The Pesach Haggadah ...

by Shmuel Knopfler
The Haggadah commences with words of shame and ends with praise ...

Why are we starting the Haggadah with words of shame?

Wouldn't a nation pride itself with it's glorious past
and erase those parts of its history that may be shameful?

And aren't we  prohibited to remind a convert of his checkered past?

The Maharal points out that in order for a person to ascertain his current position he must look into his past from where he came from.

This is an integral part of Hakaras Tov, simple gratitude.

A third of the Jewish people were decimated 70 years ago.

Today we are resuscitated in our own land with the language of our ancestors.
What a contrast to the abyss we came from.

This is a clear & open miracle of HaShem.

Our physical & spiritual revival manifests itself both
on an individual as well as on a national level.

חג כשר ושמח

The Female IDF Officer That Stopped a Mass Terrorists Action From Egypt

The dramatic moments between the terrorists and the Karkal Battalion Officer, a mother of 3 children, can now finally be revealed!

How Great are the Wonders of Hashem?

Transformation of a kidney bean into a fully-grown plant 

Transformation of a kidney bean into a fully-grown plant is captured in a mesmerizing timelapse

The mesmerizing process of a kidney bean burgeoning into a fully-grown plant has been captured in an incredible new timelapse.

Shot through a soil cross section, the footage shows how the bean first bursts and sprouts roots, before a stem and plant shoots out above the surface.

The amazing video was captured by Lithuanian YouTuber Mindaugas Kriksciukas in a painstaking process that took a total of four attempts.

The footage was shot over 25 days, with Mr Kriksciukas, 27, setting his camera to shoot an image of the bean's progress every nine minutes and 36 seconds.

The result was a jittery but engrossing clip showing just how much plants can move during their earliest stages of growth.

The idea came to Mr Kriksciukas while brainstorming ideas for an interesting time-lapse subject for his YouTube channel GPhase.

The footage was shot over 25 days, with Mr Kriksciukas, 27, setting his camera to shoot an image of the bean's progress every nine minutes and 36 seconds.

The result was a jittery but engrossing clip showing just how much plants can move during their earliest stages of growth.

The idea came to Mr Kriksciukas while brainstorming ideas for an interesting time-lapse subject for his YouTube channel GPhase.

'Seeing the motion, the action, growth itself is definitely the most fascinating thing about these videos.'

Most plants grow from seeds, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the kidney bean plant grows from kidney beans.

Within this compact package is everything the plant needs to grow and reproduce

The outside covering of seeds is called the coat, which protects the baby plant and is split open once it begins to grow.

In order for seeds to grow into plants, they need soil containing nutrients, water, sunlight, the right temperature, room to grow, and time.

If the conditions are just right, the seed begins to sprout roots deep into the soil to collect water, while a stem shoots upwards.

The plant knows which way to grow its roots and stem because it can sense the pull of gravity through the soil - while the stem is grown in the opposite direction, the roots are pushed in line with gravity.

Once the stem has breached the surface of the soil, it grows leaves to collect sunlight.

The plant has specialised cell machinery that means its stem always grows in the direction of the sun to make sure it is pointing the right way. 

Two Uncle Moishys! Monsey Bais Din says its "ok" to confuse the children!

The Machon Le’Hora’ah has weighed in on a dispute about who owns the name “Uncle Moishy,” and who can perform the songs that the performer has sung for 40 years.

The Wikipedia entry for “Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men” says that the group began in Toronto in 1975. The original members included Moshe Tanenbaum, Zale Newman and Chaim Shainhouse. Their first album, according to the website, was released in 1979.

With the trademark Hebrew letter mem affixed to his black fedora, Uncle Moishy has brought joy to children around the world ever since. Uncle Moishy and his Brooklyn-based production company, Suki & Ding Productions, have produced 22 albums and 14 videos.

But some time ago, Tanenbaum’s relationship with Suki & Ding soured, following a dispute over money and who owned the Uncle Moishy character. The case went to the rabbinical court.

In a ruling delivered last October and clarified in the last few weeks, the beis din found that while the songs and music of Uncle Moishy belong to Suki & Ding, both parties may use the stage name “Uncle Moishy.”

