MHA-FYOS Dean's Blog

In the section from Parashat Bo that we will read on the first day of Pesach, the Torah recounts Moshe’s command to the elders of Israel regarding the night of the exodus. Moshe commands the details of the Pesach sacrifice and concludes by commanding the elders to guard this matter as a law for all generations. Moshe continues and says, "And it will be that when you come to the land that Hashem has given to you like He spoke. And you will guard this service. And it will be that when your children say to you, ‘What is this service of yours?’ And you will say, ‘It is a Pesach offering to Hashem that He passed over the houses of the Jewish People in Egypt when He smote Egypt and our houses he saved and the nation bowed and worshipped. And the children of Israel went and did like Hashem commanded Moshe and Aharon – thus did they do.'" In summary, after commanding the people to offer the Passover offering, Moshe tells the people that when they enter the land of Israel, thei...

What are we recognizing and celebrating this evening? The answer to this question is different for different people here tonight. For parents, family members and friends, graduation from high school is a moment in time; a milestone to reflect on our children’s growth and development over seventeen or eighteen years of life. For teachers, graduation is an opportunity to celebrate the transformative power of education and, in the case of our school, to emphasize the lasting impact of a Torah education. For students, graduation is an indicator of freedom. Leshon HaKodesh , the Hebrew language, employs three terms for freedom or the quality of being free – chofshi , d’ror and cherut . Why does Hebrew use three terms for freedom and what concept of freedom does each term convey? The term chofshi is used by the Torah to connote the freedom that a master gives a servant in letting him go. The master frees the slave. What type of freedom is this? It is the freedom from the master’s coercion...