Pesach

Holiday Guide

About Pesach

Pesach Throughout History

For most of the twelve hundred years after the Exodus, the major ritual of Passover was to bring a lamb to the Bet HamikdashTemple in Jerusalem as an offering in commemoration of the sacrifice made by every Hebrew family who, on that last night of Egyptian slavery, marked their door post with the blood of a lamb. At the Temple, the lamb was first slaughtered by a Kohen, priest. Part of the animal was offered as a sacrifice, and then the family who had brought the animal gathered to eat the remainder. During the celebratory meal, parents and children engaged in a lengthy discussion of the Exodus, fulfilling the Torah’s command that parents tell their children the story of how God freed the Jews. This long-ago meal is the origin of the Pesach Seder, a word that literally means order. Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., Jews no longer offer animal sacrifice. The Seder now serves as the commemoration of Yitziat Mitzrayim, going forth from Egypt. By participating in the Seder, one fulfills the commandment, incumbent upon each of us in every generation, to regard ourselves as though we, too, were liberated from Egypt.

Bread and leavened products, chametz, are forbidden throughout the holiday of Pesach and matzah is eaten in its place. Chametz is any food containing flour that has fermented, such as breads, cakes, and pasta, or dough made from wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats.

The matzah reminds us that the Hebrews left Egypt in such haste their bread did not have time to rise. The sun on the backs of the Israelites baked flat matzah as they fled. During the weeks before Passover, homes are systematically cleaned, and all bread and other chametz (leavened products) is removed.

The holiday of Pesach, or Passover, begins in the evening on the 14th of the Hebrew month Nissan (this year, the 5th of April) and commemorates Yetziat Mitzrayim - the Exodus of the Bnei Yisrael - Israelites from Egyptian bondage. The holiday is traditionally celebrated for eight days; Israeli and liberal Jews observe the festival for seven days. The story of the Exodus is found in the Torah in the first half of the Book of Shemot - Exodus. Pesach marks the emergence of Israel as a nation and as a people who accepted the Torah at Mt. Sinai as the guiding basis for Jewish life. Until this event God had only made covenants with individuals. This time the covenant was made between God and Am Yisrael, the entire Jewish people. The holiday is known by four names, each reflecting a different aspect of the festival:

• Chag HaPesach, the Festival of Passover, is linked with the account of the tenth plague, the killing of the first born Egyptian sons, when God passed over the homes of the Israelites.

• Chag HaMatzot, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, reflects the centrality of matzah in the observance of the holiday.

• Chag HaAviv, the Spring Festival, reflects the seasonal significance.

• Z’man Cherutenu, the Season of Our Freedom, marks the attainment of freedom from bondage by the ancient Israelites.