Passover (Pesach)
Passover, known as Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the most significant Jewish festivals, celebrated for over 3,000 years. It begins at sundown on the 14th day of Nisan (March-April) and lasts for either seven or eight days, depending on the Jewish denomination. The celebration commemorates the Exodus, the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, highlighting themes of freedom and national identity. A central feature of Passover is the seder, a ceremonial meal held on the first night, and often the second, where families gather to recount the Exodus story and partake in symbolic foods such as matzah (unleavened bread), bitter herbs, and wine. This meal includes the reading of the Haggadah, which details the historical significance of the night and prompts participation from children through questions about the traditions. The customs are designed to engage younger generations, ensuring the preservation and transmission of Jewish heritage. Preparations for Passover involve thorough cleaning of homes to remove leaven, special food preparations, and the use of unique dishes for the occasion. Overall, Passover serves as a vital expression of gratitude and remembrance for the Jewish community.
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Passover (Pesach)
Passover (Pesach)
This is a movable event
Passover (in Hebrew, Pesach) is one of the most important and elaborate celebrations of the Jewish year. As it began more than 3,000 years ago and continues to the present day, it is also one of the oldest festivals known to history. Beginning at sundown on the 14th day of the month of Nisan (March-April), Passover is observed by Orthodox and Conservative Jews for the next eight days, and by Reform Jews for the next seven. Its high point is the seder, a ceremonial meal served in all Jewish homes on the first night; and by Conservative, Orthodox, and some Reform Jews on the second night as well. Many Reform synagogues observe a home seder one night and on the other have a community seder in the synagogue for members and their guests. The seder is also served in hotels or central meeting halls for those away from home.
Passover is a celebration of the Exodus, the deliverance of the Jewish people under Moses after their many generations of captivity in Egypt. Thus it is a festival of freedom from bondage, marking the real beginning of the Jewish nation. The entire story of the deliverance, including their safe passage across the Red Sea, is recounted in the Torah in the Book of Exodus. According to this account the Jews, obeying the commands of Moses, remained in their homes on the fateful night before their exodus from Egypt. They were dressed and ready for their journey, and ate unleavened bread and the sacrificial (or paschal) lamb. Fulfilling Moses' prediction, the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain by the hand of God, both humans and animals, so that no Egyptian household remained without its dead.
The term “Passover” refers to the way in which God, when he smote the firstborn of the Egyptians, passed over the homes of the Jews in Egypt, since their lintels and doorposts had been marked with the blood of sacrificial lambs in accordance with God's instructions to Moses. Fulfillment of the prediction caused the Pharaoh to summon Moses in the night and urge him to depart in haste from the land with his people. Later, reconsidering the loss of their servants, the Jews, the Egyptians pursued them and were drowned by the waters of the Red Sea. According to the biblical account, the Red Sea parted to allow the Jews to pass on dry land, but closed upon and drowned the pursuing Egyptians.
After the Jews reached the Promised Land in Israel some 40 years later, they continued Passover as Moses had originally instructed them. Except for the now discontinued offering of sacrificial lambs on the eve of Passover, an annual ritual from the Jewish people's entry into Israel until the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the Passover rites of biblical times have been observed to this day. Essentially the observance is a reliving, on an individual basis, of the original Passover experience and an expression of gratitude for it. It also serves to preserve the history of the people and to instruct the young. Passover customs are deliberately arranged for the enjoyment of children and for their participation.
In preparation for the Passover celebration, Jewish houses are cleaned, traditional foods are prepared, and special dishes and cooking utensils, unused during the rest of the year, are placed in readiness. During the seven or eight days of the actual Passover observance only unleavened bread, the traditional matzos or bread of affliction, commemorating the hasty departure of the Jewish people from Egypt before the leaven or yeast in their bread had time to rise, is eaten. On the night before Passover begins, Orthodox Jews make certain that there is no yeast or leavened bread in their homes.
The seder finds the head of the family in the place of honor, provided with cushions in memory of the ancient manner of freemen who reclined at the table, and with his family, guests, and servants all seated with him in recognition of the equality of all before God. Other men and boys attending the seder, or in some cases all attendees, are also provided with cushions. In the center of the table are the symbolic Passover foods, including unleavened bread; bitter herbs in remembrance of the hardships of slavery; a roasted egg, as a free-will or voluntary offering; salt water, signifying tears; haroset, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine, representing the bricks and mortar used in Egypt; and a roasted shank bone of lamb, symbolizing the sacrificial lamb of tradition. There is wine on the table, and four cups or glasses are drunk by each participant, each cup at a fixed point in the ceremonial meal, with a fifth cup placed on the table for the prophet Elijah who, it is believed, will pave the way for the coming of the Messiah.
The focal point of the seder is the reading aloud of the story of the Exodus. The account, as related in the Haggadah, is in response to four questions, asked by the youngest child of the family, as to the meaning of the evening and its customs, beginning with the traditional “Why is this night different from other nights?” Commencing his answers, the head of the household responds: “We were slaves in Egypt, but the Lord our God brought us out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” In addition to the Exodus account, the seder includes benedictions, psalms, and prayers of thanksgiving.
Bibliography
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"Passover - Pesach: History & Overview." Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/passover-history-and-overview. Accessed 28 June 2018.
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