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The Jew and the Giant Olive

The midrash says a person should eat an olive's worth of matzah at the Seder.  But halakhists today reckon the amount required at 10 times the size of an actual olive.Deconstructing Dayeinu

"Would it really have 'been enough for us' had God not, say, split the Red Sea, trapping our ancestors between the water and the Egyptian army?"Plato and the Haggadah

In the Phaedrus, Plato bemoans the inadequacy of the written word.  So too, on Seder night, it is not sufficient for us to read the Haggadah—we must hear it.From the Exodus to the Holocaust

Less than a week after celebrating the Exodus at Passover, we mourn the Holocaust on Yom Hashoah.  Both commemorations demand that we remember the events as if we were there.Purim vs. Passover

"'Passover Jews' are motivated by empathy with the oppressed; 'Purim Jews' are motivated by alertness to threat."Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt?

The Bible gives no fewer than four different reasons for the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt.  But if there really was slavery, why does the Bible have so much trouble explaining it?The Roots of Seder Night

Even while the Temple stood, some Jews were unable to offer the Paschal sacrifice.  Still, they found ways to recognize the holiday.Why Is This Year’s Passover Different from . . . ?

Passover, which begins on March 25 this year, has not fallen so early in the Gregorian calendar since 1899, and will not again until 2089.  Why?Softening the Bread of Affliction

Today, we are accustomed to square, flat, crisp matzah.  But until the 19th century, Jews ate something that "looked very similar to a pita."Helping Out Uncle Sam

American aid to Israel began when military spending accounted for half of Israel's budget.  Now Israel can afford to give it up—and it would be diplomatically desirable to do so.