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Passover (Pesach)
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Pesach |
What is PassoverPassover is probably the most celebrated Jewish holiday world-wide. Passover falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, and lasts 7 days in Israel and 8 in the rest of the world (the Diaspora). At Passover it is remembered, that after 210 years of slavery in Egypt, Moses told Pharaoh that he must "Let My People Go." Pharaoh refused and God sent the “ten Plagues” on the Egyptian people. Finally Pharaoh agreed to release the slaves and the Exodus from Egypt commenced. Passover is more than just a historical event. It is a celebration of freedom as Jews. Every Jew is commanded to remember that WE were slaves in Egypt and should see himself as if HE was rescued by God from slavery. "And thou shalt tell thy son" (Exodus. 13:8) On Passover, Jews retell the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and how they truly became free when, 50 days after the Exodus, they accepted the Torah (the five books of Moses) from God at Mount Sinai. Thus, the Jewish nation was born. According to the time of year in Israel, Passover is a spring Festival and according to the Torah it is one of the three annual pilgrimage festivals, where pilgrims traveled to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Rigorous dietary restrictions are observed during the 7 or 8 day duration of the holiday. The most notable of which is removing bread and leavened (risen) products from the diet. Observant Jews completely clean their houses and remove any trace of chametz (leavened products) from the house before the festival begins. They will completely change their cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils to their “kosher for Pesach” sets. These are reserved exclusively for Passover and are guaranteed to not have come in contact with any leaven or forbidden products. |
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Egypt and Slavery |
Historical setting of PassoverBecause of a famine in the land, Jacobhad taken his family to Egypt to be with his son Joseph, who had become viceroy over all the country. In the long time of their sojourn there, the children of Israel had multiplied in the land of Egypt. But, Pharaoh feared the Israelites were becoming too influential and powerful, so he started to oppress and enslave them in order to weaken them. The Israelites were forced to build cities, erect monuments, construct roads, work in the quarries and hew stones. Despite the oppression, the Israelites continued to multiply. Eventually, in order to control the population of Israelites, Pharaoh decreed that all male newborns of Jewish mothers were to be killed. |
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Moses the Deliverer |
MosesJacob's great-grandson, Amram, who married Yocheved, had a daughter Miriam and a son named Aaron. Yocheved gave birth to a third child. To save him from being killed by Pharaoh's soldiers, she put him in a basket and hid him in the reeds at the edge of the Nile River. When Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe in the Nile she discovered the baby and called him Moses (drawn from the water). She decided to raise him herself in the palace and hired the baby's mother, Yocheved, to be his nurse. As Moses grew, Yocheved taught him about his Jewish heritage. |
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The Plagues |
Ten PlaguesThe years passed and the condition of the Israelite slaves became unbearable. Moses and his brother Aaron were sent to warn Pharaoh to let the Israelite slaves go free, but Pharaoh refused. Consequently, God sent the 10 plagues onto the Egyptians.
On midnight on the 15th of Nissan all firstborn in the land of Egypt began dying, including the firstborn of King Pharaoh, exactly as Moses had warned. Finally, Pharaoh let them go. The word “Passover” comes from this tenth plague as God “passed over” the Israelites' homes, saving their first born from the deadly plague. |
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To Sinai |
Exodus and the Birth of the Jewish NationOnce Pharaoh finally agreed to release the Israelites, they left in haste. They gathered in groups to eat roasted paschal lamb and the unleavened bread (matza). The bread had no time to rise, as they had been in such a hurry to leave. Then after the sun rose on the 15th day of Hebrew month of Nissan, the Jewish nation rose together to leave the land of Egypt. After three days, Pharaoh started to regret that he had allowed the Israelites to leave. He mobilized his army to retrieve his former slaves. Moses led the Israelites, until they came to the Red Sea. Then God spoke to Moses: "Lift up your rod, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it; and the children shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground." Moses did as God ordered. Then a strong east wind blew all night, and the waters of the Red Sea divided. The Israelites marched along a dry path through the Red Sea until they reached the opposite side in safety. The Egyptians continued to chase the Israelites, but the waters of the Red Sea closed over them and drowned Pharaoh's army. This is how, according to Jewish belief, God liberated the children of Israel from the Egyptians. The children of Israel saw God's great power and began to believe in Him. Thus, the story of Passover recounts the birth of the Jewish people as a nation when God delivered and led them to their destiny at the foot of Mt. Sinai. |
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Seder Tradition |
Passover SederOn Passover, Jews all over the world conduct a Passover Seder. Passover is the most widely observed Jewish holiday and all family members participate in the Seder. Seder means ”to order” or “organize”. The Passover Seder is a festive meal that is conducted in an organized way so that all the mitzvot (commandments) of Pesach will be performed. The Torah commands Jews on Passover to tell the story of the Exodus and to eat matza. The Seder or "festive meal" is an ingenious system created for the purpose of engraving the memory of the most important event that helped form the Jewish nation in its collective and individual memory. During the Seder, Jews relive the story of the Exodus, as if they themselves were going from slavery to freedom. Passover celebrates the freedom and The Exodus of the Jewish People from slavery, in ancient Egypt. The Haggadah is a special book used for the Seder service. The Hebrew word haggadah means “to narrate.” The Haggadah contains the story of the Exodus from Egypt as well as explanations of symbolic objects on the Seder table and prayers, psalms, and Passover songs. Many beautiful Haggadahs have been produced throughout the generations. Today, each Passover seder is complete only when the whole story of the Exodus has been told. Passover seders are one of the many ways Jewish tradition encourages families to educate children in the history of the people. |
© 2007 Center for Biblical Hebrew