Lichtenstein on the marriage of their daughter Batya to Yitzchok Klyne

Finchley Central Mrs FI Boyden on the marriage of her brother Mrs D Morris on the marriage of her brother Mr and Mrs D Toledano on the marriage of their daughter Yael

Machzikei Hadath Dr and Mrs David May on the marriage of their daughter Anna to Daniel Lester Dr Clive Coleman on the marriage of his daughter Michal to Mr Mord Maman

Netzach Yisrael

Mr and Mrs Y Englard on the marriage of their daughter Kayla to Efraim Brandeis Dr and Mrs Yossi Spitzer on the marriage of their son Nochum Noson toTalie Klein Mrs R Rotenberg on the marriage of her grand daughter Baila Meyer to Yisroel Cohen Mr and Mrs Ronnie Moore on the marriage of their son Meir to Michali Chrysler Mr and Mrs R Kaufman on the marriage of their grand daughter Miriam Kaufman to Zevy Sprung Mr and Mrs David Chontow on the marriage of thir grand daughter Chani Emanuel to Shmuli Steiner Mr and Mrs Ezra Kahn on the marriage of their grandson Eliezer Kahn to Chani Beck Mr and Mrs Mendy Itzinger on the marriage of their son Meir to Chani Sternlicht Mr and Mrs Boruch Silverman (Jerusalem) on the marriage of their son Binyomin to Rivka Hibbert

Yeshurun Matthew Primark Et Katie Shaw on their marriage Mark and Rochelle Goldwater on the marriage of their daughter Rina to Gershi Rapaport Eleanor Salomon and Lee Reisman on their marriage Estelle and Ronnie Salomon on the marriage of their daughter Eleanor to Lee Reisman

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Mazal Tov to the following: Finchley Central Mr and Mrs B Bernstein on their 50th wedding anniversary

Ilford Doreen and Ivor Ross on their Diamond wedding anniversary Sadie and Jack Biller on their Diamond wedding anniversary Ann and Phillip Keen on their 72nd Wedding Anniversary

Yeshurun Muriel Et Philip Rapport on their Pearl wedding anniversary Russell Et Eunice Grossman on their Silver wedding anniversary Elaine Et Shan Abizadeh on their Silver wedding anniversary Ruth Et Laurence Taylor on their Sapphire wedding anniversary Mandy Et Melvyn Estrin on their Ruby wedding anniversary Beryl Et Peter Silverstone on their Ruby wedding anniversary Rabbi Et Mrs Lewis on their Silver wedding anniversary

BAR MITZVAH Mazal Tov to the following:

Rabbi and Rabbanit Ahiel on the marriage of their son Yosef Mr and Mrs David Dadia on the marriage of their daughter Mr and Mrs Isaacs on the marriage of their son Yisroel Dr and Mrs Kada on the marriage of their son Daniel

Moshe Leib (former administrator of the Burial Society) and Ruth Stuart on the barmitzvah of their grandson

Ohr Yisrael

Dawn and Howard Rosen on the barmitzvah of their son Scott

Anthony Cowan on his marriage to Emily Harman Rik Saunderson on his marriage to Emily Rowe Richard Lewis on the occasion of his marriage to Emma Daly

Netzach Yisrael

Sinai 9

Mr and Mrs Binyomin Bokor on the marriage of their daughter Sarah to Meyer Brom Mr and Mrs YD Fagil on the marriage of their granddaughter Soroh Tzirel Porush to Sholom Cohen Rabbi and Mrs Meir Kampf on the marriage of their daughter Sorele to Avishai Berkovitz Rabbi and Mrs A Copeland on the marriage of their son Eliyohu to Chaya Oppenheimer

Ho m oor / A pril 2011

Ilford

Mr and Mrs Zohar Tsubara on the barmitzvah of their son Netanel Mr and Mrs Yaakov Dadia on the barmitzvah of their son Duddy Mr and Mrs Asher Moses on the barmitzvah of their son Eden Natan

Ohr Yisrael Ian and Karen Mandell and Yolanda and Victor Wolf on the occasion of Jamie Mandell's bar mitzvah

