What is Passover?
Passover is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar and is celebrated by Jews worldwide to commemorate the liberation from Egyptian slavery. It is a festival of remembrance, hope, and new beginnings and is often referred to as the "Feast of Unleavened Bread."
When is Passover celebrated?
Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan, which is in spring. According to the Gregorian calendar, it usually falls in March or April. The month of Nissan marks the beginning of the Jewish annual cycle in terms of festivals, which is why Passover is often considered the first festival of the year.
The festival lasts seven days in Israel and eight days in the Diaspora. The first two nights of Passover are traditionally celebrated with a Seder meal, which plays a central role in the festivities. The festival concludes with a holiday on the seventh or eighth day, commemorating the final liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
The Story of Passover: The Exodus from Egypt
Passover commemorates the Exodus, the liberation of the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery and their departure from Egypt. According to the Torah, the Israelites were freed by the prophet Moses from the tyranny of the Pharaoh, who had enslaved them for centuries.
God sent ten plagues upon Egypt to force Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave. The tenth plague, the "Plague of Death," claimed the lives of all the firstborn sons of Egypt. However, the Israelites, who placed the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorposts, were spared, which became known as the "Passover" (from the Hebrew word "pesach," meaning "to pass over"). After Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, they began their journey to freedom, to the promised land of Canaan.
Preparing for Passover: Removing Chametz
Throughout Passover, Jewish households are forbidden to eat or possess chametz (leavened bread or products made from leavened dough). Before Passover begins, all leavened foods are consumed, given away, or sold. Finally, as part of a spring cleaning, each family conducts a thorough chametz search to ensure no leavened products remain in the home.
The omission of leavened bread is a reminder that the Israelites, during their long-awaited but then hasty Exodus from Egypt, had no time to let the dough for their bread rise or ferment. Therefore, during the festival, only unleavened bread is eaten, in the form of matzo. These thin flatbreads are made only from flour and water.
The Seder meal: The heart of the celebrations
The Seder meal is the central ritual of Passover and takes place on the eve of the festival. "Seder" means "order" in Hebrew, and the meal follows a set sequence of prayers, songs, and symbolic acts. The Seder meal is a family and community celebration where everyone comes together to tell the story of the Exodus and remember the liberation of the Israelites.
On the Seder table there are various symbolic foods, each of which has a specific meaning:
Matzo : The unleavened bread eaten on the night of the Exodus, when the Israelites fled Egypt in haste and had no time to leaven their bread. Matzo commemorates the poverty and hardship of the Israelites during their slavery, but also their swift departure to freedom.
Maror : Bitter herb (usually horseradish) that reminds us of the bitterness of slavery.
Charoset : A sweet paste made from apples, nuts, and wine, symbolizing the bricks the Israelites had to make for Pharaoh in Egypt.
Chazeret : A second bitter herb that may be the same or a different vegetable than maror and is eaten together with charoset.
Karpas : A green vegetable (usually parsley) dipped in salt water, reminiscent of the tears of the Israelites.
Z'roa : A piece of bone that commemorates the Passover sacrifice in the Temple.
In addition to these symbolic foods, four cups of wine are consumed at the Seder meal, representing the four promises of God to the people of Israel, which are formulated in the Exodus narrative:
“I will bring you out” (from slavery),
“I will save you” (from the yoke of slavery),
“I will redeem you” (by my hand),
“I will take you” (as my people).
On Seder evening, however, there is not only eating and drinking: there is reading from the Haggadah, which tells the biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt, singing and prayer.
The further course of Passover
After the Seder, the celebration continues in the following days with less festive but still meaningful customs.
Many families were able to gather during this time to share meals and remember that Passover is not just a look back at historical events, but also an opportunity to reflect on one's own freedom and the responsibility to fight against oppression and injustice. Throughout the holiday, there are also numerous social events celebrating the teachings of Passover and the values of the Jewish people.
On the last day of Passover (as on other Jewish holidays), deceased family members are remembered with the Yizkor prayer .
Passover as a celebration of freedom and hope
Passover is one of the most important and profound festivals in Judaism. It is a celebration of the miracle of the Israelites' liberation from Egyptian slavery, but also a celebration of hope and new beginnings. Through the Seder meal, filled with symbolic foods and prayers, and the practice of purifying chametz, the festival is not only celebrated but also kept alive.
Passover is a celebration of gratitude, freedom, and hope—a celebration that not only honors Jewish history but also inspires us to seek and appreciate the meaning of freedom and liberation in our own lives.