Welcome!

We hope you enjoy this collection of thought and inspiration for Passover and Shavuot. As Jewish communities around the world gather to sit at their seider tables this year, we are thankful for the freedoms we experience every day, from generation to generation.

 

These articles, which draw upon Jewish tradition in the context of contemporary life, are representative of the approach of the 1,700 Conservative and Masorti rabbis around the world who comprise the Rabbinical Assembly.

 

Happy Passover from Conservative/Masorti rabbis around the world.

 

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RA
The international community of Conservative/Masorti rabbis
A Washington Post op-ed By Rabbis Julie Schonfeld (RA) and David Saperstein (RAC)

"...Our grief and compassion have united Americans in a way we don't often see..." [Read More]
We publish an array of books on Jewish religion and ethics including fresh perspectives on Torah and liturgy.

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Rabbinical Assembly The Rabbinical Assembly is a community of 1,700 Conservative/Masorti rabbis around the world who partner with the Jewish community to share and amplify a vision of Judaism that is rooted in Torah, embracing of tradition, and informed by contemporary life.

From the Leadership of the
Rabbinical Assembly

 

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld In Every Generation:
The Blessing of Responsibility
By Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, Executive Vice President "Passover is widely considered to be the most celebrated Jewish holiday. By any measure of what makes Jewish rituals "work," Passover is a study in virtuosity: we gather the community; we tell the sacred story; we are nourished by its sacred symbols, we grow spiritually and communally, and become part of the future..." [read more]

Rabbi Gerry Skolnik Reflections on Redemption
National and Personal
By Rabbi Gerry Skolnik, President
"Every year, as we prepare to celebrate the festival of Passover, I find myself struggling with the same issue. More than any other Jewish holiday, Passover lends itself to "universalization." The theme of "from enslavement to redemption" seems to have become a part of the intellectual property of virtually every group which longs to see better times, as opposed to its being the theme of our historical experience in Egypt..." [read more]

     

Pesah Guide

This guide is intended as a brief outline of the policies and procedures relevant to the preparation of a kosher for Pesah home.

 

B'dikat Hameitz:
The Search for Hameitz

This one-page sheet includes text, instructions, and transliteration for the ritual of searching for hameitz and the destruction of hameitz.

 

Hameitz: Laws and Customs 

There are few aspects of Jewish observance as complicated as preparing for Passover. This post clarifies the various hameitz-related preparations for Pesah.

     

About Shavuot 

Rabbi Alan Lucas explores various topics related to Shavuot, including Revelation, Tikkun Leil Shavuot (overnight study session), and the evolution of the custom of eating dairy.

 

A Brief History of Torah Study

Rabbi Eliezer Diamond discusses the evolution of the obligation to study Torah.