“Sundown on April 5th marked the beginning of Passover and the Seder.
While we all come from different faiths and backgrounds, each of us can learn much from this Jewish holiday commemorating the struggle of the Jewish people over 3,000 years ago, their emancipation from slavery in Egypt, receipt of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, and the establishment of their homeland in the Promised Land.
The eight-day Passover feast is when Jewish people reflect upon the story of their ancestors. They retell it, parent to the child, to ensure the love of liberty is passed on from generation to generation.”
The Story
Passover, Hebrew Pesaḥ or Pesach, in Judaism, is a holiday commemorating the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites when the Lord “smote the land of Egypt” on the eve of the Exodus. On these seven (or eight) days, all leaven, whether in bread or other mixture, is prohibited, and only unleavened bread, called matzo, may be eaten. The matzo symbolizes both the Hebrews’ suffering while in bondage and the haste with which they left Egypt in the course of the Exodus. Passover is also sometimes called the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
Passover is often celebrated with great pomp and ceremony, especially on the first night, when a special family meal called the seder is held. At the seder, foods of symbolic significance commemorating the Hebrews’ liberation are eaten, and prayers and traditional recitations are performed. Though the festival of Passover is meant to be one of great rejoicing, strict dietary laws must be observed, and special prohibitions restrict work at the beginning and end of the celebration.
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