הגדה ברורה

Haggadot and essays for Pesah and all year round

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A guf without a neshama: A case study in how to falsify the Torah

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Peninei Halacha is a good halacha sefer: concise, clear, well-structured, well-researched and admirably honest about stating where its conclusions are derived from, and where there is ambiguity.Except when it isn’t. And these cases are quite instructive because they reveal a lot about the id of contemporary mainstream orthodox Judaism. So let’s cut to the chase (תפילה: פרק ב:א):  אמרו חכמים שהתפילה שאדם מתפלל עם הציבור מתקבלת, שנאמר (תהלים נה, יט): "פָּדָה בְשָׁלוֹם נַפְשִׁי מִקְּרָב לִי …

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A Pesah present and a new project

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In writing my articles on the Haggadah and Seder night, I have had frequent occasion to quote the last perek of Mishnah Pesahim and this has been a source of ongoing frustration. It is very obvious that printed and online editions of the Mishnah are wholly inadequate for use, but it is less obvious what should be used. For a long time, like many others, I used a transcribed copy of the widely-hyped Kaufmann MS but it was clear that this had not a few mistakes and problematic readings in it. So, …

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What is Parshat Zachor?

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It is well-known that one of the Torah's positive mitzvahs is to read Devarim 25:17-19, or to listen to it being read, and, since this is a d'orayta, it is proper to make sure that this is done with cavanah, with appropriate care to do the right trop, from an undoubtedly kosher Torah scroll, and pronounce every letter correctly (according to your definition). It's also well known, indeed practically old news, to anyone likely to be reading this that the above is fake. The idea of Parshat Zachor …

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A few reflections on Nusah Eretz Yisrael and a way forward

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A large number of historical movements are known by names that started as insults. The reason being that any name with a positive connotation will be vigorously contested for by different groups, whereas 'cattle thief' is not a particularly desired appellation by anyone, so a movement only has to stop resisting the insult for the name to stick. Torat Eretz Yisrael is, without doubt, a good slogan, but for that very reason everyone wants a piece of it. Thus, Torat Eretz Yisrael is, depending on …

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A Prayer for the State

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Here is an attempt at a prayer for the state of Israel, designed to meet both the arguments of those who believe a prayer must be said, and those who believe the current versions used are theologically unacceptable. I have uploaded an editable version for anyone who wants to improve, change, delete or add to their tastes. PDF Editable version …

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