Shomrei Hadath Brendan and Shelley Robinson on the barmitzvah of their son Dan

Sinai Mr and Mrs Dovid Wagner on the barmitzvah of their son Motti

Page 35

iiN n n - ( iD e R A T io r s OF

SYNAG O G UES

Mr and Mrs Jonathan Reid on the barmitzvah of their son Yitzi Mr and Mrs Moshe Grun on the barmitzvah of their son Dovid Mr and Mrs Dovid Rosenthal on the barmitzvah of their son Moishe Mr and Mrs Naftoli Berlingr on the barmitzvah of their son Aharon Mr and Mrs Shimon Bowden on the barmitzvah of their grandson Shlomo Bowden

Mozal Tov to the following:

Ruth Fields on the loss of her brother Alan Sinclair on the loss of his brother Ivor The family of Arthur Shipton The family of Aaron Strick Sharon Nathanson on the loss of her father The family of Wallace Rose The family of Sheila Winogrodzki The family of Rachel Singer The family of Sylvia Colver Adrienne Crader on the loss of her husband Stuart Michael Crader on the loss of his father The family of Frank Marcus The family of Leslie Glickman The family of Maise Berman

Ilford

M aehzikei Fiadath

Gloria and Tony Rones on the bat chayil of their granddaughter Deborah and Charlie Fierstein on the bat chayil of their daughter

Denise Kienwald on the loss of her brother Rabbi C Z Pearlman on the loss of his mother The family of June Blau

Yeshurun Malcolm and Simone Greenbaum on the barmitzvah of Joel Shmuli and Minkie Orenstein on the barmitzvah of Eli Howard and Mandy Grossman on the Barmitzvah of Scott

BAT MITZVAH

Yeshurun Steve and Melissa Resnick on the batmitzvah of Liora Peter and Zoe Goodman on the batmitzvah of Leah Sami and Karen Kropp on the batmitzvah of Orit David and Tova Hersh on the batmitzvah of Elisheva

SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS Mozal Tov to the following:

Netzaeh Yisrael Rabbi D Ahiel on the loss of his fathe

Ohr Yisrael Ian Mandell on the loss of his mother Debbie Slyper on the loss of her mother Uri Kamara on the loss of his father

Shomrei Fladath

Croydon

Mrs Naomi Fachler on the petiroh of her husband, Moreinu Harav Mordechai Fachler z'T

Martin Rosen on his 70th birthday

Sinai

Finchley Central Mrs H Fisher on her 90th birthday Mrs C Layton on her 80th birthday Mr D Lewi on his 70th birthday Mr W Ungar (Hon Life President) on his 90th birthday

Ilford Rose Carr on her 103rd birthday Davina Palmer on her 102nd birthday Rose Bass on her 95th birthday Rachel Field on her 95th birthday Anne Keen on her 95th birthday Rose Jacobs on her 90th birthday Ben Fenton on his 90th birthday Marjorie Brockhume on her 90th birthday

Shomrei Hadath Alfred Goldschmidt on his 80th birthday

CO NDO LENCES We offer condolences to: Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks on the loss of his mother Mr Alan Rubenstein on the loss of his sister Roberta Rubenstein, for many years a valued member of the staff at Federation Head Office

Finchley Central The family of Mr NE Cohen The family of Mr S I Lipman (Past Member) Mrs D Lubell on the loss of her husband (Past Member) The family of Mrs Libby Sacks, mother of the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and past treasurer of the Ladies Guild Mrs M Sopher on the loss of her husband (Past Member) The family of Mrs R Pollard

Ilford Shirley Appleby on the loss of her brother Helen Hymos on the loss of her sister Linda Morris The family of Lily Morgan

Page 36

Jacky Weg on the loss of his mother Shmuel Kalen on the loss of his mother Jonathan Bokor on the loss of his brother Dr Yossi Adler on the loss of his father Dr Shlomo Adler Rabbi Chanoch Hoffman on the loss of his sister Mrs Reizy Rotenberg Rabbi Dovid Muster on the loss of his mother Dr Yossi Spitzer on the loss of his mother Mr Jonathan Reid on the loss of his mother The Hon Mrs Aviva Adler and the Hon Mrs Elisheva Homburger on the loss of their mother Lady A Jakobovits Mrs Miriam Halibard on the loss of her mother Rebbetzen J Berkovits Mrs Miriam Weg on the loss of her mother Mrs Paulette Kalen on the loss of her mother Mrs Hadassah Iwanier on the los of her mother Mrs Rivkah Kedourie on the loss of her father Rabbi Toledano Mrs Marsha Katz on the loss of her father Mrs Melanie Klyne on the loss of her brother Rabbi Meir Fachler