Tanenbaum then moved to anther production company, Sonic Duo Productions, and continues to perform and record as Uncle Moishy.

Meanwhile, Suki & Ding found a new Uncle Moishy, Rabbi Yossi Berktin, a long-time Toronto children’s musician and entertainer who goes by the moniker “Rabbi B.”

Read More: CJN

Coins from Second Bais Ha'Mikdash found near Temple Mount

Bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, were found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

These bronze coins were discovered by Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar during renewed excavations at the Ophel, located below the Temple Mount’s southern wall.

These 1.5cm bronze coins were left behind by Jewish residents who hid in a large cave (7x14 meters) for four years (66-70 C.E.) - from the Roman siege of Jerusalem, up until the destruction of the Second Temple and the city of Jerusalem.

While several of the coins date to the early years of the revolt, the great majority are from its final year, otherwise known as, “Year Four” (69-70 CE). Significantly, during the final year, the Hebrew inscription on the coins was changed from “For the Freedom of Zion” to “For the Redemption of Zion,” a shift which reflects the changing mood of the rebels during this period of horror and famine.

“A discovery like this - ancient coins bearing the words “Freedom” and “Redemption” - found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom - Passover - begins is incredibly moving,” shared Dr. Mazar.

In addition to Hebrew inscriptions, the coins were decorated with Jewish symbols, such as the four Biblical plant species: palm, myrtle, citron and willow, and a picture of the goblet that was used in the Temple service.

Many broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots, were also found in the cave. According to Mazar, it is remarkable that this cave was never discovered by subsequent residents of Jerusalem nor used again after the Second Temple period. As a result, the cave acts as a veritable time capsule of life in Jerusalem under the siege and during the four-year revolt against the Roman Empire.

The new finds all date back to the time of the rebellion and were found in the Ophel Cave directly above a Hasmonean Period layer that was situated at the base of the cave. 

A more complete report of these findings will be published in the third volume of the Ophel excavations; the second is being published this week.

According to Mazar, the coins were well preserved, probably because they were in use for such a short time. A similar number of “Year Four” coins were found near Robinson’s Arch, near the Western Wall, by Professor Benjamin Mazar, Eilat Mazar’s grandfather. He conducted the Temple Mount excavations right after Israel’s Six Day War, on behalf of Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

The Ophel excavations are situated within the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, which is managed by the National Parks and Gardens Authority and the Eastern Jerusalem Development Company. Funding was generously provided by the Herbert W. Armstrong College of Edmond, Oklahoma, whose students participate in the digs.

Black Caucus Members of Congress Support Jew-Hater Louis Farrakhan

Ronald Lauder Stabs Israeli Jews in the Back!

…the Jewish democratic state faces two grave threats that I believe could endanger its very existence…The first threat is the possible demise of the two-state solution…The second, two-prong threat, is Israel’s capitulation to religious extremists and the growing disaffection of the Jewish diaspora. - Ronald S. Lauder, New York Times, March 18, 2018.

Earlier this week the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, published an Op-Ed in the New York Times, entitled Israel’s Self-Inflicted Wounds.

In it, he made a bewildering claim.

'Holocaust survivor a victim of barbaric murder' in Paris

French-Jewish politician Meyer Habib on Sunday commented on the murder of an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor whose burnt and stabbed body was found in her Paris apartment.

The National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) said the body of the woman, identified only as Mireille K., was set on fire Friday night. Her charred body also had at least 11 stab wounds. Police have a suspect in custody in connection with her death.

“For the Jews of France, the nightmare continues. 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille K. was stabbed and burned in the heart of Paris,” said Habib.

“While France is still traumatized by the terrorist attack in Trebes, we are discovering today the shocking murder of Mireille K., an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who was stabbed and burned to death at her home in Paris’ 11th District.”

“I spoke at length this evening with David K., one of the sons of Mireille of blessed memory, to express my condolences and support during these difficult moments. I will meet him tonight or tomorrow,” Habib continued.

