Can one make kiddush over matsa crack, assuming the chocolate is parev?

#Jewish #Judaism #Pesach #Passover #kosher

Shabbat Shalom, friends 🤍

This marks the 30th Shabbat in a row that I’ve had the privilege of sharing your beautiful photos and messages in response to my weekly Shabbat greeting. What began as a simple post has grown into something far more meaningful than I ever imagined.

Week after week, you bring light, warmth, and connection into this space. Seeing the images you share, whether candles, tables, family moments, or quiet reflections has turned this into a truly special tradition for our community.

What started as a collection of lovely photos has become something deeper.

And as Passover approaches, I wish each of you the blessings it celebrates—freedom, renewal, and hope.

This week, perhaps more than ever, as conflict continues in the Middle East, my heart longs for a Shabbat filled with lasting peace for Israel, for the region, and for the world.

Wishing all of you a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat.

#ShabbatShalom #peace #judaism #community

Zionism has ‘emptied’ out Judaism as ‘critical mass’ of US Jews breaks with Israel

Opposition to Israel is hardening into anti-Zionism among a growing number of US Jews, according to Jewish Currents editor Arielle Angel. Speaking to Haaretz, Angel said that a “critical mass” of A…

Middle East Monitor

The Destroyer Unleashed: A Meditation on the Ten Plagues, by Rabbi Brant Rosen

https://lemmygrad.ml/post/11155754

The Destroyer Unleashed: A Meditation on the Ten Plagues, by Rabbi Brant Rosen - Lemmygrad

