Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein In our Yom Tov Mussaf prayer, we say, “Vahasiyanu Hashem Elokheinu et birkat moadecha…/ Bestow upon us/Enable us to carry, Hashem, our God, the blessings of Your appointed Festivals…” The Tolna Rebbe makes an interesting observation about carrying. When one has been carrying a heavy load, […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein The adaptation of this shiur was written l’iluy nishmat Chaya Sarah bas Mattisyahu Halevi/Sandra Koplowitz The essence of the enslavement experience culminating in our redemption can be encapsulated in the verse we cite near the beginning of the Seder: “An Aramean attempted to destroy my father. […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein One of the symbolic foods on the Seder plate is charoset, generally comprised of apples, nuts, wine, cinnamon and perhaps some other spices and dates and figs. Unlike the other symbolic foods, the charoset seems to have little innate significance on its own. We dip the […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein The Gemarrah recounts the origins of the Chanukah Festival. The menorah that the Maccabees lit with just enough oil for one day lasted for eight days. The following year the Sanhedrin established these eight days as a permanent festival of Hallel/praise and hoda’ah/thanksgiving. Rashi explains that […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein One of the sins we ask atonement for during the Viduy/Confession prayer of Yom Kippur is the sin of siach sifsoteinu/idle chatter of our lips. ArtScroll explains that our lips sin not only when we pray or study Torah without concentration, but very often when we are uncomfortable […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein Rosh Hashanah is mandated as a two day festival even in Israel. Yet, if we agree that the main purpose of Rosh Hashanah is to coronate Hashem as King over us and over all creation, haven’t we done that on Day One of Rosh Hashanah? What […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein In this season of awe, we often invoke the mantra, “Uteshuvah utefillah utzedaka ma’avirin et roa hagezaeirah/Repentance, prayer and charity can turn back a negative decree.” These three paths to a positive outcome are alluded to in three verses that each contain an acronym to this […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein The Torah tells us that when Bnei Yisroel accepted the Torah, they were encamped betachtic hahar/under the bottom of the mountain. The common translation of “at the foot of the mountain” is not as accurate as the one here presented. It is this unusual phrasing that gave […]

 Shiur provided courtesy of Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein The words signifying the order of the Seder are well known. We begin withKadesh/Sanctifying the Seder night over wine, continuing with another eleven or thirteen (depending on whether some segments are combined or separated) and ending withNirtzah/Acceptance (of our Seder). In the entire order, there is […]