Why is passover celebrated

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The Jerusalem Report. Jerusalem Post Lite. March of the living. Kabbalat Shabbat. Shapers of Israel. Maariv Online. Maariv News. Tools and services. JPost Premium. Ulpan Online. The Plague on Livestock: All animals belonging to the Egyptians died - horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The Plague of Boils: Festering boils broke out on the Egyptian people and their livestock. The Plague of Hail: The worst hailstorm ever to hit Egypt struck, beating down crops growing in the fields and even killing people and animals caught in it.

The Plague of Locusts: A swarm of locusts settled in Egypt and devoured anything left growing after the hail. An avenging angel would go from house to house killing every first-born son. Israelite children would not be killed and thus God would show that they were his chosen people. So that the angel would know which houses were Israelite homes, the Children of Israel were to follow very specific instructions:.

At midnight every Egyptian firstborn - from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner in his cell - and even of the livestock - was struck down by the angel. The Egyptians were so glad to see the back of the Israelites that they gave them silver and gold and other valuables to encourage them to go. The Israelites took their unleavened dough with them - they hadn't had time to add the yeast - and lived on this for the first few days of their Exodus. Learning Zone video: The Passover Story.

Every year, Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel, as commanded by God in Exodus Learning Zone video: The meaning of Passover for young Jews today. Passover lasts seven days - the first and seventh days are observed as full days of rest yom tov , and the middle five as intermediate holidays hol ha-moed.

The Torah says to celebrate Passover for seven days, but Jews in the Diaspora lived too far away from Israel to receive word as to when to begin their observances and an additional day of celebration was added to be on the safe side. Before celebrations can begin the house must be cleaned from top to bottom to remove any traces of chametz leaven from the home.

This commemorates the Jews leaving Egypt who did not have time to let their bread rise, but also symbolises removing 'puffiness' arrogance, pride from their souls. The day before Passover begins there is a ritual search for chametz in every home.

The children usually join in with great enthusiasm. A Jew may not eat chametz or derive benefit from it during Passover. He may not even own it or feed it to animals. Any chametz in his possession, or utensils used to prepare food with chametz, have to be temporarily 'sold' to non-Jews.

They can be bought back after the holiday. You can even sell your chametz online! The day before Passover begins the Fast of the Firstborn is observed. All first born males fast on this day to celebrate their escape from the Plague of the First Born. The highlight of Passover observance takes place on the first two nights, when friends and family gather together for ritual seder meals.

Seder means 'order' and the ceremonies are arranged in a specific order. Special plates and cutlery are used which are kept exclusively for Passover. Learning Zone video: Buying kosher food for Pesach. The Haggadah is a book which tells in fourteen steps the story of the Jewish experience in Egypt and of the Exodus and revelation of God. As the story of each of the ten plagues is read out a drop of wine is spilt to remind Jews that their liberation was tinged with sadness at the suffering of the Egyptians.

The haggadah also contains songs, blessings, psalms and Four Questions. These four questions are:. Unleavened bread or matzo is eaten to remember the Exodus when the Israelites fled Egypt with their dough to which they had not yet added yeast.

Bitter herbs, usually horseradish, are included in the meal to represent the bitterness of slavery. At the beginning of the meal a piece of potato is dipped in salt water to recall the tears the Jews shed as slaves. In ancient times, people who were free reclined on sofas while they ate. Today cushions are placed on chairs to symbolise freedom and relaxation, in contrast to slavery. Usually the youngest person present will ask the questions and the father will respond.

The paradox of this is that these four questions should be asked spontaneously, but celebrations cannot happen unless they are asked! Children are central to Passover proceedings and symbolise the continuity of the Jewish people. The Jewish holiday is centered around the retelling of the Biblical story of the Jewish people being freed from slavery in Egypt.

Every family has its own Passover rituals, which may reflect family tradition or the denomination of Judaism some are more orthodox, others less traditional. Passover commemorates the Biblical story of Exodus — where God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The celebration of Passover is prescribed in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament in Judaism, the first five books of Moses are called the Torah.

The holiday is often celebrated for eight days seven in Israel , and incorporates themes of springtime, a Jewish homeland, family, remembrance of Jewish history, social justice and freedom — including recognizing those who are still being oppressed today.

All of these aspects are discussed, if not symbolically represented, during the Passover seder. Whether or not the Exodus actually happened remains unclear , and it continues to be a mystery that still confounds biblical scholars and archeologists alike. Elon Gilad, who writes about history and language, told Haaretz that Passover traditions are actually the result of merging of two ancient festivals celebrating spring, one of nomadic origin and one from villages.

Passover takes place in early spring during the Hebrew calendar month of Nissan, as prescribed in the book of Exodus. Because the Hebrew calendar does not match up with the Gregorian calendar, the date of Passover along with other Jewish holidays changes every year. In , Passover will take place from sundown on April 8 to sundown on April In contemporary Passover celebrations, relevant political or social justice themes have been incorporated into the seder.

And while there are myriad Haggadot to choose from to fit nearly all religious, age-specific, political or even satirical needs , the retelling of the Exodus is a key fixture in a Haggadah, along with the reading of the 10 plagues, the asking of the four questions, and explaining various Passover rituals, some of which date back 2, years, according to My Jewish Learning.

In the very basic Passover storyline , the Pharaoh is fearful that there will be too many Jews living in Egypt so he institutes slavery and demands that male Jewish babies be killed.

After killing a slave master, Moses flees into the desert, and encounters a burning bush of God revealing himself to Moses.

God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and lead the Jews out of slavery.