>The recitation of the Ten Plagues is one of the signature moments of the Passover seder — and for many, one the most morally problematic. At the apex of the Magid section — the telling of the Exodus story — seder participants read aloud the series of plagues that G-d inflicts on the Egyptians to coerce Pharaoh into liberating the Israelites. The tenth and final plague is the most terrifying of them all: the death of all Egyptian first-born. In the seder ritual, we act out this moment by taking ten drops out of our cups of wine, one for each of the plagues. > >While this story is integral to the narrative of the Israelites’ liberation, there’s no getting around it: this episode portrays G-d inflicting collective punishment on a population that results in the deaths of innocents, including children and even the Egyptians first born animals. If there could be any doubt about the abject vengeance behind G-d’s intentions, they were made plain earlier in the book of Exodus when G-d tells Moses: >>“You shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says G-d: Israel is My first-born son. I have said to you, “Let My son go, that he may worship Me,” yet you refuse to let him go. Now I will slay your first-born son.’” (Exodus 4:23) > >There are different pedagogical approaches for dealing with this troubling story during the seder. In family settings, adults typically make light of this section by playfully acting out the different plagues with props and singing whimsical songs about “frogs jumping everywhere.” Although most children sense full well the moral problems at the heart of the plague narrative, I’m not sure this sort of friviolity effectively shields them from the more terrifying dimensions of the story. > >It’s also common to comment that taking drops from our wine symbolizes the “lessening of our joy” at the fall of our adversaries. Many haggadot include a famous midrash that quotes G-d rebuking the angels for rejoicing at the fall of the Egyptians: “How can you sing songs of praise while my children are drowning?” > >Although the midrash is not part of the traditional seder service, it has become ubiquitous in most contemporary haggadot — so much so that it has become virtually canonical. In the end however, this commentary amounts to a kind of liberal hand wringing over G-d’s collateral damage: an apologetic that expresses regret, but stops short of outright condemnation. > >This moral problem posed by the Ten Plagues, of course, is not unique to the seder — it’s inherent to the source material itself. Yes, the G-d of the Torah is a G-d that demands liberation of the oppressed, but the text also portrays G-d at times as vengeful, destructive, misogynistic and xenophobic, if not downright genocidal. In the case of the Exodus story, G-d is not merely motivated by the liberation of the Israelites; G-d’s display of wonders and miracles (i.e., plagues) are also intended to serve as a display of superior divine power, which G-d repeatedly makes clear: >>“Then the Egyptians shall know that I am G-d, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt and bring out the Israelites from their midst.” (Exodus 7:5) > >When we consider the moral issues with the Ten Plagues, then, we must directly confront the essential issues with Biblical theology itself: a theology rooted in a mythic world view dating back centuries that is light years away from our own. As I often comment to my Torah study students, when we read these difficult stories about G-d’s bad behavior we are not reading about G-d — we are reading what the Biblical writers living in the ancient Near East wrote about G-d. > >We might say that these narratives teach us less about the nature of the divine than they do the human attributes the writers have projected onto G-d. Still, whatever the Torah may lack in relatable theology, it does present us with a quintessential challenge: it invites us to engage in a sacred struggle with these texts — much the way that Jacob struggled with the divine night stranger in that famous story from Genesis. In other words, the time-honored Jewish pedagogy is not to simply read the Torah, but to wrestle with it. > >And we are not the first to wrestle with the problems inherent with the plague narrative. The Talmud, in fact, records a famous rabbinic debate about the evening of the first Passover, when the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb and daub their doorposts with blood to protect themselves and their households as the tenth plague unfolded. As described in the Torah: >>G-d, when going through to smite the Egyptians, will see the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, and G-d will pass over the door and not let the Destroyer enter and smite your home. (Exodus 12:23) > >During a very complex consideration of this verse, the question is raised why the Israelites had to mark their doors and stay inside. Didn’t G-d know the difference between Israelite and Egyptian households? The answer lies with the figure of the “Destroyer” (in Hebrew, “Hamashchit,” sometimes rendered as the “Angel of Death.”) G-d apparently doesn’t slay the Egyptian first-born personally but relies on the Destroyer as a kind of hired assassin. But of course, this raises another, even more chilling problem. > >At one point in the debate, Rav Yosef offers this comment to explain why the Israelites needed to remain in their homes on that fateful evening: >>“Once the Destroyer is given permission to destroy, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.” (BT Baba Kamma 60a) > >Even for those of us who cannot countenance the view of a G-d utilizing the services of an amoral hit man over the people of Egypt, the power of Rav Yosef’s comment is still unbearably potent: when collective violence is unleashed upon a population, it does not discriminate between combatants and civilians, young and old, medical workers or first responders, reporters or press personnel. Moreover, once the Destroyer is let loose on its murderous rampage, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to hold it back. > >This Passover, we are all feeling this truth particularly keenly. As we sit down to seder, the Pharaohs of our world have given the Destroyer the permission to destroy — and we are witnessing the tragic results on the daily. In the U.S. and around the world, authoritarian rule is sending armed militias into the streets to abduct and incarcerate residents and kill those who protest or resist. > >Israel’s genocide against the people of Gaza continues; the U.S. and Israel has unleashed a senseless, murderous rampage on Iran that is rapidly turning into a regional war that threatens to upend the entire world economy. The violence symbolized by the plague narrative has become all too terrifyingly real. > >This Passover, let us remember that the struggle for liberation we commemorate is unfolding outside the doors of our homes even as we gather for seder. As we take the ten drops out of our cups, let us understand them for what they truly are: the blood of innocents. As we count them off one by one, let them serve as signifiers of our solidarity with the slain and our resolve that when our seders are over, we will not huddle in fear behind our doorposts. Let us show up for all who are being cut down by the Destroyer — and commit to dismantling the systems that enable its violence once and for all.

#israel wants #war with #Russia ? while sounds absolutely absurd not absurd for #orthodox because they like to provoke prophecies written in the #tora ( #oldtestament ) #Judaism, treat #Gog and #Magog " ( #Russia ) as two names for same nation who will come against #Israel in final #war. rabbis associated no specific nation location "north of Israel" but great Jewish scholar Rashi identified the #Christians as their allies + said #God would thwart their plans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gog_and_Magog

The Blogs: To Settle Lebanon | Jordan Himel

For Israel to settle Lebanon is to further destroy any hope we can hold for peace. Prospects for…
#NewsBeep #News #BreakingNews #'ChangeGovernment' #AbrahamAccords #breakingnews #Chabad #Hezbollah #Iran #Islam #Israel #IsraelatWar #ItamarBen-Gvir #Judaism #Lebanon #likudparty #ReligiousZionismParty #ShasParty #TheRabbinate #TikkunOlam #UTJUnitedTorahJudaismParty
https://www.newsbeep.com/455593/

With everything that is going on the global political stage, life seems #surreal. Nothing makes sense, & what makes sense seems #insane. I dread the near future. Hate for Jews is exploding. People are unable to distinguish #judaism from #zionism. Then we have #conservatives engaging in their fav #hobby - #migrantbashing, blaming those willing to work hard for a better #future for the ills caused by #billionaires. Fueling hate are fractured #social structures, & the accompanying #loneliness.