Yeshurun Stephen Haffner on the loss of his mother Eli Perl on the loss of his sister Julian Green on the loss of his mother Carolyn Addleman on the loss of her father Rod Richman on the loss of father Alan Lee on the loss of mother Ruth Freeman on the loss of her mother Sheryl Sandground on the loss of her father The family of Renee Shaw Stephen Brass on the loss of his mother The family of Woolf Perez Nettie Clapieh on the loss of her sister

Please send in a ll yo ur personal announeem ents to M onica Kohn, Hamaor, 65 W a tfo rd W ay London NW4 3AQ or em ail: m oniea.kohn@ federationofsynagogues.com

H a m a o r / A p ril 2011

L11-

FEDERATION OF SYNAGOGUES KASHRUS BOARD Chairman: Mr A. Finlay Director o f Kashrus: Dayan M. D. Elzas The following establishments are licensed by the Federation Kashrus Board and are under the Supervision o f the Beth Din o f the Federation o f Synagogues MET SU YAN (Meaty) 1-2 The Promenade, Edgwarebury Lane, Edgware HA8 7JZ

020 8958 6840

NOVELLINO (Milky) 103 Golders Green Road, London N W1 1 8EN

020 8458 7273

ORLI CAFE (Milky) 96 Brent Street, Hendon, London NW4 2HH

020 8203 7555

ORLI CAFE (Milky) 295 Hale Lane, Edgware, Middx HA8 7AX

020 8958 1555

ORLI CAFE (Milky) 108 Regents Park Road, N3 3JG

020 8371 9222

ORLI CAFE (Milky) 53 Shenley Road, Borehamwood

020 8207 6203

PAPALINA (Meaty) 313 Hale Lane, Edgware HA8 7AX

020 8958 7999

PITA (Meaty) 98 Golders Green Road, N W 1 1 8HB

020 8381 4080

PITA (Meaty) 339 West End Lane, Hampstead, London NW6 IRS

020 8743 5554

PIZAZA (Milky) 53 Brent Street, London NW4 2EA

020 8202 9911

RESTAURANTS:

PIZZA ON THE EDGE (Milky) 206 Station Road, Edgware

020 8958 3899

AVIV RESTAURANT (Meaty) 87-89 High Street, Edgware, Middx HA8 7DB

SLICE (Milky) 8 Princes Parade, London, N W 11 9PS

020 8458 9483

SOYO (Milky) 94 Golders Green Road, London, N W1 1 9HB

020 8458 8788

THE BU RG ER BAR (Meaty) 110 Regents Park Road, N3 3JG

020 8731 1555

THE KANTEEN (Milky) 23-25 High Road, Bushey, Herts WD23 1EE

020 8950 0747

020 8203 7377

CATERERS: CREME de la CREME 5 Temple Fortune Parade, Bridge Lane, London NW11 OQN PARK LANE HOTEL Piccadilly, London W 1Y 8BX

020 8458 9090 020 7499 6321 Mobile: 079 4115 3575

D ELIC A TESSEN S AND SH O PS: HENDON BAGEL BAKERY 55-57 Church Road, Hendon, London NW4 4DU LA BOUCHERIE EX PR ESS LTD 78 The Broadway, Stanmore, Middx HA7 4DU MATOK BAKERY 1 Bridge Lane, London N W 11 0EA MR BAKER 119-121 Brent Street, London NW4 2DX ORLI BAGEL BAKERY 56 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Herts PELTER STORES 82 Edgware Way, Edgware, Middx HA8 8JS THE KANTEEN BAKERY 23 High Road, Bushey, Herts WD23 1EE

BEIT HAMADRAS (Meaty - Indian) 105 Brent Street, London NW4 2DX '86' BISTRO BAR (Meaty) 86 Brent Street, Hendon, London NW4 2ES

020 8203 6919 020 8954 6020 020 8458 0280 020 8202 6845 020 8207 6203 020 8958 6910 020 8950 0400

020 8952 2484 020 8381 1722 020 8203 4567 020 8202 5575

K GRILL (Meaty) 60 Edgware Way, Edgware HA8 8JS

020 8958 7062

K PIZZA (Milky) 66 Edgware Way, Edgware HA8 8JS

020 8958 9087

THE KANTEEN (Milky) Unit 22 Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London NW4 3FD

