Passover

Chag sameach!

Passover is a Jewish holiday, of Biblical origin, marking the birth of the Jews as a people and their emergence as a unique nation in history, devoted to God's will. It celebrates the liberation of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt over 3,000 years ago, under the leadership of Moses. Passover begins this year on Monday night, April 5th (14 Nisan) and lasts for 8 days until Tuesday, April 13th (22 Nisan) at sundown.

The Story
The Story of Pesach is one of the most well known stories in Judaism. It begins in Egypt many years after Joseph had died. The new Pharaoh did not remember the great deeds Joseph had done, and became wary of the Israelites who were growing in numbers in the town of Goshen.

Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites as a means of controlling them to prevent them from fighting the Egyptians. To further prevent this in the future, Pharaoh ordered all male Israelite children to be thrown into the Nile River. One family hid their newborn child in a basket. Pharaoh's daughter noticed the basket, and rescued the child, naming him Moses.

Moses grew up in Pharaoh's palace, but was taught of his heritage early by his birth mother who was able to obtain a job as a nurse to him in the palace. One day, Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. Moses slew the Egyptian, and hid the body in the sand. A few days later, Moses attempted to stop a fight between two Israelites. One of the Israelites turned to him and said, "Are you going to kill us like you did the Egyptian?" Moses, fearing that Pharaoh would soon find out, fled to Midian.

Years later, Moses was tending flocks on Mt. Horeb when he saw a burning bush. The bush was incredible in that it was burning but was not consumed by the flame. From within, God told Moses to return to Egypt and free the Israelites from their bondage and bring them to the "land flowing with milk and honey." Moses resisted, but God insisted that he would guide Moses along the way.

When Moses asked Pharaoh to free the Israelites, Pharaoh refused. God then brought down the first of ten plagues. The plagues were Blood, Frogs, Lice, Beasts, Cattle Disease, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, and the Killing of the First Born sons of Egypt. After each plague Pharaoh would let the children go, but God would harden Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh would change his mind. Finally after the last of the ten plagues, Pharaoh let the Israelites go.

After the Israelites left, Pharaoh changed his mind one more time. His army rushed towards the Israelites, trapping them at the Red Sea. God parted the waters of the Red Sea, and the Israelites rushed across. After they were across, the waters poured back on the Egyptian army, drowning them.

The Mitzvot

• Beginning 30 Days before Pesach, one begins removing chametz from one's home. On the thirteenth of Nisan, individuals must stop all work in the evening and search for chametz to insure that there is none left in the house. All chametz must be sold or destroyed, and cannot be kept during Pesach. Dishes must also be replaced to prevent transmitting the chametz they have gathered throughout the year. In Ashkenazic tradition chametz includes beans, peas, rice, millet, corn, and seeds in addition to all products that have yeast.
• First born children participate in a fast on Erev Pesach to commemorate the lost Egyptian sons.
• At the Seder (which means order) we have a specific order, which helps to promote the mitzvot relating to Pesach. The two most important ones are to eat Matzah on that day, and also to retell the Pesach story emphasizing that God brought us out of Egypt and not just our ancestors.
• At the Seder table we recline in order to show that we are free and can sit like royalty at the table. One is also obligated to drink 4 cups of wine in conjunction with the Seder.
• During Pesach it is traditional to recite Shir ha-Shirim (The Song of Songs). Shir ha-Shirim reads like a love song. It is oftentimes considered to be representative of the love between God and Israel.

The Twists

• Beginning on the Second night of Pesach we begin counting the Omer, the 7 weeks until Shavuot. The Omer was originally a harvest Festival, but is now a period of minor mourning. This is due to a tale of Rabbi Akiva's 12,000 students, who died from a plague during the Omer because they could not respect one another. We cease mourning during the Omer for Lag Baomer (33rd day of the Omer). Lag Baomer is day of celebrating outdoors, with bonfires, and bows and arrows. That day also commemorates Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who lived in a cave in Israel and is credited with writing the Zohar.
• Pesach is the first holiday of the year according to the Torah. All other holidays are determined by it.
• Moses is not mentioned at all in the traditional Haggadah. Many people believe this to be due to the author's wanting to emphasize God's crucial role, and not raise Moses to the level of a deity.

Passover Themed Programs in the Online Program Bank:

• Third Seder for Passover
• What's So Different? A Not-So-Model Seder
• Who's the Hero? Parshat Shemot
• The Road Back to Sinai
• Chocolate Seder
• Kadima Passover Program Ideas

Links to Other Websites:

• Virtual Jerusalem Haggadah
• Everything Jewish: Passover Laws & Customs
• Judaism 101: Passover
• Tons of Passover Resources from JTS
• Passover Celebrations and Fun Stuff
• Passover: Story, Recipes, and More