16
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What is the modern Jewish interpretation of Exodus 12:11?
The Mishnah cites eating in haste as one of the few differences between the paschal offering that first year and that of subsequent years. The modern Passover meal is modeled primarily on the latter.
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15
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Why the Ten Plagues (blood, frogs, lice, etc.) specifically?
In my research over this Pesach, I have found some reasons why G-d chose the Ten Plagues specifically. Many of the answers come from the same source.
The answer is middah k'neged middah (roughly ...
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15
votes
Is it permitted to bring bottled water from an outside source into a kosher dining hall?
My best guess is that it's the policy of the kosher dining hall to not allow outside food or drink to cut down on the amount of non-kosher food which comes in. To my knowledge, there's nothing wrong ...
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14
votes
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Do you drink five cups of wine when a Seder falls on Friday or Saturday?
Both the normal Shabbat blessings (kiddush) and the Havdalah ceremonies are performed during the seder, along with the blessings on the first cup of wine.
For Friday Night there are extra words and ...
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13
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Does Passover occur on the first full moon after the equinox?
Your question and DoubleAA's comment on my original answer have inspired me to do some research and learn some really fascinating information about the Hebrew calendar.
First, some background ...
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12
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Why does my box of Matzah say "BOX SHOULD BE OPENED BEFORE SHABBOS AND YOM TOV"
There is a concern that by opening the box, a usable vessel has been completed, which can be a violation of the prohibition of makeh b'patish, one of the 39 forbidden categories of "work" on Shabbath ...
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12
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Why are Oats Chametz if oats cannot rise
There is no special Talmudic dispensation regarding oats.
The Mishna lists a grain called שבולת שועל as able to become Chametz. Most Rishonim don't identify that grain with what we call oats. Some ...
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12
votes
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Declare a leap year due to coronavirus?
There are two problems, both are discussed (among others) in Sanhedrin 11a. The first is that you need a Sanhedrin with a Nasi to intercalate a year. The second is that there are certain reasons for ...
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11
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Was the lechem h'apanim baked on pesach?
The Lechem was anyway not chameitz. It was baked on Pesach as it was baked every week.
Mishna Menachot 5.1:
כל המנחות באות מצה--חוץ מחמץ שבתודה, ושתי הלחם שהן באות חמץ. רבי מאיר אומר, שאור בודה להן ...
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10
votes
Is it permitted to bring bottled water from an outside source into a kosher dining hall?
Without being able to ask the staff who sets the standards for your "kosher cafeteria", we can only speculate if it was truly not allowed to bring a water bottle in, or why.
However, this is my best ...
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10
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Passover Lamb: Why is the bone not broken?
Sefer HaChinuch #16 explains breaking bones was the way of the poor and at the table of the seder we act as free and wealthy men (e.g., reclining)
For it is not honorable for the sons of kings and ...
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10
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Declare a leap year due to coronavirus?
The rabbis currently do not have the authority to declare a leap year because there is no Sanhedrin.
The current calendar was set up by Hillel II and is completely fixed by calculation. Indeed, even ...
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10
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What is halachic rationale for separate Passover dishes?
Chametz is getting absorbed in the same way than milk and meat are. The reverse would be surprising. Why would meat and milk be absorbed but not chametz? (see this explicitly stated in third paragraph ...
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9
votes
Was the Paschal Offering roasted with or without the sciatic nerve and chelev?
This is a Korban, so the Chelev was burned on the Mizbeach.
Regarding the Gid haNasheh, there is a famous disagreement between the Rambam and the Raavad (Korban Pesach 10:11):
כשאדם אוכל את הפסח ...
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9
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Moving the fridge for Pesach cleaning
The Radvaz (Teshuvos, chelek aleph: 135) and the Chayey Adam (119:6) explain that the reason we clean cracks and crevices from chametz is because maybe we may come to eat it on Pesach (because it ...
- 10.6k
9
votes
Does my uncircumcised friend still needs to be circumcised in order to join the meal for Pesach?
Many laws applied to the Passover offering that do not apply to the Seder. For example, the Passover offering can only be eaten by people who are Tahor (a specific form of ritual purity). There is no ...
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9
votes
Is the Korban Pesach misnamed?
It is a sacrifice (korban) because some of the animal (a lamb or goat male in its first year) is offered on the altar. The Rambam writes (MT Korban Pesach 1:6)
The blood of the Paschal sacrifice ...
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9
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Are there any Jewish or Hebrew traditions that hold that the Passover and the binding of Isaac were on the same day (15 Nisan)?
One of the sources that I quoted in this answer, a commentary by R. Yitzchak Meir Alter, indeed asserts that the Binding of Isaac took place on the first day of Passover, 15 Nissan. Below is the ...
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9
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Can Pao de Queijo, and similar foods, be kosher for Passover?
As always, CYLOR but the answer would seem to be yes.
Regarding Tapioca, OUKosher.org writes:
Similarly, potatoes and tapioca are not considered kitniyot. Although today, they are turned into ...
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9
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Why is al achilat matzah only recited on the seder?
The Talmud (Pesachim 120a) teaches that while eating matza is obligatory on the first night of pesach, on the latter 6.5 days doing so is optional, not obligatory. The same rule applies to eating in ...
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9
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Do you need to own the matza you eat at the seder?
See this piece by R. Zvi Ryzman (Hebrew).
His bottom line conclusion is:
לכתחילה ודאי ראוי לנהוג כדברי השפת אמת והאמרי בינה שבעל הבית יקנה את המצות לכל מי שיתארח על שולחנו בליל הסדר, מבעוד יום, כדי ...
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8
votes
Why do the first born fast on erev Pesach?
I spent a while researching this along with some similar questions. Here's what I came up with:
The vast majority of Rishonim (A notable exception is the Rambam who doesn’t quote this Halacha), ...
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8
votes
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Why is Hallel different in Sukkot and Pesach (chol ha-moed)?
The Talmud asks this question. The Yerushalmi (Sukkah 5:1) answers simply that Hallel is read all week on Sukkot due to the ongoing Mitzva of the Lulav (which is taken and waved during Hallel). The ...
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8
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Why can't we say "This meat is for Pesach"?
It's from the Talmud (Pesachim 53b) with the reason given as "for it looks like he is consecrating his animal and consuming an offering outside [of the Temple]". The Shulchan Arukh codifies it as well ...
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8
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Could you bake matzah during Passover?
Yes it is permissible, but you have to be extra careful how you handle stray pieces of dough or leftovers in the kneading trough which might become Chametz (see ShA OC 459:4 and 460:3 for details).
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8
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Finding chametz in the middle of Pesach if you sold your chametz
The Mikra’ei Kodesh, ((Laws of)Pesach 1:74) writes that nowadays when people sell all of their chametz (your contract says "and all Chametz wherever it may be found") it is prohibited to take the ...
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8
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Why are we not concerned about zugos with lechem mishneh?
Interesting question. It is dealt with at the bottom of this site (the same one you quoted, incidentally). A summary of the answers there:
Zugos are only a problem when the entire pair are consumed (...
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8
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Purim and Pesach in the same month
In 1999, the day of Purim fell out on the 2nd of March. This means that first few hours of pesach fell out on the 31st of March. Same happened in 1980, 1961....
The last time that Purim fell out on ...
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