Pass Over to Freedom: 15 Jewish Tales for Passover

By Libi Astaire

The Passover Seder is a time when Jewish families around the world gather together to retell the story of the Jewish People's passage from slavery in Egypt to freedom. It is also a time when we share stories about our Sages, such as the 15 stories in this book – one story for each step in the Seder - which have been culled from the vast repository of Chassidic and other traditional Jewish stories pertaining to the Passover holiday and the Haggadah. 

Join Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg, the Ohev Yisrael, the Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Halevi, the Chofetz Chaim and others on this journey to discover why the night of the Passover Seder really is different from all other nights.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aster Press
• Release date: Jan 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386601333

Libi Astaire

Libi Astaire is the author of the award-winning Jewish Regency Mystery Series, a historical mystery series about Regency London’s Jewish community. Her other books include: Terra Incognita, a novel about Spanish villagers who discover they are descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Middle Ages; The Banished Heart, a novel about Shakespeare’s writing of The Merchant of Venice; Day Trips to Jewish History, a volume of essays about some lesser known areas of Jewish history; and several volumes of Chassidic tales. She lives in Jerusalem, Israel.

Book preview

Pass Over to Freedom:

15 Jewish Tales for Passover

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LIBI ASTAIRE

Aster Press

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Copyright 2012 Libi Astaire

Cover Photo: Copyright Victoria/Pixaby.com

All rights reserved.

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Published by Aster Press

Kansas-Jerusalem

[e-mail]

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A Note About This Text

The Jewish people have many names for God, which come from many languages. In the stories that follow these names appear:

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Hashem — a Hebrew word meaning The Name

Aibishter — a Yiddish word meaning Most High

Ribbono Shel Olam — a Hebrew phrase meaning Master of the Universe

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The words Rabbi and Rebbe are used to designate a spiritual leader. Reb is a courtesy title used for ordinary Jews.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE ORDER OF THE SEDER

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

INTRODUCTION

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THE PASSOVER SEDER is a time when Jewish families around the world gather together to retell the story of the Jewish People’s passage from slavery in Egypt to freedom.  It is a time when we are asked to think deeply about what it means to be a slave — whether it is physical bondage, intellectual bondage or emotional bondage - and how one can become freed from that bondage and remain a free person.

We are guided in this journey by the words of the Haggadah, the ancient text that is read on Seder night and which gives us 15 steps to experience both the slavery of Egypt and the subsequent redemption. The experience of talking about the Exodus is enriched by the symbolic foods we are commanded to eat and drink on this Zman Cheruteinu (Time of Freedom): matzah (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), the four cups of wine, et cetera.

And we tell stories. On this night when the generations gather, grandchildren learn stories about their ancestors and the role their own family has played in that great drama called Jewish history. It is also a time when we share stories about our Sages, whose knowledge of the human soul — its foibles and its potential for greatness — remains as fresh and incisive today as when their words were first spoken. 

The 15 stories in this book have been culled from the vast repository of Jewish stories pertaining to the Passover holiday and the concepts discussed in the Haggadah. Some of the stories come from the treasury of lore belonging to the mystical religious movement called Chassidus, which was founded in the eighteenth century by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov. Others come from what is today known as the Litvish (Lithuanian) tradition, the tradition that evolved from the great yeshivos (Torah academies) of Eastern Europe. Each one has been selected for the insights it gives into one of the 15 steps of the Seder.

This book should not be seen as a commentary on the Haggadah; it is much too brief to take its place among that distinguished company. Instead, it should be read as an addition to the conversation that takes place during the Seder, that old-new ritual which takes us on a journey from slavery to freedom, from sadness to joy, from mourning to festivity, from darkness to great light, from servitude to redemption (Pesachim 10:5).

Let the journey begin.

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Nissan 5772/April 2012

Jerusalem

THE ORDER OF THE SEDER

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I. Kadesh: Sanctifying the Day

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Jewish holiday and Shabbos meals begin with a short prayer called Kiddush, where we sanctify the day by reciting a blessing over a cup of wine. What does it mean to sanctify a day?

One explanation is that we are separating this day from other days, raising it from the mundane, material aspects of this world and dedicating it to more spiritual goals. Rabbi Shimon Shkop, in his book Shaarei Yosher, gives another insight into this concept: When we dedicate our lives to doing good for other people, then all our actions become holy; even mundane actions such as eating and drinking become elevated, because they are necessary for our good health, which in turns enables us to continue to do acts of kindness for others.

This first step of the Seder, therefore, is to separate from our daily routine, our routine way of both doing and thinking, and become sensitive to the concept of holiness: holiness in time, holiness in place, holiness in people. To do that, sometimes we must speak; other times, our job is to listen ...

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The Four Cups of Milk

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Everyone in town seems to be here, said Shmuel the tailor.

Pinchas the baker just shrugged. Why shouldn’t everyone in town be in the waiting room of Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, also known as the Beis Halevi? Passover was just a few days away. The laws pertaining to the holiday were complicated and vast, while the prohibition against eating chametz (leavened products) was strict. It therefore made perfect sense that the town’s Jewish residents were flocking to Rabbi Yosef Dov with their questions.

The line slowly inched forward. Shmuel and Pinchas both had their turn. Then it was time for Moshe, a poor blacksmith, to ask his question of Rabbi Yosef Dov.

The blacksmith was more used to talking to horses than rabbis, if the truth were told, and so at first it was difficult for him to find the right words. Finally, after deciding that the plainest way was the best, he blurted out, Rabbi, does a person have to drink four cups of wine during the Seder? Can he fulfill the obligation by drinking four cups of milk instead?

Rabbi Yosef Dov was silent for a moment. He had known Moshe for many years, and therefore knew that the blacksmith wasn’t the type of person to bother the rabbi with frivolous questions. Yet who in their right mind would want to replace the four cups of wine with milk? Was there some deep, unspoken reason behind the request? There was only one way to find out.  Is there a reason why you don’t want to drink wine? Is something wrong with your health?

Thank God, my health is fine, the blacksmith replied. "But I haven’t had