Passover
Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
Nathaniel Glanzman
Reviewer URLNames: Passover, Pesach
Pronunciation: pay-saak
Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
Origin
According to the Jewish faith, a man named Moses was told by God to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt, where they were being enslaved and persecuted. Moses first asked the Egyptian Pharaoh to release the Jews, but he refused, and God sent a series of plagues to the land. The tenth plague was the angel of death who came to take the firstborn of every household. The Jewish people were told to mark their doors with lamb’s blood so that their firstborn children would be “passed over” or spared.
When it is celebrated
Passover begins at sundown on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and ends at sundown on the 21st (or 22nd, for Reform Jews and those outside of Israel). It usually falls in March or April.
Traditions
During Passover, it’s forbidden to eat anything that contains leaven, such as that found in bread, as the Jews fleeing Egypt didn’t have time to wait for their bread to rise. Typically, people will eat unleavened bread, called matzo, either in its original cracker-like form or ground as a meal in other recipes. A traditional family meal called a seder is held on the first night. At the seder, families share rituals, eat traditional symbolic foods, recite prayers, and tell stories.
About Moses
Moses was a Hebrew prophet, teacher, and leader in the 13th century BCE. Some believe he is the author of the Torah, comprising the first five books of the Bible. His life story starts with his birth: to save their newborn Moses from an Egyptian law that required all newborn Hebrew Jewish males to be killed, his mother tucked him into a basket and sent him down the river. An Egyptian princess found him, and he was raised in the Egyptian court. As an adult, he learned of his heritage and fought for the liberation of the Hebrew people. With God on his side, Moses demanded the Pharaoh release Hebrews from slavery. When this request was refused, God unleashed the plagues on the Egyptians. This was the catalyst for Ramses to release them. Moses eventually led the Hebrews out of Egypt, aided by miracles such as the literal parting of the red sea, so that the escapees could flee from soldiers to safety.