Archangel Michael

Also called Michael the Taxiarch. A taxiarch is used in the Greek language to mean “brigadier,” or a commander of a company. In Greek Orthodoxy, it refers to the Archangels Michael or Gabriel as leaders of the heavenly hosts.

Michael is an archangel & warrior of God in Christianity, Islam, & Judaism. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in the 2nd or 3rd centuries BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic. In these works, he’s the chief of the angels & archangels. He’s the guardian prince of Israel & is responsible for the care of the people of Israel.

Christianity conserved nearly all of Jewish traditions concerning him. He’s mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7-12, where he does battle with Satan, & in the Epistle of Jude, where the archangel & the devil have an argument over the body of Moses.

The Book of Enoch lists Michael as 1 of 7 archangels. The remaining names are: Uriel, Raguel, Raphael, Sariel, Gabriel, & Remiel. He’s mentioned again in the last chapters of the Book of Daniel, a Jewish apocalypse composed in the 2nd century BC, in which a man clothed in linen tells Daniel that he & “Michael, your prince” are engaged in a battle with the “prince of Persia,” after which, at the end-time, “Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.”

Enoch was instrumental in establishing the pre-eminent place of Michael among the angels & archangels. In later Jewish works, he’s said to be their chief, mediating the Torah, & standing at the right hand of the throne of God.

In the traditions of the Qumran community, he defends, or leads, the people of God in the end-time battle. In other writings, he’s responsible for the care of Israel & acts as commander of the heavenly armies. He’s Israel’s advocate, contesting Satan’s claim to the body of Moses.

He intercedes between God & humanity & serves as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. (So would this make him Aaron’s equal? We’re sincerely asking. Let us know your take in the comments.) He accompanies the souls of the righteous dead to Paradise.

The 7 archangels (or 4, as traditions differ, but always include Michael) were associated with the branches of the menorah, the sacred 7-branched lamp stand in the Temple, as the 7 spirits before the throne of God. This is reflected in the Book of Revelation 4:5. Michael is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7-12, where he does battle with Satan & casts him out of heaven so that he no longer has that exclusive access to God as accuser (his former role in the Old Testament).

Satan’s fall at the coming of Jesus marks the separation of the New Testament from Judaism. In Luke 22:31, Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked God for permission to “sift” the disciples, the goal being to accuse them. But the accusation by Jesus, who thus takes on the role played by angels, & especially by Michael, in Judaism.

Michael is mentioned by anem for the 2nd time in the Epistle of Jude, which is an impassioned plea for the believers to engage in battle against the incursion of the error. In verses 9-10, the author denounces the heretics by contrasting them with the archangel Michael, who, in disputing with Satan over the body of Moses.

According to rabbinic tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel. Sometimes he had to fight with the princes of other nations (Daniel 10:13), & particularly with the angel Samael, Israel’s accuser. Their hostility dates from the time Samael was thrown from heaven & tried to drag Michael down with him, requiring God’s intervention.

The rabbis declare that Michael came into his role as defender at the time of the biblical patriarchs. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said Michael rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he’d been thrown by Nimrod. Some say he was the “one that had escaped” (Genesis 14:13), who told Abraham that Lot had been taken captive & who protected Sarah from defilement by Abimelech.

Michael prevented Isaac’s being sacrificed by his dad by substituting a ram in his place. He saved Jacob, while still in his mom’s womb, from death at the hands of Samuel. Michael later prevented Laban from hurting Jacob. The midrash Exodus Rabbah holds that Michael exercised his function as an advocate of Israel at the time of the Exodus & destroyed Sennacherib’s army.

Epiphanius of Salamis (circa 310-circa 320-403), in his Coptic-Arabic Hexaemeron, referred to Michael as a replacement of Satan. Accordingly, after Satan fell, Michael was appointed to the function Satan served when he was still 1 of the noble angels.

