The Plagues

Let us continue our celebration of Passover with another excerpt from Spielberg's Prince of Egypt, this time a musical depiction of the ten plagues:





This depiction brings out the tragic nature of the conflict, as one of brother versus brother. And it shows us two opposing points of view. but with a singular sense of justice, the basis and objective of the liberation and exodus from Egypt, which will later be manifested in the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Deliver Us!

As we continue to observe the week-long Festival of Pesach, here is an excerpt from Steven Spielberg's animated feature, The Prince of Egypt, featuring the song, "Deliver Us" that opens the film:





"Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm" (Deuteronomy 5:15).

Pesach Blues (An Orthodox Perspective)

As Reform Jews, we each make our individual decisions on how traditional we'll be in our approach to the Passover holiday. But here's a comedic peak into the Orthodox community's traditional spring cleaning and preparations that precede Pesach, told from a women's point of view (albeit by a man), with an entertaining bit of song and dance:






Here's what it says about The Pesach Blues from Oorah's Shmorg over on YouTube:

Put some HUMOR in your Pesach preparations! Watch "The Pesach Blues" from Oorah's Shmorg 5 DVD, and see Abie Rottenberg's work come to life with this hilarious video!

Get this year's Shmorg today at http://www.oorahauction.org/shmorg.asp

Whether or not you go to such lengths prior to Passover, or you remember your parents doing so, we can certainly appreciate the hard work, dedication, and the strong sense of faith and tradition that this video reflects, as well as the typically Jewish way of expressing through good humor! And whatever your perspective, we hope you have been having a zissen Pesach!

A Passover Zoo for You!

Here's a zoological Passover greeting from Tel Aviv University:





And here's what they have to say over on their YouTube page:

Get into the holiday groove with Tel Aviv University's I. Meier Segals Garden for Zoological Research. The zoo is part of the University's massive biodiversity, conservation and sustainability research and teaching complex that includes the Steinhardt National Natural History Museum and Research Center, the Porter School of Environmental Studies Building, the Botanic Gardens, the Nature Campus educational outreach program, and more.

So we get a bit of Noah added on to the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the Israelites. Chag sameach!

A Passover Pilgrimage (Virtually Speaking)

Originally, Jews celebrated Passover by making a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, where a Paschal Lamb was offered as a sacrifice to God, which we now remember through the symbol of the shank bone on the Seder plate. So it was not only appropriate, but indeed delightful to come across this YouTube video, A Virtual Passover Pilgrimage to Jerusalem's Old City. Here is what they have to say about it:

Passover, one of Judaism's three pilgrimage festivals, commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Throughout the holiday, and especially at the festive Seder dinner, Jews around the world relive the experiences of their ancestors, passing on their traditions to the next generation.

For thousands of years, every Seder has ended with the prayer "Next year in Jerusalem," expressing the eternal tie between the Jewish people and their capital, the holy city of Jerusalem. This is the perfect time to take a virtual stroll through Jewish sites in Jerusalem's Old City.

This year (2014), the seven day holiday is celebrated from sundown on Monday, April 15th until nightfall on Monday, April 21nd. (Outside Israel, the holiday is observed for eight days).

Eight days is the traditional period of observance, but in Reform Judaism we consider the original seven days to be sufficient, or as we say at the Seder, dayenu! And for those of us unable to hop on a plane and spend the Pesach holiday in Jerusalem, this virtual tour of the Old City will be sufficient as well:






The video is brought to us by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so click on the link and go take a look. And for those of you who are social media minded, here is some additional information they provide:

Visit the MFA's Social Media Channels:

Facebook -
http://www.facebook.com/IsraelMFA
http://www.facebook.com/IsraeliVibe

Twitter -
http://www.twitter.com/Israel
http://www.twitter.com/IsraelMFA

Find us on Instagram:
@IsraelMFA - http://instagram.com/israelmfa
@StateofIsrael - http://instagram.com/stateofisrael

Add us on google+
https://plus.google.com/+Israel

Have you subscribed to our channel yet? please do!
http://www.youtube.com/Israel

And of course there's <http://www.israel.org>. Enjoy the tour, and have a happy Passover, Pilgrim!

60 Second Seder

For anyone who's ever complained that the Passover Seder goes on for too long, here's a one minute summary of the whole megillah:





And here's the write-up from YouTube:

Shalom and welcome to Parsha in 60 Seconds

Today's portion is BONUS ROUND! Passover

"Why is this night different from all other nights?" Passover, or Pesach is one of the most significant Jewish holidays. It celebrates the Exodus narrative in which God uses Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. You know the story; Moses is adopted by Pharaohs daughter, grows up, sees injustice, kills an Egyptian, runs away, meets his wife, meets God, goes back to Egypt, unleashes the power of God in 10 plagues, splits the red sea, and receives the commandments of God.

In the final plague, the death of the first born, the Angel of death "Passed Over" all homes marked with the blood of the lamb. Thus, the name Passover.

Immediately after this event of many miracles, plagues, and power of God, God commanded the Jewish people to remember what was done by having a meal called a Seder. Jewish people today still participate in the Seder in which friends and family and entire communities come together to remember what God did for the people.

Many items of great significance are used in the meal and all are used to tell this amazing story.

BOOM!

And that is Passover in 60 seconds

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Of course, Pesach is a time when we take a break from our hurried lives and busy schedules, and take time to spend with family, friends, and in remembrance and appreciation of our history and tradition.

Chag sameach from Congregation Adas Emuno on this first day of Passover, and for the second night and second Seder! 

Happy Passover!

With the first Seder tonight, we at Adas Emuno wish you all a very Happy Passover holiday. And in celebration of the festival, here is one of our favorite videos that retells the story of the exodus in an altogether original fashion:





And join us tomorrow morning, Tuesday April 15, at 10 AM for our community Passover morning service, held in conjunction with our sister shuls here in Bergen County, Temple Sinai of Tenafly and Temple Emeth of Teaneck.