The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 

Pesach 

iPhone OMER COUNT

iPhone app to count the Omer!!!

Birkat Ha-ilanot

Once a year there is Jewish custom is to say a special blessing on flowering fruit trees. It happens in Nisan/spring, but it's also a good teaching for Tu Bish'vat. You'll also find some other good tree texts here.

How to count the omer!

Each day between the beginning of Passover and Shavuot gets counted, 49 days in all, 7 weeks of seven days. Here are the words we say and some of the meaning behind the ritual.

Yachats: Sharing the Broken Piece

At Yachats we split the middle matsah, inviting the stranger to share a fragment of broken matsah that wouldn't be even enough for one.

Sparks of Pesach

The Besh"t on the Pesach sacrifice and raising the holy sparks.

The Mystery of Charoset

There's one important symbol that we don't explain or mention even once in the Passover seder: the charoset. Why?

Unlocking the Haggadah

The Beit Midrash Ruach v'Lev session on "Unlocking the Mysteries of the Haggadah"

B'tseis Yisroel

A nigun for the second Psalm of Hallel, B'tseit Yisrael, "When Israel went out of Egypt..."

V'hi She'amdah

A dance nigun to replace the tune most folks know for "V'hi She'amdah".

A Stolner Dance Nigun for the second Seder

This nigun is sung for hours on the second night of Pesach after the seder in the Stolner shul in Brooklyn.




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iPhone OMER COUNT ~
Birkat Ha-ilanot ~
How to count the omer! ~
Yachats: Sharing the Broken Piece ~
Sparks of Pesach ~
The Mystery of Charoset ~
Unlocking the Haggadah ~
B'tseis Yisroel ~
V'hi She'amdah ~
A Stolner Dance Nigun for the second Seder ~
Design in progress © Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg 2006, 2007