020 8203 6031

TIKUN CAFE (Milky) 1117 Finchley Road, London N W1 1 0BQ

020 8912 1212

020 8458 8088

TUTTI GUSTI (Milky - Italian) 90-92 High Street, Edgware HA8 7HF

020 8951 0100

KYOTO SUSHI BAR (Meaty) (Temporarily closed) 51 Brent Street, London NW4 2EA MET SU YAN (Meaty) 134 Golders Green Road, London N W 11 8HB

Hamaor / A pril 2011

Page 37

OF S Y N A G O G U E S

65 Watford Way, London NW4 3AQ Tel: 020 8202 2263 Fax: 020 8203 0610 Email: info@federationofsynagogues.eon www.federationofsynagogues.eom

OF S Y N A G O G U E S

65 Watford Way, London NW4 3AQ Tel: (+44) 020 8203 0610 Fax: (+44) 020 8203 0610 E-mail: info@kfkosher.org Website: www.kfkosher.org

BETH DIN

This form should be completed and handed over or delivered to the Beth Din before Sunday 17th April 2011

POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR THE SALE OF CHOMETZ I, the undersigned, fully empower and authorise Dayan M D Elzas to act in my place and stead and, on my behalf, to sell any Chometz possessed by me (knowingly or unknowingly) up to and including Monday 18th April 2011 at 11.31 am including any food in respect of which there is a doubt or possibility that it might contain Chometz, and all kinds of Chometz mixtures, and to lease all places wherein the Chometz owned by me is stored and found, especially in the premises specified below, or elsewhere. Dayan M D Elzas has full authority to sell or lease all Chometz and all places wherein the Chometz owned by me is found, by any transaction in any manner which he deems fit and proper, and for such time as he believes necessary, in accordance with the detailed terms and conditions set out in the agreed Contract or Sale which he will draw up. This authorisation is made a part of that Contract. I also give Dayan M D Elzas power and authority to appoint any proxy he deems fit in his place, with full power to sell or lease as provided herein. The above-given powers are to be exercised in conformity with all Torah and Rabbinical regulations and laws, and also in accordance with the laws of the country.

And to this I hereby affix my signature on this............. day of............................. 2011. Name............................................................................................................................. Address.......................................................................................................................... Signature......................................................Witness. Exact location of Chometz within the above premises................................................. Sale price of Chometz (approx).................................... Keys available at........................................................... TYPES OF CHOMETZ (please delete items that are not applicable) Bread products, biscuits, flour, cereals, beverages, alcoholic spirits, beer, pasta products, semolina, farfel, canned foods, soft drinks, confectionery, all other foods containing Chometz, medicaments, perfumes, cosmetics, aerosols, cleaning materials, any Chometz in or adhering to ovens, food mixers or food processors, and any other Chometz on any other utensils, shares in companies or business producing, trading or owning Chometz.

CLAPTON FEDERATION SYNAGOGUE.

AISH HATORAH COMMUNITY.

(Sha'are Shomayim). (in association with Springfield Synagogue) 202 Upper Clapton Road, London E5 9DH. Secretary: W. Jacobs. Tel: 020 8989 5211.

379 Hendon Way, London NW4 3LP. Tel: 020 8457 4444. Rav: Rabbi J. Roodyn. Website: http://aish.org.uk

CROYDON & DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE. The Almonds, 5 Shiriey Oaks Road, Croydon, Surrey CRO 8YX. Tel: 020 8662 0011. Mrs B Harris. Tel: 020 8726 0179. Mrs V Harris. Tel: 01883 348939. Email: enquiries@croydonsynagogue.ork.uk Website: www.croydonsynagogue.org.uk

CONGREGATION OF JACOB SYNAGOGUE 351/355 Commercial Road, London E1 2PS. Contact: Mr David Behr Tel: 020 7790 2874. Email, info@congregationofjacob.org Website: www.congregationotjacob.org

FIELDGATE STREET GREAT SYNAGOGUE.

EAST LONDON CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE.

41 Fieldgate Street, E1 1JU. Tel: 020 7247 2644. Secretary: Mrs F. Treep. Email: fieldgatestsynagogue@fsmail.net

30/40 Nelson Street, E1 2DE. Tel: 020 7790 9809, Rav: Rabbi Y. Austin. Secretary: Mr J. Beninson. Tel: 020 8529 8146.

