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We know how difficult Pesach can be and how little time there is to prepare your derashos and shiurim. And we’re here to help!
Shabbos HaGadol
Derashos
Ideas for Shiurim
Manning the Media
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Shabbos HaGadol
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Please feel free to reach out for last-minute additions. Stories and messages! (mpenner@rabbis.org, 646-660-5858). I’m here to help (and I don't have the zechus to be giving a standard Shabbos HaGadol derashah – so I can still think!)
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I hope that you are set with Shabbos, but here’s a last-minute thought if you are caught empty-handed ... See this derashah by Rav Soloveitchik, summarized by R. Besdin and sent out years ago by the RCA.
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It contrasts Chukas HaParah (“personal mitzvah commitment”) with Chakas HaPesach (‘national mitzvah commitment”). As important as Pesach is, it must be preceded by the Parah. "First man must commit himself totally as a single being to an historic life, which he is to exhibit daily, in the myriad details of every personal involvement."
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At a time where so much focus is our communal role, the derashah might swing back to each person’s personal relationship with and commitment to Hashem.
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You can connect to this phenomenal mashal by R. Pincus in his sefer on the Yomim Noraim: Hashem, of course, cares about the tzibbur. But, as our Parent, He also cares about each of us as if we were His only child. That’s responsibility – not just privilege.
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Derashos
1) Bris Milah and Pesach: Covenant and Jewish Identity
Rav Emmanuel Feldman’s "The Odd and Instructive Habits of Nonobservant Jews" looks at bris milah and Pesach as two of the most distinctive and profound expressions of Jewish identity.
The only mitzvos aseh accompanied by kares, they both entail opting into the Jewish people. They are also the two “most observed” mitzvos in Judaism (see his article). Somehow, Klal Yisrael intuited that these are the two critical things.
This fascinating article from the archives of TRADITION is worth a read – and a derashah!
2) The Seder: Teaching the Foundations of Faith to Our Children
The Seder night gives us a unique opportunity that we rarely get in our fast-paced world: a chance to model real, actual emunah to our children. Unlike adults, who are often skeptical of discussions about Hashem's hashgachah, children's hearts are naturally receptive to these fundamental truths.
Rav Mattisyahu Solomon points out a striking contrast: Try explaining to an adult that despite what appears in the news, it's all ultimately in Hashem's hands. The typical response? A quizzical look and a shake of the head. Our society has trained us to see the world through a lens of human agency rather than Divine providence.
But young children respond differently. When you sit with them at the Seder, and you speak about Yetzias Mitzrayim with genuine conviction, they absorb these teachings without cynicism. They can see on your face that you believe what you're saying, and this authenticity resonates deeply.
This is precisely why the Torah emphasizes "v'higadeta l'vincha" – telling the story to your children. The mitzvah isn't merely recounting historical events but transmitting a living emunah.
When something good happens to your family, speak openly about hakaras hatov to Hashem. The more you incorporate discussions of emunah into daily life, the more it becomes an integral part of your children's worldview.
The Seder isn't just about remembering what happened in Mitzrayim; it's about creating the next generation of believers who understand that behind all of history's complexity stands the Ribbono Shel Olam, guiding everything with purpose.
3) Another look at the Egg on the Seder Plate: Symbol of Birth and Redemption
The Izhbitzer Rav suggests that the egg symbolizes two redemptions, one physical redemption from our bondage in Egypt, and a second spiritual redemption, which was only consummated at Har Sinai when we received the Torah.
When some baalei chaim give birth, their offspring arrive in its complete, final form. Typically, there is only one stage of birthing. However, certain animals, birds in particular, lay an egg that later hatches into its final form of a chick. If the egg does not hatch, there is no bird; for birds, there are two stages of birth.
The egg represents potential still waiting to be fulfilled. It symbolizes two types of "birth" in our national experience: When Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim, they experienced a "leidah rishonah" – a first birth comparable to an infant emerging from the womb. Just as a newborn isn't fully developed though physically born, Bnei Yisrael had emerged from Egypt but still awaited their complete spiritual formation.
