| Dear Readers, At the Seder we will read of four children: one wise, one wicked, one simple and one who does not know how to ask. These represent the four types of people—all of us—who attend the Seder. Now, it's easy to label people. To stick them into a box, to call one person wise and another simple. But no one ever really fits so neatly. We are complex, and constantly changing and growing. We are often a combination of these four aspects, which is why another way of understanding the four children as four individuals is to understand them as four aspects within each and every one of us. There is a beautiful teaching that cheirut, the Hebrew word for "freedom," is an acronym for these four children. The Hebrew letter chet is for chacham, the wise son; the reish is for rasha, the wicked son; the vav is for v'she-eino yodei'a lish'ol, the one who doesn't know how to ask; and the tav is for tam, the simple son. When all four are viewed as a composite, when we learn to understand that people are much deeper than they first appear, we can truly experience freedom—freedom from paralyzing misconceptions and stereotypes. In fact, in order to be free, we must hone our ability to see that we and others are much more than we first perceive. Best wishes for a liberating and joyous Passover, Sara Esther Crispe,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team P.S. Today, we mark 110 years since the birth of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory. Please take a moment to browse the special section we put together in honor of this milestone. |
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| Passover Toolkit |
| | Any chametz left undisposed must be sold to a non-Jew. Use this online form to quickly delegate a rabbi to sell your chametz for you.
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| | Get the full journey in a community setting with a rabbi at the helm—find a Seder near you . . .
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| | It's countdown to chametz-free living. Get the dates, special events and customs related to each day, and even some historical tidbits . . .
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| | The complete printable Haggadah in Hebrew and English, with instructional guides and insights.
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| | Once the house is Passover-tidy, gather your candle, wooden spoon, paper bag, feather and 10 pieces of bread. It's time to do the search-and-destroy ritual, and then to bag and burn the evidence . . .
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| | Many of the items that will be used at the Seder will need to be prepared in advance. Discover how. | |
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| | Rabbi Tzvi Freeman presents tried and proven ideas, gimmicks, props and "shtick" to bring your Seder to life. By Tzvi Freeman | |
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| | Passover greeting cards. Send best wishes to family and friends during this festival of freedom.
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| Plumbing the Depths of Passover |
| | There is something about bread which marks it as the quintessential food, and as the metaphor for all that nourishes our existence.
By Yanki Tauber | |
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| | An anthology of classic and Kabbalistic teachings on the Four Questions and their meaning.
By Yosef Marcus | |
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| | Matzah illustrates how we were miraculously lifted out of the constraints of time and space.
By Jonathan Udren | |
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| | How did the Ten Plagues affect physical matter? Discover the explanations of different sages. By Moshe New | |
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| | This first class in the series introduces the historical context in which Miriam lived—the oppressive and bitter conditions of the Jewish people's slavery in Egypt. By Chana Weisberg | |
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| | We're almost finished the Haggadah, and here are two rabbis debating the plague count. Why? Because it makes a big difference. How deeply can human beings affect their environment?
By Tzvi Freeman | |
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| | I read in the Passover Haggadah reader that had G‑d not taken us out of Egypt thousands of years ago, we would still be slaves today. Do we really believe that?
By Yisroel Cotlar | |
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| Personal Passover |
| | My fear of Passover is more than the grunge work of cleaning. I think I really fear needing to go through everything, to sort through things and re-evaluate what is necessary and what is not.
By Sara Esther Crispe | |
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| | I was part of a group of 30 yeshivah students who arrived at JFK Airport en route to Ukraine. My friend Shneur Zalman Margolin and I were assigned to Gaisin, population 25,000, of which only 80 are Jews.
By Nison Deitsch as told to Rishe Deitsch | |
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| | Not only do I anyway feel exiled from both my Creator and myself, but now also from my peers.
By Angela Goldstein | |
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| | I wasn't physically at the birth, but by the third day of listening to her, I knew the story so well that I could have been.
By Elana Mizrahi | |
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| | After having experienced redemption from Egypt, no matter what our circumstances may be, we know that we are redeemable and that we have a Redeemer who is unstoppable—when He deems the time right.
by Shalvi Weissman | |
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| | I bobbed and weaved around his hooks of negativity and self-doubt for a good long while, almost believing his threats that I might never amount to the person I desire to be.
By Sarah Zadok | |
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| Passover Cuisine |
| | Feeling limited without your friend Flour? Enjoy some culinary inspiration for your Passover table.
By Tamar Ansh | |
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| | Passover has almost become synonymous with potatoes. But not anymore!
By Aviva Kanoff | |
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| | Move over Gefilte Fish, make way for Herbed Tilapia in Lemon Butter Sauce - a Passover delicacy.
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By Levana Kirschenbaum | |
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| Kids' Section |
| | Learn how wine is made—for Passover and all year round! | |
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| | Everybody knows we have to drink four cups of wine at the Seder . . .
By Nissan Mindel | |
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| | How would our lives be different? Would we eat matzah? Would we celebrate Passover? By Dovid Taub and Yitzchak Feigenbaum | |
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