A painting of Michael slaying a serpent became a major art piece at the Michaelion after Constantine defeated Licinius near there in 324. This contributed to the standard iconography that developed of Michael as a warrior saint slaying a dragon. The Michaelion was a magnificent church & in time became a model for hundreds of other churches in Eastern Christianity.

In the 4th century, St. Basil the Great’s homily, De Angelis, St. Michael over all the angels. He was called “Archangel” because he heralds other angels, the title archangelos applied to him in Jude 1:9. The angelology of Pseudo-Dionysius, which was widely read as of the 6th century, gave Michael a rank in the hierarchy of angels.

Later, in the 13th century, others such as Bonventure believed him to be Prince of the Seraphim, the 1st of the 9 angelic orders. According to Thomas Aquinas, Michael is the Prince of the last & lowest choir, the Angels.

Catholics often refer to Michael as “Holy Michael, the Archangel” or “St. Michael.” He’s generally referred to in Christian liturgies as “St. Michael,” as in the Litany of the Saints. In a shortened archangel, is mentioned by name, omitting Saints Gabriel & Raphael.

In Roman Catholic teachings, St. Michael has 4 main roles or offices. His 1st role is the leader of the Army of God & the leader of celestial forces in triumphing over the powers of Hell. He’s viewed as the angelic model for the virtues of the “spiritual warrior,” his conflict with evil taken as “the battle within.”

The 2nd & 3rd roles of Michael in Catholic teachings deal with death. In his 2nd role, he’s the angel of death, carrying the souls of Christians to Heaven. In his 3rd role, he weighs souls on his perfectly balanced scales. The scales are a common object he holds in art.

In his 4th role, St. Michael, the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament, is also Guardian of the Church. St. Michael was revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages. The names of villages around the Bay of Biscay reflect this history.

The Eastern Orthodox give Michael the title Archistrategos, or “Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts.” The Eastern Orthodox pray to their guardian angels & above all, to Michael & Gabriel. The Eastern Orthodox have always had a strong devotion to angels. In modern times, they’re referred to by the term “Bodiless Powers.” Several feasts dedicated to Archangel Michael are celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox throughout the year.

In Russia, many monasteries, cathedrals, courts, & merchant churches are dedicated to the Chief Commander Michael. Most Russian cities have a church or chapel dedicated to the archangel Michael. In Ukraine, the archangel Michael is the patron saint of Kyiv. He became popular from the time of Prince Vsevolod of Kyivan Rus’.

While in the Serbian Orthodox Church, St. Sava has a special role as the establisher of its autocephaly & largest Belgrade church devoted to him, the capital Belgrade’s Orthodox cathedral, the see church of the patriarch, is devoted to Michael.

The place of Michael in the Coptic Church of Alexandra is as a saintly intercessor. He’s the 1 who presents to God the prayers of the just, who accompanies the souls of the dead to Heaven, who defeats the devil. He’s celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month.

In Alexandria, a church was dedicated to him in the early 4th century on the 12th of the month of Paoni. The 12th month of Hathor is the celebration of Michael’s appointment in Heaven, where Michael became the chief of the angels.

Seventh-Day Adventists believe that “Michael” is but 1 of many titles applied to the pre-existent Christ, or Son of God. According to Adventist theology, Michael was/is considered the “Eternal Word,” & the 1 by whom all things were created. The Word was then born, incarnated as Jesus.

They believe that the name “Michael” signifies “One Who Is Like God” & that, as the “Archangel” or “chief or head of the angels,” he led the angels; thus, the statement in Revelation 12:7-9 refers to Jesus as Michael.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Michael is another name for Jesus in Heaven, in His pre-human & post-resurrection existence. They say the definite article in Jude 9 identifies Michael as the only archangel. They consider Michael to be synonymous with Christ, described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: “with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, & with the sound of the trumpet.”

They believe the prominent roles assigned to Michael in Daniel 12:1, Revelation 12:7, Revelation 16, & Revelation 19:14 are identical to Jesus’ roles, being the 1 chosen to lead God’s people & as the only 1 who “stands up,” identifying the 2 as the same spirit being.