“Unfortunately, the number of victims rises but it seems that the story repeats itself: 

Like Sarah Halimi of blessed memory (who was murdered by her Muslim neighbor who threw her out of her window), Mireille also knew the suspect - who is currently under arrest - her 35-year-old Muslim neighbor whom she had known since he was a child.”

“Like Sarah Halimi, in this case as well, the French authorities are very careful about linking the murder to an anti-Semitic motive. The family has no doubt about the anti-Semitic background of the incident,” added Habib.

“For Sarah, it took almost 10 months for the legal authorities to recognize the obvious reality. 

What about Mireille? 

The investigation has begun, but I am afraid that after Sarah, Mireille also fell victim to the hatred of Jews which is increasingly seen in the suburbs, against the backdrop of Islamic radicalization, hatred of Israel but also hatred of France.”

“Like the murder of Sarah Halimi, in this case, as well, I intend to fight along with other Jewish organizations for the sake of justice and truth,” concluded Habib.

With Nothing To Do.. Auerbach Terrorists Protest Violently .... Many Hurt! 28 Arrested

The following are some of the injured:

Jacobson. 30 years old, from Ofakim - broke and bleeding in his right

hand

He is hospitalized at Me'ayanei HaYeshua Hospita  

Muscat. 45 years old from Bnei Brak. Fracture in back. Yehoshua Kruk is 

hospitalized   

  

Markowitz. 15 years old, from Bnei Brak. 21 stitches in the head .. 

hospitalized in the children's department at Maayanei HaYeshua  

Polak. 15 years old from Elad. Stitches on right foot and right hand. 

Pinhas Deri is in the Pediatrics Department of the Maayaney HaYeshua 

. A 38-year-old boy from Bnei Brak was bleeding, he could not see. 

He was sent from Einayi Hayeshua to Beilinson Hospital  

Pinchas Cohen. 35 years old from Jerusalem. Concussion and bruising in the head. Entered the head surgery at Tel Hashomer 

 Haim Furman. A 17-year-old from Modi'in Illit stitches his hands and feet. 

He is hospitalized at Tel Hashomer

How to make perfect "mashed potatoes" for Pesach!

1. SELECT THE RIGHT POTATOES

If you want fluffy, super smooth mash, then use potatoes that are high in starch, such as Russets. These spuds also absorb flavours more easily.

Waxy potatoes on the other hand require more mashing to make them creamy. This could result in sticky potato glue, which can occur as a result of overworking your mash.

2. DON'T MAKE THEM IN ADVANCE

Mashed potato is one of those dishes that just doesn't taste as good after it has been sitting around for a long time.

If you chill your mash overnight to eat the next day, it will apparently taste of 'cardboard,' according to GH.

However if you really need to save time and make them ahead, GH recommends reheating them slowly in a heat proof bowl covered with plastic wrap by sitting them over a pan of boiling water for up to two hours.

You can also reheat them successfully in a slow cooker on a warm setting. 

3. START FROM COLD WATER

Cover potatoes with cold water in a pan on the stove, not freshly boiled water from a kettle.

GH's experts say that adding potatoes to hot water when boiling will make them cook unevenly.  

4. SALT THE WATER

Potatoes absorb water and salt while they cook, which means if you add salt to the water, they will become well-seasoned during the process.

It will ensure your mash isn't bland and you won't need to add much seasoning at the end after you've cooked them. 

If you don't drain your potatoes thoroughly, they may end up tasting watery.

GH's experts advise gently reheating potatoes on the stove after draining to dry them out slightly if you can't get rid of all the water.

6. DON'T ADD BUTTER STRAIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE

Allow your butter to come to room temperature before melting over your freshly cooked potatoes.

You should also let milk and cream come to room temperature before adding these if you like to add richness to your mash.

This is because the potatoes will absorb the flavours much more easily if they are at room temperature, and it won't cool the dish down, ensuring it remains hot enough to serve.

7. DON'T OVERWORK

When you cook potatoes, the starch granules become swollen which means they are delicate.

Mashing them too much or too vigorously can release the starch which is why they can sometimes end up gloopy and more like a potato paste than delicious creamy mash.