Learn how to understAND the haftarAh of PESAH DAY 1 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg: 400 videos on Judaism with over 1,000,000 views. Rabbi of www.Esynagogue.org -the Jewish community online. Through our Jewish Institute for Religious Training We offer Onli

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Perhaps we are all wrong at the first day of Passover, if you are a Rabbi about 12,000 years ago and 2000 years ago and you wanted to think about what prophetic portion that you should read on Passover Joshua with chapter five will certainly jump out of you. It tells a story of the Israelites and Joshua was obviously the first book after the Torah and Joshua as Moses as the successor and so you have in this prophetic portion the celebration of the first Passover in the holy land which is in chapter 5 starting with verse 10. Where, it says they offer the Pascal sacrifice and they celebrated Passover. Before that, they have some business to take care of because that would mean in the dessert during the 40 years they did not circumcise their babies and so the first thing they need to do is free people in the new land which was filled with many for circumcision which they did and Torah says that and it says that all the way they are a disgrace of Egypt. Then it goes into the idea about offering the Pascal sacrifice and celebrating Passover, it said on that very day the aid of the Protoss of the country on unleavened bread and purged grain and when they can feed themselves they eat Protoss of the land the Mana sees no longer with their children and they have to be fed by God. The bible is saying here now they are grown ups, they could grow their own food, and be on their own. Then there is a very interesting passage which includes the HaTorahs starting on the verse 13 which says when Joshua was near Jericho he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword. And, Joshua said, “Are you one of us or the enemies?” he said, “No I am the captain of the Lord of host and I have come”. Joshua threw him down on the ground and started prostrating himself saying “What does my lord command these servants?” The captain of the Lord of host says “Remove your sandals from your feet for the place where you stand is holy” and Joshua did. And, this is right before the battle of the Jericho. Now, we know from Archeology that Joshua never fought the Ballades Jericho because it was destroyed away before Joshua would have been there but when our ancestors wrought the stories down they knew Jericho had been destroyed and they thought they told the story of Joshua destroying it from the country of the land. Now, if you read the book of judges carefully you will see that it tells a very different story than the book of Joshua as opposed to Joshua which tells a story of a vast quick violent conquest of the land of Israel. The book of Judges shows that it was never complete domination, it was uneven, they live side by side with their neighbors, they had on going battles, and even though it is the Promised Land Jews it was not the way that Joshua has necessarily told it. In any case, we have this magnificent story here as Joshua being alone as the leader and he was not sure of what to do. It kind of reminds us of the Jacob story when he was going to breed his middle brother who suffered at the camp. When he was alone he had that wrestling match here. Joshua sees a male with a drawn sword and he wants it off and he has to fight him who was enemy or who is with us. That is an interesting question too, how can he not know who was the guy was. Obviously, the guy was important but it was in his imagination, was it a vision or was it? But, the guy says I am the captain of the Lord of hosts. So with the guidance and kind of Lord of host, Angel army, and Judges what I am supposed to do here. I might just as well as take off your shoes because you are standing on holy ground. And, it does not say what happens next accept that Joshua fights the battle of Jericho in subsequent chapters and wins the first victory of the Israelites and the Promised Land. So, why was HaTorah selected for the first day of Passover, well, obviously it is because it was the first Passover celebrated by the Jews as free people and since that day we had been celebrating the Passover on an unbroken link for thousands of years. But, I have heard when I go to Shawn at the first day of Passover before my Rabbi days when I have to give the sermons I used to give Rabbi Sermons about its story all the time. “Are you with us or against us? Are you our enemy? I am the captain of the Lord of host. What do you want? What can I do for you?” Joshua says. And, first thing is remember that you are standing on holy ground. Anyway, have a wonderful Passover and a little bit about the HaTorah for the first day.