Because they identify Michael with Jesus, he’s considered the 1st & greatest of all God’s heavenly “sons,” God’s chief messenger, who takes the lead in vindicating God’s sovereignty, sanctifying his name, fighting the wicked forces of Satan & protecting God’s covenant people on earth. Jehovah’s Witnesses also identify Michael with the “Angel of the Lord” who led & protected the Israelites in the wilderness.

Members of the Mormon Church believe that Michael is Adam (of Adam & Eve fame), the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7), a prince, & the patriarch of the human family. They also hold that Michael assisted Jehovah (the pre-mortal form of Jesus) in the creation of the world under the direction of God the Father (Elohim). Under the direction of the Father, Michael also cast Satan out of Heaven.

In Islam, Mika’il (Michael) is 1 of 4 archangels along with Jibril (Gabriel, whom he’s often paired with), Israfil (trumpeter angel) & ‘Azra’il (angel of death). In other Islamic literature, Michael is associated with mercy. He asks God for forgiveness for humans & is 1 of the 1st angels who obeyed God’s orders to bow before Adam.

From the tears of Michael, angels of mercy are created as his helpers. Like Gabriel, with whom he’s often mentioned together, Michael is also a messenger. While Gabriel delivers messages from Heaven to humans, Michael delivers messages to the angelic world.

As the angel to execute God’s providence, he’s also associated with natural phenomena & causes rain upon the lands. Unlike Christian traditions, Michael is rarely shown as a warrior-angel, with a few references to the Battle of Badr by Suyuti as an exception.

The Miraj literature on occasion mentions both Gabriel & Michael as 2 angels who showed Muhammad Paradise & Hell. He’s mentioned in Shia supplication (Dua), reportedly handed down by the 6th Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, in the prayers for blessings for the Bearers of the Throne.

The figures of Michael & Gabriel/Jibril serve as dual pillars of angelology. While they show up in the same texts, their “personalities” & mythological roles are distinct. Michael is the celestial soldier & protector. While Gabriel is the bridge between the divine mind & the human ear.

The name Michael (Mikha’el) translates from Hebrew as a rhetorical question: “Who is like God?” This name is actually a battle cry used during the primordial war in Heaven.

In the Book of Daniel, Michael is described as the “Great Prince” who stands guard over the people of Israel. Jewish Midrash expands on this. It suggests that Michael is the high priest of the Heavenly Temple. When other nations’ guardian angels argue against Israel, Michael acts as the defense in the celestial courtroom. Because after all, God is the judge of all.

Michael’s most iconic role comes from the Book of Revelation. Here, he leads an army of God against the Dragon (a.k.a. Satan). He’s almost always dressed in Roman/Medieval armor, standing over a defeated demon/dragon, holding a spear/sword.

In Catholic traditions, Michael has a secondary role as the Psychopomp. A Psychopomp is a conductor or a guide of souls. The 1 who “weighs” souls at the moment of death. This is why he’s sometimes shown with scales.

In Islamic tradition, Mikail (Michael) is 1 of 4 archangels. While Jibril feeds the soul (through revelation), Mikail is the Angel of Sustenance. He’s responsible for the forces of nature, specifically rain & lightning. Legends say he’s so moved by the majesty of God that he hasn’t smiled since the creation of Hell.

In the United States, Michael is the patron saint of paratroopers, police officers, & the military.

In the General Roman Calendar, the Anglican Calendar of Saints, & the Lutheran Calendar of Saints, Michael’s feast day is Michaelmas Day (September 29). The day is also the feast day of St. Gabriel & Raphael, in the General Roman Calendar & the Feast of St. Michael & All Angels in the Church of England.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, St. Michael’s principal feast day is November 8. November 21, if they’re using the Gregorian calendar. Honoring him along with the rest of the “Bodiless Powers of Heaven” (angels) as their Supreme Commander, & the Miracle at Chonae is celebrated on September 6.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the main feast day is on 12 Hathor (between November 9 & December 9) & 12 Paoni (between June 8 & July 7). He is celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month.

On April 7, the Oriental Orthodox Church commemorates the deliverance of the prophet Jeremiah from prison by Michael.

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Signed up for Talmud class. Excited to learn!

#Talmud #Torah #Judaism #Jewish