Passover-- also known as Pesach in Hebrew-- is a Jewish holiday. It is a commemoration of the story of the Israelites' freedom of slavery from ancient Egypt, which is told in the Bible's book of Exodus, of which I'll try to explain-- the Passover parts I mean-- for this blog.
The holiday lasts for 8 days, as done by Orthodox and most Conservative Jewish communities outside of Israel. Or 7 days, as commanded so in the Torah, which is followed by Israel, Reform Jews and other progressive Jews around the world. The reason for it being celebrated as 8 days is explained in this article if you'd like to know. Israelites and Jews usually take the week off on this holiday, even if it is not nationally taken off, except for the first day. So usually, Jewish stores will be closed during Passover, and they take the time to rest and to pray.
Passover does not begin until sundown on the specified date, usually found on your calendar. Once it becomes sundown a special dinner called Seder is held, it's a ceremony of going through the Haggadah which is filled with traditions, stories and songs of celebration sung before the food.
At the dinner, there is a special plate with 6 placeholders, it is called a Seder Plate and looks like this;
Each of the 6 items stand for something.
Greens, or Karpas: Usually a few sprigs of parsley, that are dipped twice into the salted water. This represents the tears that were shed for ourselves and on behalf of others. It is a remembrance that life sometimes can be immersed in tears.
Horseradish-
Egg (usually hard-boiled)
Shank Bone
Bitter Herb
Haroset
Before the week of Passover, every grain of leavening or yeast, must be cleaned out of the house, and during the week, nothing with either of those may be consumed.
The story of how the Israelites were freed started back in ancient Egypt.
The people of Israel lived in peace with the Egyptians, but eventually a pharaoh came into power that hadn't ever heard of Joseph-- a Jew that saved Egypt from a seven year-long famine. So then the pharaoh became afraid of how numerous and potentially dangerous-- in the case they were to rise up as an army in the event of war and were to join with the enemies of the Egyptians-- the Israelites were, and so he set taskmasters over them. But the more they were afflicted with work, the more they multiplied, so the Egyptians, in fear, set them to do more work, and eventually the Israelites became slaves.
chag sameach
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