Pesach

Elena Pizzuto 8.2

In Judaism, the Pesach, also known as Passover, celebrates

the freedom of the Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Thousands of years ago the Israelites (early Jews), moved

to Egypt, where they became slaves of the Egyptians. It is
believed that Moses was chosen to go to the pharaoh to
demand that he frees the Israelites from slavery. The
pharaoh said no, so God sent down 10 punishments to force the king to change his
mind. The word Passover came from the 10th punishment, in which the first-born
sons of the Egyptians were killed. The Israelites avoided this punishment because
Moses had told them to mark their door posts so that the angel of death would pass
over them. This is how the word Passover originated. The son of Egypt’s pharaoh
died from this punishment. In his grief the pharaoh ordered Moses and the Jews to
leave Egypt and that is how the Jews were freed from the Egyptians.

The festival of Passover is one of great joy. It takes place for about one week in
March or April. A special family meal called a seder is
held the first and sometimes the second night of
Passover. Before the meal the story of Passover is told
through the songs and prayer of the Haggadah, which is
the book used during the seder.
The most important food of the
holiday is matzo, which is a bread made with only flour and
water. It is unleavened, which means that it is flat. This
reminds the Jews of the bread the Israelites took with them
when they left Egypt for freedom. They did not have time to
let it rise because they were in a hurry to leave.

During the seder meal the head of the family, usually wearing a white ritual gown
(kittel) begins the ceremony by a Jewish benediction and prayer recited over a cup
of wine. In all, four cups of wine (arbaʿ kosot) will be drunk at certain intervals.
 After everyone has washed their hands, the master of
the seder presents celery or another raw vegetable
(karpas) dipped in vinegar or salt water to all people at
the meal. Then a shank bone, symbolic of the Paschal
lamb eaten in ancient times, and a hard-boiled egg,
symbolizing God’s loving kindness, are removed from the seder plate, while all recite
a prayer.
After a second cup of wine is poured, the youngest child asks four standard questions
about the unusual ceremonies: “Why is this night different from all other nights?
Because on all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread; why on this
night only unleavened bread is allowed? On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs,
why on this night only bitter herbs are allowed? On all other nights we don’t dip our
herbs even once; why on this night must we dip them twice? On all other nights we
eat either sitting up or reclining; why on this night do we all recline?"

The prepared answers, recited by all together, give a spiritual interpretation to these
traditions. The answer (Haggada) is the story of the Exodus. This unique element of
the seder celebration keeps alive sacred Jewish traditions that are repeated by
generations at every seder meal.

Then everyone washes their hands again and eat

unleavened bread (matza) and bitter herbs (maror)
dipped into a mix of crushed fruits and wine,
signifying that freedom and spiritual progress are
the reward of suffering and sacrifice. At this point
the meal is eaten.

When everyone has eaten and said grace, they

pour a third cup of wine to express thanksgiving to God. As the ritual moves closer to
finishing, psalms of praise (Hallel) are recited together and a fourth cup of wine is
poured to acknowledge God’s loving providence.

Passover 2023 begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 5 th and ends the evening of
Thursday, April 13th. The first seder meal is on the evening of April 5th and the second
on the evening of April 6th.