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Status of Objects Designated for Burning
Jewish legal sources examine the halakhic treatment of items set aside for destruction by fire, particularly in contexts of sacrificial law and chametz before Passover. The sources address when an object's future burning affects its present legal status and practical requirements for its destruction.
כל העומד ליזרק כזרוק דמי
Wearing Tefillin on Chol HaMoed
Sources explore the halachic status of wearing tefillin during the intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot. The sources present a foundational principle that tefillin are not worn on days that are themselves signs (Shabbat and Festivals), along with divergent customs between Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities regarding Chol HaMoed.
בחוה״מ ג״כ אסור להניח תפילין מהטעם הזה בעצמו
The Spiritual Meaning of Counting the Omer
Jewish sources explore the deeper significance of the 49-day counting period between Passover and Shavuot, understanding it as a process of spiritual refinement and preparation. The sources describe the Omer as a bridge connecting physical liberation to the receipt of Torah, a personal and communal purification of the soul, and an expression of longing for the giving of the Law.
כל אחד ואחד ידע את נגע לבבו
Nullification and Sale of Chametz
These sources examine the legal mechanisms for removing chametz before Passover, focusing on whether mental nullification and selling chametz to a non-Jew are valid Torah and Rabbinic obligations, and how these practices interact with the prohibitions against possessing and benefiting from leavened products.
שיבטלו בלבו ויחשוב אותו כעפר
Kashering Dishwashers for Pesach
Sources establish the foundational principles of vessel kashering through hagalah (immersion in boiling water) and libun (heating), based on the rule that vessels are purged in the manner they absorbed. These principles form the halachic framework that contemporary poskim apply when addressing whether dishwashers can be kashered for Pesach use.
כבולעו כך פולטו
Mizmor Lesoda on Erev Pesach
Sources address why the psalm of thanksgiving (Mizmor Lesoda) is not recited on the eve of Passover. The halakhic reasoning centers on the thanksgiving offering whose bread is chametz, creating a prohibition against bringing such an offering even on Erev Pesach to avoid issues with leftover chametz.
שלחמי תודה היו חמץ ואפילו בער״פ אסור להקריבה
The Halachot of Bedikat Chametz
These sources detail the halakhic requirements for searching for and nullifying chametz on the night before Pesach, including the timing of the search, the proper procedure, the blessing recited, and the legal basis for nullifying chametz that remains undiscovered.
כָּל חָמֵץ שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ וְאֵינוֹ רוֹאֵהוּ
Adding Days to Pesach: Torah Law and Rabbinic Authority
These sources address the apparent tension between the Torah's prohibition against adding to commandments and the rabbinic institution of an eighth day of Pesach outside the Land of Israel. They explain how rabbinic enactments, enacted for legitimate purposes such as preventing confusion about festival dates, operate within the framework of Torah law and rabbinic authority.
תקנה ראשונה לא זזה ממקומה
The Ashkenazi Custom of Avoiding Kitniyos
Sources discuss the Ashkenazi minhag (custom) to refrain from eating legumes and legume-derived products during Passover, examining the halakhic basis for this stringency and the practical concerns about potential mixture with chametz grains that motivated the custom.
והמנהג באשכנז להחמיר
The Status of Corn on Passover
Sources examine whether corn is permitted or prohibited on Pesach for Ashkenazim. The discussions trace from the biblical five grains through rabbinic enactments about legumes (kitniyot), addressing whether corn—a grain unknown when the kitniyot decree was established—falls under the prohibition.
אֵין אָסוּר מִשּׁוּם חָמֵץ בְּפֶסַח אֶלָּא חֲמֵשֶׁת מִינֵי דָּגָן בִּלְבַד
Corn and Kitniyot on Pesach
Sources discuss whether corn is permitted on Pesach, examining the Ashkenazi custom prohibiting kitniyot (legumes and similar species) and whether corn falls under this restriction. The sources present the legal status of kitniyot, the origins and scope of the custom, and differing perspectives among Jewish communities.
ודע דאף דמדינא מותר לאכול אורז וכל מיני קטניות בפסח
The Four Sons: Tailored Teaching at the Seder
These sources establish the biblical and rabbinic foundations for the Four Sons passage in the Passover Haggadah, showing how each son's question—from wise to wicked to simple to one who cannot ask—corresponds to different levels of understanding and engagement. Together they illustrate the principle of chinuch (Jewish education) adapted to each child's capacity.
כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָנִים דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה