Weekly Digest – News and Essays In and Out of Orthodoxy – Chol Ha-Moed Pesach 5776
Watch: Early Lakewood Cheder Memories by Rabbi Aron Stefansky z”l
How I Survived a Humvee Explosion in Iraq
Beis Yitzchak Volume 57 – Just published
Tens of thousands hear priestly blessing at Western Wall – VIDEO
Women of the Wall eschew priestly blessing at Western Wall holiday services
Op-Ed: Why the Rabbi said: “Eat bread on Passover”
Defends RCA – My letter to the editor in The Jewish Week
Watch: An Inside Look at Kedem Grape Juice
Orthodox Areas in NYC Outliers on Primary Day
Last week’s installment of Weekly Digest – News and Essays In and Out of Orthodoxy can be viewed here.
The linked CS Monitor article raises once again an issue-home or away for Pesach. I can understand large families who just lack the space to get together or elderly people to get away. Yet, I wonder whether Zman Cherusenu becomes replaced by Zman Batul Toraseinu even at posh locales which even boast of Scholars in Residence and a fully stocked Beis Medrash. After all of the backbreaking work to prepare for Pesach, enjoying the Sedarim with children, their spouses, grandchildren and a great grandparent at home with an emphasis on what the grandchildren learned sends the right message as to priorities and chinuch and how to properly fulfil the Mitvas Sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim- at home. Even if one goes to a hotel ( as we did one year), a private seder where you can conduct the seder as though you are at home to some degree ( but for a lot more money) strikes me as far preferable to bolting through the Hagada so that you can eat at a decent hour.
Steve I agree. BTW the Rav felt that one should observe the Seder at home.
The reasons are independent of the issues of open class distinctions on Yom Tov created for the general Jewish community discussed recently by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg.
Backbreaking work IMO in general too much work is done cleaning for Pesach- Too many confuse that with “spring cleaning” when I was in Yeshiva we were told any spring cleaning should be done after Pesach-otherwise it ruins peoples Pesach.
to paraphrase the bard, “acculturation, thy name is American Orthodoxy”. A life of tzniut (modesty/humility) is much more than hemline watching.
moadim lsimcha