Passover

Passover

Passover, or Pesach, celebrates the deliverance of Jewish ancestors from slavery in Egypt, a story chronicled in the Bible in the Book of Exodus. During this time, regardless of how many miles separate family members, Jewish families make great efforts to reunite so that they can celebrate the holiday and pay homage to their roots. Passover has come to symbolize the freedom that Jews have repeatedly fought for throughout the centuries. Passover lasts for seven days.

Passover has its roots in two ancient agricultural celebrations. The first is a celebration called Pesach, which is a family celebration that dates back to nomadic days in the desert. The second is the seven day Feast of the Unleavened Bread which originated when the Hebrews began farming the so called "Promised Land." The two celebrations always occurred around the same time on the calendar year so over the centuries, they eventually merged and became celebrated concurrently. Eventually, these two celebrations gained more meaning when they came to symbolize the Exodus from Egypt.

The two original celebrations, Pesach and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread came to represent different aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. The Pesach has come to be symbolize the emotions that slavery under the oppressive Egyptians evokes, and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread commemorates the more physical and more practical aspects of the flight from Egypt that Moses led. The Pesach celebration evolved into the seder, a special meal complete with its own regulations and traditions that is served on the first day of Passover. During the seder, the emotional events of Exodus are recounted with food, stories, and song. The seder meal has a special menu that helps to remind Jews about the memories of Exodus. First, unleavened bread is eaten which reminds observers of Passover that when the Jews exited Egypt, they did not have time to let their breads rise. Instead, all they had to ear were thin, unrisen crackers called matzo. Next, bitter herbs are consumed. These bitter herbs allow observers of passover to remember the bitterness of slavery under the hands of the Egyptians. The next part of a seder meal is a sweet fruit paste made in a mortar and pestle. This paste reminds Jews how their slave ancestors were forced to make mud bricks for the pharaohs. Another food that is eaten during the seder is a green vegetable which marks the beginning of spring. This vegetable, usually parsley, is dipped into salt water to remind Jews of the tears that their ancestors made as they wept during their enslavement in Egypt. Next, an egg is eaten to symbolize birth and rebirth. The final component of the seder is a piece of meat, roasted on the bone, which symbolizes a ritualistic animal sacrifice that was originally made at the Temple.

At the seder feast, stories are read from the Haggadah, a book that tells the story of Exodus. Young children are asked the Four Questions, which allow them to learn about the significance of Passover and the history of Exodus.

The four questions are:

1. Why do we eat matzo?
2. Why do we eat bitter herbs?
3. Why is the green vegetable dipped into salt water?
4. Why do we recline when eating?

The answer to the forth question concerning why participants at a seder table recline is that it reminds them that they are free and can now eat in comfort. After that, more detailed stories about the Exodus are recounted, culminating with the story of the Ten Plagues of Egypt. The final plague, where God unleashed the Angel of Death to kill all first born children in Egypt, is of particular importance in Passover.

The days following the first two days of Passover are celebrated like other holidays with special prayers and offerings being made. These are days when very little work should be done. On the final day of Passover, prayers are offered in synagogue that remind observers of the festivities about their ancestors and their own mortality.