Ma Chadash?Bites
14 Nissan l Pesach l Apr 15


What an amazing last couple of weeks we had here at Shalom Torah Academy in our final countdown to Pesach. Classes finished up their Haggadas and learned about all of the different parts of the seder, students were engaged in all sorts of unique Pesach activities and the excitement and anticipation kept building- culminating in our final day of school before Pesach.

The day started off with all of the classes doing a thorough Bedikas Chometz (search for any remaining chometz) on their classrooms and lockers. Next it was off to the backyard where we had our very own Biyur Chometz (burning of chometz). And finally, we had our Model Seder.

Personally it was such a joy to hear from the students their thoughts and questions and ideas about Pesach and the basic fundamental tenets of Judaism.

I asked the students why it is that we repeat the same story and the same divrei Torah (words of Torah, Torah insights) year after year. The students came up with such wonderful and thoughtful answers. Some students said that this is because we are SO thankful and SO happy to be out of Egypt and to be Hashem's chosen people that we want to repeat it over and over again. Other students shared that the reason is so that our emunah in Hashem (knowledge of Hashem) should be strengthened. And other students offered that the reason is so that we should feel more thankful to Hashem and we should feel the kindness and goodness that He has done with us.

They were all correct! But perhaps my favorite answer was that of one particularly thoughtful student who said that the reason why we do the Pesach Seder and repeat the same story every single year is so that we don't forget it. We repeat it every year so that we remember it well enough to pass on to our children and that they remember it well enough and that they won't forget it and that they will pass it on to their children.

That is THE correct answer. Pesach is about the continuity of the Jewish people. Pesach, and the Pesach seder specifically, is about passing on to the next generation the incredible heritage and history that we, the Jewish people, have inherited from our ancestors, going all the way back to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov. We are the next links in this chain and it is up to us to be responsible caretakers of this amazing heritage and continue the chain- passing along our history to our children in a way in which they will pass it along to theirs and so on.

And that is why Pesach is so important here at Shalom Torah Academy. We are so proud of being Jewish and feel so special and blessed to be G-d's people and to have been entrusted with His Torah.

With this amazing gift comes the great responsibility of ensuring that לא תמוש התורה מפינו ומפי זרעינו ומפי זרע זרעינו עד עולם, that the Torah should not cease from our mouths and the mouths of our children and of our children's children, forever.


Wishing you and your family a Chag Kosher v'Sameach,
a happy and healthy Pesach!
 
 


What's happening...

Enjoy the video of our Matzah Baking!
Enjoy the video of our
last day of school before Pesach!
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