Passover

Another Post-Pesach Celebration Gabriel T. Erbs, New Voices. Two craft brewers near Portland, Oregon, celebrate Passover’s end by making Matzobraü, with crushed-up leftover matzah added to the fermenting mash.  Only whole wheat matzah, of course.

The Mighty Hand Lazer Gurkow, Chabad. Why does the Torah tell us that God rescued the Israelites with both a mighty hand and an outstretched arm?  Because our redemption was not only physical, but spiritual.

Elijah's Newfangled Cup Eliezer Brodt, Seforim. Opening the door to Elijah and inviting him to drink a cup of wine is a widespread Seder custom today.  But there is no record of this custom anywhere before the 17th century.

Deconstructing Dayeinu Avi Shafran, Cross-Currents. "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?"

From the Exodus to the Holocaust Harold Klein, Moment. 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 Yossi Klein Halevi, Hartman Institute. "'Passover Jews' are motivated by empathy with the oppressed; 'Purim Jews' are motivated by alertness to threat."

Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt? Michael Carasik, Jewish Ideas Daily. 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 Dorothy D. Resig, Bible History Daily. 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 . . . ? Dovid Heber, Yeshiva World News. 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 Shayna Zamkanei, Times of Israel. Today, we are accustomed to square, flat, crisp matzah.  But until the 19th century, Jews ate something that "looked very similar to a pita."