Question
Dear Rabbi: A student came to me the other day with the following question in reference to Genesis 15:13: "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them 400 years." The young man is a Russian Jew who has become very interested in Judaism and is trying very hard to understand things from a Jewish perspective. Perhaps you would be willing to send me an opinion on this passage? He was very disturbed by it, commenting that he could not understand how G-d would willingly allow his people to be enslaved for 400 years. I would very much appreciate an answer from one of your rabbis on this. Many thanks.  
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Question
Dear Rabbi, almost every Seder Plate I've ever seen arranges the six items in a circle, in a specific order that seems to be nobody's minhag (custom). I've asked Rabbis and looked at various Haggadahs and nobody seems to have the minhag to arrange them the way all the plates are made, not Sephardim, not Ashkanazim, not Litvaks and not Chassidim. How come?
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Question
Hi, Rabbi, Happy Passover! I see on the calendar that there are “Intermediate Days” of Passover. What are they all about? Thanks and happy Passover to you and the entire Gateways staff!