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VERSE: v6d1-14
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HAPPY PASSOVER
PASSOVER SPECIAL ISSUE
SUMMARY OF ALL PREVIOUS PASSOVER RASHIS
=======================================
My thanks to
>Rabbi Yosef Braun
>Yosi Wetstein
for reminding me of the need to get out a
>SPECIAL PASSOVER ISSUE
which addresses Passover issues. In particular Rabbi Braun wanted
to know about the "400 year problem." This issue will contain a
brief
>SUMMARY of ALL PREVIOUS rashi is Simples ON PASSOVER
>URLS
>BRIEF SUMMARIES
Finally I give acknowlegement to my sister
>Amy Bassan
who is hosting over a dozen people at the seder and requested
that my Divray Torah be short (and punchy). Accordingly you
are all invited Sunday Evening Eastern Standard Time to the
Rashi is Simple website at
>http://www.shamash.org/rashi/
If you go to the
>CHEVRUTA LEARNING MODULES
you will see a special
>Passover Module
which will have
>10 short self contained units.
URLS FOR PASSOVER
=================
Volume 1 Number 8 http://www.shamash.org/rashi/h1n8.htm
Gen 15:13a http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1a15-13.htm
Nu 8:4 http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v4-8-4.htm
Dt 26:5d http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5d26-5.htm
Dt 26:5b http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5b26-5.htm
Dt 23:19c http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5c23-19.htm
This issue http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v2-13-3.htm
This posting You are already reading it!!
BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE 9 UNITS(LISTS are omitted &may be found on web
====================================================================
UNIT 1: The 4 sons
------------------
If we compare the 4 verses of the 4 sons then
>the WICKED (cynically) SAYS his question
>the SIMPLE, and WISE ASK questions
>the APATHETIC (can't ask) has no questions
Furthermore the
>SIMPLE asks WHAT IS THIS
>the WISE asks WHAT are the SYMBOLS,LAWS
Hence the names (the SIMPLE simply says THIS while the WISE gives
DETAILS; the WICKED doesn't ask but SAYS cynically)
UNIT 2: THE WICKED
-------------------
The wicked son
>SAYS his questions (he never asks)
>Belongs to a GANG (the wicked chapter is ALL PLURAL)
>
>In answering him be short (the wicked parshah is shortest
>Do not use symbols (No symbols are mentioned by the wicked)
UNIT 3: THE APATHETIC SON
--------------------------
This translation is due to the Rav, Rabbi Soloveitchick. You cannot
call this child
>the child who can't ask
since that is identical with
>the simple child
Rather you must call this child the child
>who doesn't care to ask
You cure him by
>being personal (the word FOR ME occurs frequently by him)
>emphasize the individual (there is no PLURAL in his chapter
>using many symbolic objects(more symbols in his chapter)
UNIT 4: THE SIMPLE-WISE CHILDREN
--------------------------------
SYMBOLS (like tefillin)
>are useful for the SIMPLE son (they occur in his parshah)
>but the WISE son needs more (no tefillin in his parshah)
EMPHASIS on INDIVIDUAL and COMMUNITY
>are useful for both the SIMPLE and WISE son since
>both singular and plural occur in both chapters
UNIT 5: BEGIN with SHAME(we were slaves); END with PRAISE(now free)
===================================================================
This is based on the Rabbi Ishmael method of
>2 contradictory verses
Indeed one verse says
>remember this day that you were REDEEMED
while another verse says
>remember that you were a SLAVE
So Rashi/Rambam/Halachah is simple
>you tell both--begin by saying you were a slave
> end by saying you are now free
UNIT 6: From an Aramaean my father (Jacob) lost his job
=======================================================
The famous verse 5-26-5 should be translated as
>(From an Aramaean) My father LOST HIS JOB
The Hebrew root
>OVAYD
can mean
>to lose ones job
Many verses support this eg
>Job4-11 Like a Lion without food
>Ps119-176 Seek me God like a sheep without food
Further details are available at v5b26-5
UNIT 7: The Biblical word THIS always denotes pointing
======================================================
Thus for example we have the following Rashis
>4-8-4 THIS is the Menorah (God showed Moses the Menorah)
>2-30-13 THIS is the half dollar tax(God showed it to Moses
>2-12-2 THIS moon is a new month(God showed Moses the moon)
>3-11-2 THESE are the Kosher animals(Moses showed them)
Hence we have the Rashi and law
>2-13-8 Because of THIS God saved me (Show the children
the Matzoh, Maror and Pascal lamb)
UNIT 8: The Exodus Process applies to all times not just to Egypt
=================================================================
It is interesting how this is derived. Rambam derives this from
>and "US" he took out of Egypt
from which we get the dictum
>in every generation you must see yourself as being in Egypt
We could find further support for this in that by ALL 4 sons it says
>God took US out of Egypt
A further support is found in 1-15-13; God spoke to Abraham saying
>Your Children will be aliens in a land not their own
>they will enslave and torture them
>and ALSO the nation they serve will I judge
The word
>ALSO
implies
>Egypt will be punished
AND
>any other nation that treats them that way
In particular
>the roman empire
>the mideval church
>nazi Germany
were all punished in a mannar similar to Egypt. In fact we review
20 verses where ALSO generalizes a verse to other cases(v1a15-13).
UNIT 9: THE "MY FATHER LOST HIS JOB FROM AN ARAMAEAN" CHAPTER
=============================================================
Why has this chapter (5-26-5:11) received such centrality in
the Seder? Why is it learned by finding cross references and
confirming verses for each phrase?
I suggest that the key of the seder night is educating the children
The ideal would be to make them all into sages. But we all know
that on the Seder night we have many simple people, apathetic people
etc. We only have one night! What is the best way to introduce them
to talmudic research?
Our sages suggested teaching them the most basic research technique
>Cross referencing
On the one hand this technique is accessible to all people. On
the other hand even scholars find it time consuming and laborious.
So that is exactly how the Hagaddah is constucted--for every phrase
in this chapter a corresponding verse is found in the Bible
For those into games and excitement you can convert this part of
the Hagaddah into an interactive dialogue game
>Who knows where it says THE JEWS WERE SMALL IN NUMBER
>Who knows where it says THEY BECAME GREAT IN EGYPT
>Who knows where it says THEY WERE TORTURED BY EGYPT
Etc. For each phrase in 5-26 we then must find the appropriate
verse eg
>WE WERE SMALL = WE WENT DOWN TO EGYPT AS 70(1-46-27)
>WE BECAME GREAT = WE MULTIPLIED IN EGYPT(2-1-7)
>WE WERE TORTURED= THE EGYPTIANS TORTURED US (2-1-10)
UNIT 10: THE 400 YEAR PROPHECY
==============================
In 1-15-13 we are told
>Your children will be
>aliens in a land not their own
>slaves
>tortured
>for 400 years
Yet the stay in Egypt was only about 200 years.
Rashi explains that
>the being ALIENS lasted 400 years
>the slavery and torture was less
Rashi finds support for this in the words
>aliens in a land not their own (not just egypt)
>it says they WILL BE strangers and the word WILL BE
in the Bible always denotes emphasis
>Historically Jews were strangers from the time of
the patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all
strangers (cf1-21-34, 1-23-4,1-35-27, 1-47-4,1-32-5..)
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*