FINCHLEY ROAD SYNAGOGUE.

FINCHLEY CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE.

(Sassov), 4 Helenslea Avenue, London NW11 8ND. Rav: Rabbi S. Freshwater. Tel: 020 8455 4305

2 Redboume Avenue, N3 2BS. Tel: 020 8346 1892. Rav: Rabbi Y. Hamer. Secretary: Mrs P. Wittner. Tel: 020 8346 1892 Website: www.finchleyfed.org.uk

HENDON BEIT HAMEDRASH. 65 Watford Way, Hendon, London NW4 3AQ. Tel: 020 8202 2263. Rav: Dayan Y.Y. Lichtenstein. Contact: P. Burns. Tel: 020 8203 7757.

LEYTONSTONE & WANSTEAD SYNAGOGUE. 2 Fillebrook Road, London E11 4AT. Secretary: Cllr. L. Braham. Tel: 020 8539 0088.

LOUGHTON, CHIGWELL & DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE. Borders Lane, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3HT. Tel: 020 8508 0303. Min: Rabbi Y. Aronovitz. Secretary: Mrs M. Lewis. Email: admin@loughtonsynagogue.com Website: http://loughtonsynagogue.com

ILFORD FEDERATION SYNAGOGUE.

SPRINGFIELD SYNAGOGUE.

14/16 Coventry Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4QR. Tel: 020 8554 5289. Rav: Rabbi A. Chapper. Secretary: Mrs L. Klein Email: ilfordfeds@lineone.net Website: www.ilfordfeds.org

202 Upper Clapton Road, London E5 9DH. Tel: 020 8806 2377 Rav. Dayan I. Gukovitski. Secretary: Mr. R. Conway. Tel: 020 8806 3167

STAMFORD HILL BEIS HAMEDRASH. MACHZIKEI HADATH Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SHOMREI SHABBAT SYNAGOGUE.

50 Clapton Common, London E5 9AL. Rav: Dayan D. Grynhaus. Secretary: M. Chontow. Tel: 020 8800 7369.

1-4 Highfield Road, London NW11 9LU. TEL: 020 8455 9816 Rav: Rabbi CH. Z. Pearlman. Secretary: R. Shaw.

WALTHAM FOREST HEBREW CONGREGATION.

NETZACH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

(Queens Road) 140 Boundary Road, London E17 8LA Tel: 020 8509 0775. Rav: Rev. S. Myers. Secretary: Mrs B. Rose. Email: secretary@wfhc.co.uk

281 Golders Green Road, London NW11 9JJ Tel: 020 8455 0097 Rav: Rabbi Doron Ahiel.

OHR YERUSHALAYIM SYNAGOGUE. 69 Upper Park Road, Salford, Manchester M7 4JB Tel: 0161 792 9242 Rav: Rabbi Berel Cohen. Website: www.ohryerushalayim.org.uk

OHR YISRAEL SYNAGOGUE. 31/33 Theobald Street, Elstree, Herts WD6 4RN Rav: Rabbi R. Garson. Secretary: Mrs L. Cohen Tel: 020 8207 5728 Website: www.ohr-yisrael.org.uk

SHOMREI HADATH SYNAGOGUE. 64 Burrard Road, Hampstead, London NW6 1DD. Ray: Rabbi R Livingstone. Secretary: Mrs P. Schotten. Tel: 020 7435 6906. Website: http://shomrei-hadath.com

SINAI SYNAGOGUE. 54 Woodstock Avenue, London NW11 9RJ. Tel: 020 8455 6876. Rav: Rabbi B. Knopfler. Secretary: Mr E. Cohen. Tel: 020 8455 6876

YESHURUN SYNAGOGUE. Corner of Fernhurst Gardens and Stonegrove, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 7PH. Rav: Rabbi A. Lewis Emeritus Rav: Dayan G. Lopian. Administrator: Lisa Demby. Tel: 020 8952 5167. Email: admin@yeshurun.org Website: www.yeshurun.org

WEST END GREAT SYNAGOGUE. (Beth Hasepher & Soho), 32 Great Cumberland Place, W1H 7TN. Tel: 020 7724 8121. Minister: Rev. Ari Cohen. Secretary: Mrs R. Koten. Email: wegs@clara.co.uk

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