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April 14, 2024 By Lerhaus Newshul

Weekly Torah Gatherings – Sun 4/14

Affliction, is there such a thing as a ‘free launch’?

Welcome to the 21st Century, ‘opening the door’ to a launch from medieval times:

But first, you might want to have a look at a ‘modern’ form of the ‘medieval’ — and if you care about anything — first watch this:
https://danielgordis.substack.com/p/home-alone-never-has-israel-in-such?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#media-640c9dc2-4a19-489f-9561-760feb20d651
(from the Iranian ^ Media)

Back in the olden days, according to family lore, my grandmother, while reading the newspaper . . . . would ask out loud, “Is this good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? As the story goes, she would occasionally remark: “What is bad for today, will soon pass” — it was her way of trying to change the bitterness of the Maror into the hoped-for sweetness of the Charoset —

We can also hope that: “This too shall pass” . . . will sweep away any Angel of Death passing over.

____________

Matza: are we eating ‘bitterness’ when we eat the ‘Bread of Affliction?’

The Seder begins with: “This is the Bread of Affliction, all who are hungry, come and let them eat.”

Does ‘affliction’ have a certain taste — Does the ‘Bread of Affliction” change or do the eyes we bring to it change?

Exodus 12:39 – 41
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, since they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

Deuteronomy 16:3 (or is this a bread of affliction?)

לֹא־תֹאכַ֤ל עָלָיו֙ חָמֵ֔ץ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֛ים תֹּֽאכַל־עָלָ֥יו מַצּ֖וֹת לֶ֣חֶם עֹ֑נִי כִּ֣י בְחִפָּז֗וֹן יָצָ֙אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכֹּ֗ר אֶת־י֤וֹם צֵֽאתְךָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃

You shall not eat anything leavened with it; for seven days thereafter you shall eat unleavened bread, bread of affliction —for you departed hurridly from the land of slavery — so that you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt as long as you live.

————

Why are these times different from all other times?

Because ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ — is now.

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