If you're like me, the only way I learned anything about Passover was from the Rugrats Passover special and the movie Prince of Egypt. I probably learned about it in vacation bible school when I was a tot, but I honestly don't remember anything from those couple of summers other than the play about David and Goliath. Why? I don't have any idea. I found researching this to be super interesting, and the first place I went for information (pjcc.org) had such a comprehensive explanation that I didn't really need to look elsewhere, but I did anyway just to make sure I wasn't missing anything important. Highly recommend checking them out if you'd like more information about Passover or about the Jewish faith in general.
In Hebrew, Passover is called Pesach (pay-sokh), and it is all about remembering and honoring the plight of their ancestors, their struggle to gain freedom and their eventual escape from Egypt and the slavery they endured there. According to pjcc.org, this is the "Jewish master story, that has shaped its values of religious freedom, caring for the stranger, and standing up to oppressive tyrants." It's a story that begins over 3,000 years ago with the family of Jacob, who, in the face of famine, fled their home in Canaan (ancient Israel) for the safety of Egypt. In Egypt they, and others in the same situation, were welcomed causing the population to grow and flourish. The quickly increasing population of Israelites didn't seem to be a concern until a new Pharaoh came into power and, in fear, he enslaved them for 210 years.
Moses, who was supposed to be killed due to the Pharaoh's order of Jewish infanticide, somehow survived and was taken into the palace where he grew up as "half-Egyptian." While out in the desert, God contacted Moses via a burning bush, instructing him to free the Israelites. With this declaration, Moses went to negotiate Israelite freedom with the Pharoah but, it didn't go over so well, and it became a "show down" between God (freedom) and the Pharaoh (hard-hearted and tyrannical). God bestowed upon Egypt 10 plagues, which ended up breaking the Pharaoh's spirit. In the last plague, where the firstborn son of each Egyptian family dies, God "passed over" the homes of Israelites, protecting them from the slaughter. This is what gives the festival it's name. This is the plague that did the Pharaoh in; he let the Israelites go. However, the Pharoah had a change of heart, sending his army after the fleeing Israelites until the reached the Red Sea, where they had nowhere else to run. Moses, channeling God, parted the waters of the Sea, allowing him and his people to cross on the dry land of the sea floor and escape, while the Pharaoh's army was left befuddled, and certainly fuming, on the opposite shore.
Having run out of Egypt in a hurry, to put it lightly, the Israelites had no time for their bread to leaven and rise. In Hebrew, unleavened bread is called "Matzah," which might be a familiar name as it is Passover's most famous symbol/food. During Passover, which lasts 8 days, participants do not eat, or even possess, any foods that contain leaven. Items that are considered leaven are wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt and anything made with these items are called "chametz" which can also be spelled "hametz" or "chometz" and is pronounced "ha-maytz." This means that foods like cakes, cookies, pasta, breads (aside from matzah), items that have chametz as an ingredient (malt for example), and flour even before it's mixed with water. Many Jewish people take this opportunity to thoroughly clean their homes; especially the kitchen where dishes, pots, and pans, are the focus as to remove any possibility of leavened foods being present from past meals.
Food is a centerpiece of the celebration of Passover, from the focus on the unleavened foods to the Seder (Say-der), a ritual meal that is purposefully crafted in food and in the order it is served, carefully chosen to represent the journey from slavery to freedom. On this "Seder plate" you'll find three matzot, placed on top of one another and separated by a napkin between each. There are three so one can be broken, as a slave would do, while still having two left to recite the Hamotzi blessing over. They are also symbolic of three groups of Jews; the Priests, Levites, and Israelites while also representing the three measure of fine flour that Abraham told Sarah to bake into the Matzah when they were visited by three angels.
Following the matzot is the Zeroa, or shankbone, which is a piece of roasted meat, typically chicken when not being cooked and consumed in the Holy Temple and lamb if it is. This is meant to represent the sacrificial lamb on the eve of the Israelites exodus. This item is not actually eaten at the Seder and in fact can even be refrigerated and used again at the Seder the next night. The Beitzah, or hardboiled Egg, is next and holds two meanings. It's first role is to represent the pre-holiday offering during the days of the Holy Temple where the meat of the offered animal would make up the main part of the Passover meal. It's other role has to do with the Aramaic word for "egg," which is "bei'ah," and its similarity to the Aramaic word for desire. This connection is used to express God's desire to redeem the Jewish people on this night.
Maror and Chazeret are the bitter herbs on the Seder plate that are meant to represent the suffering of the Israelite slaves. Typically grated horseradish and romaine lettuce are used for the herbs, the latter of which may seem strange because romaine isn't inherently bitter. However, since the stem of romaine is, it becomes a metaphor for the slavery endured and the way it came about. Apparently at first the Pharaoh was gentle and deceitfully kind about it the work to be done, having it be on a voluntarily basis, and with pay. Slowly, as we know, the Pharaoh revealed the true nature of his plan, having the work become cruel and forcing the Israelites into the labor.
A paste called "Charoset," which is a mixture of apples, pears, nuts, and wine and sounds similar to an applesauce, is meant to represent the mortar and brick made by the Jewish people under the Pharaoh's harsh rule. Often the Maror is dipped in this. I feel like I've heard that Matzah is dipped in this to or eaten with it, but I'm not sure if that's the case. Karpas, or parsley, will complete the Seder plate. It's importance is to signify the backbreaking work the slaves completed under the Pharaoh. Everyone will take a small piece of the karpas, dip it in salt water, say a blessing, and then eat it.
Taking place on the eve of Passover surrounded by family, friends, and/or the community, the feast begins with the reading of the Haggadah (ha-ga-da), a 2,000 year old book that recounts the escape from Egypt and from slavery. This year, 2024, the first Passover Seder will be on Monday April 22nd while the second is held on the evening of the 23rd. In all, Passover will last from sundown on the 22nd until the evening of the 30th.
To introduce the story, children will sing "The Four Questions" or "Mah Nishtanah" in Hebrew. The Haggadah explains that "each person is to experience the exodus from Egypt personally, as if we ourselves have been freed from Egypt." The Hebrew word for Egypt translates to "the narrow constricted place" and as such, Jewish people will use this time and opportunity to think about places in their lives where they too feel constricted. It is a time to reflect on these places that they feel stuck and to think about how to push through it in order to reach a place of relief and freedom.
Jewish ethics are tied deeply to the Exodus from Egypt, and therefore breaking the binds of slavery, and are heavily focused on protecting the powerless since they too were once powerless. The Torah, the Jewish Bible, even states this obligation multiple times! The idea of Judaism is to "create societies based on the principles of justice, righteousness, and compassion" with the story of the Exodus empowering both secular and religious Jews alike to carry on this work.
I hope you all learned a lot about Passover with this post and a little bit more about the Jewish faith than you knew before. I know I certainly did. I am wishing everyone who celebrates a very happy Passover to you and your families.
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