Jewish Holidays

Israel's Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day on 27 Nisan ought to be dedicated to the promotion of the "Jewish family." Certainly the last request of the six million Holocaust martyrs must have been that the Jewish people should persevere and thrive.

On Pesach, besides celebrating the fact that our ancestors were freed from brutal slavery, we celebrate the birth of the Jewish people.

Daily hardships and the momentary pressure of the exile prevent a person from discerning the important processes unfolding in existence. From time to time one must put aside whatever is going on inside the house and go over to look out the window.

Jacob could see the hand of God at work in the world, and therefore exile did not apply to him. We can reach the level of Jacob by accepting the Yoke of Heaven, and this demands being part the Jewish people, for God appears in the world via Israel.

There are unique individuals whose consumption of food is not due to any desire to satisfy their base appetites. Their souls are so capacious that they need large bodies. They are like instruments, elevating the material world to their own level.

When we reach the month of Adar, it seems to us as if the rain and the days of cold are already behind us and we are approaching the end of winter. We can almost feel spring in the air. However, there are also a number of signs of winter in Adar.