This explains why we look toward Shavuos even while celebrating Pesach –– the egg on our Seder plate reminds us that the geulah is incomplete without the spiritual fulfillment that comes through Torah.
(From the Haggadas Hegyonei Halachah – Rav Mirsky)
4) Rav Kook on the Meaning of "Pesach" – A Fresh Interpretation (from Rav Mordechai Greenberg’s Kerem LeShlomo)
Could “Pesach” NOT translate as “PASSOVER”??? Is it possible that “Pesach” does not translate to “Passover”?
The traditional understanding of the term "Pesach" seems straightforward enough – Hashem "passed over" the houses of Bnei Yisrael during Makkas Bechoros. But Rav Kook zt"l offers a provocative chiddush that transforms our understanding.
He points to a fundamental kashya in the conventional explanation: If Hashem Himself executed the plague, as the Haggadah explicitly states – "Ani v'lo malach, ani v'lo saraf" – then how do we reconcile this with the pasuk "v'lo yiten hamashchis lavo el bateichem lingof"? The latter implies some sort of destructive agent was prevented from entering Jewish homes!
Rav Kook finds a parallel in Eliyahu's challenge to the prophets of Ba'al: "Ad masai atem poschim al shtei hase'ipim." The understanding of "poschim" as "limping" misses the mark; rather, “poschim” connotes movement between options – one moment leaning toward one thought, the next toward another thought.
So too with Makkas Bechoros – Hashem didn't simply "pass over" the Jewish homes in the sense of skipping them. Instead, Rav Kook suggests, Pesach means that Hashem actively transformed the tumah-laden atmosphere of Mitzrayim by resting His Shechinah within the Jewish homes. Egypt was so spiritually contaminated that even Moshe had to leave the city to pray ("Ke'tzeisi et ha'ir efros kapai"). Yet, on this night, Hashem created islands of kedushah within each Jewish home, enabling them to function as mini-mikdashim suitable for the korban Pesach!
5) The Maharal on Baseless Hatred: Lavan as the Archenemy of Today
The Maharal (Gevuros Hashem 54) has a fascinating chiddush within the Pesach Haggadah's opening "Arami oved avi." Why begin with Lavan rather than Eisav, who explicitly wanted to kill Yaakov? After all, the Torah makes no bones about Eisav's murderous intentions, while Lavan's hatred is merely alluded to.
At first glance, one might be tempted to give Lavan the benefit of the doubt. What reason would he have to hate Yaakov? Didn't he himself declare that he regarded Yaakov's children as his own? And yet, as the Maharal points out, Lavan emerges as worse than even Paroah in the Haggadah's telling!
The Maharal reveals a fundamental reality about Jewish existence in galus: we face a hierarchy of enemies, distinguished by their motivation. Lavan represents the most dangerous category - one who hates without any justification whatsoever. Despite outward affection for his grandchildren, his baseless hatred remained bubbling beneath the surface until Yaakov departed, when it finally emerged in full force. The Haggadah deliberately begins with Lavan as the paradigm of our most dangerous adversary – not because he was most violent, but because his hatred was most irrational.
(Summary and elucidation of the of Maharal taken from A Taste of Maharal by R. Doniel Baron)
6) Afikoman as Yaakov’s “Mirmah”
Okay – maybe this one is just between us rabbis – but worth sharing anyway. Let us know if you choose to share it!
Why was it that Yitzchak was too “full” to partake in Esav’s meal? Could he have already eaten the afikoman?! Jumping off Chazal’s assertion that the two goats brought to Yitzchak by Yaakov were Pesach meals, R. Baruch Rosenblum quotes an astounding series of sources to develop this idea.
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Ideas for Pesach Shiurim
1) When to Count Sefiras HaOmer on the Second Night of Pesach
It’s the little things that sometimes count the most––but we need to be sure they count the in the right way! Sefirah can be tricky for our balebatim – and for us! – and, every year, we have a great opportunity to inspire our kehillos to come out of the gate counting in the best way possible... but when exactly is that?
When really is the ideal time to count the omer: at shul, or during the seder? And, now that you’re thinking about the timing, how does beginning to count on the second night work out with sfeika d’yoma in Chutz La’aretz? Learn the sugya, give the shiur – directly from R’ Gedalia Oberlander’s Minhag Avoseinu B’Yadenu.
2) Goshen: The First Jewish Ghetto?
Where did the Jews live in Egypt? We know they were in a ghetto – “Goshen” – but where? And if they were separate, why did Hashem need to pass-over (see earlier!) their individual homes when smiting the Egyptian firstborn? Wouldn’t He have only needed to skip their neighborhood entirely?
Comprehensive source sheet with notes available from Al Hatorah website (PDF here); additional materials: a separate scan from Beit Mikrah.
3) Sixteen Drops: Dipping Our Fingers into the Wine
Rav Zvi Ron’s fantastic sefer tracing many minhagim and their origins (aptly titled Jewish Customs – a great resource for shiurim) treats the famous practice of dipping one’s finger into their wine while recounting the makkos at the seder. Where does this practice come from? Is it an esoteric Kabbalistic secret? A slight sensitivity towards the downfall of our enemies? Or a not-yet-100-years-old post war practice instituted by an American Conservative rabbi? See the chapter – easily translatable to a shiur given the clear takeaways and various marei makomos.
4) Kli Yakar on Mah Nishtanah – The Eternal Night: Understanding Jewish Exile
(A Shiur for the first day of Yom Tov) reads the Mah Nishtanah as a double entendre – it’s also asking, “Why is this galus different from all others?” The piece itself can be read along with the baalebatim, but additional materials and he’aros available as well for further study.
The Kli Yakar flips our understanding of Mah Nishtanah on its head by revealing that "night" symbolizes not just Pesach, but the darkest periods in Jewish history —galus itself!
Unlike previous exiles—Egypt (210 years) and Bavel (70 years)—our current exile following the Roman destruction in 70 CE has persisted for over 1935 years with no end in sight. Why has this exile been so uniquely devastating and prolonged?
Kli Yakar's interpretation reveals the traditional questions aren't questions at all—they're the four profound answers explaining this unprecedented galus’ severity!
What makes our current situation distinct from all other exiles in Jewish history? The answers illuminate a profound mystery at the heart of Jewish existence.
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Manning the Media
1) “Spending the Seder Alone”, Tablet Mag
Throwing it back to COVID-era Pesach sederim, we’re revisiting Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin’s experience of celebrating by himself while his parents traveled to Israel. While initially feeling isolated during this traditionally family-centered holiday, he found value in solitude. Through his solo Seder, he found freedom to honestly confront personal questions he typically avoided—about his career aspirations and desire for family—that were particularly meaningful during this celebration of liberation. The article distinguishes between loneliness (which is suffocating) and solitude (which can be liberating), suggesting that even in isolation, one can find spiritual connection and personal growth. As Bashevkin progressed through his Seder alone, the experience became more comfortable, even natural, allowing for a different kind of redemption than the family-oriented narrative usually associated with Passover.
2) “Is ‘Passover’ Actually a Mistranslation?”, The Atlantic
Is this a piece in The Atlantic, or a shiur? Writer Yair Rosenberg uncovers how the very name "Passover" might be fundamentally misunderstood by millions. The world thinks the holiday commemorates God "passing over" Jewish homes during the tenth plague in Egypt, but ancient translations tell a completely different story.
What does it mean if Passover is really about compassion rather than divine favoritism? How might this reshape our contemporary understanding of freedom, justice, and our responsibility to others? How does The Atlantic frame a message that is fundamentally just a reading of Targum Onkelos?
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