About Passover

Passover is one of the high holy holidays of the Jewish faith. It is a celebration that observes Exodus of the former Jewish slaves from Egypt. Passover last seven days, and is considered to commemorate the point at which the Jewish state was established because it had finally been freed from the bondage of the Egyptians.

History

The history of Passover dates back several thousand years when a harsh Egyptian Pharoah named Ramses II came into conflict with a Jewish slave named Moses who had been told by God to arrange for the freedom of His people. Ramses and Moses engaged in a series of confrontations marked by plagues until finally Ramses relented and agreed to the emancipation of the Jewish slaves. The final plague involved God ordering the Jews to sacrifice a lamb and paint a mark with blood over doorways.

Significance

This mark of indicated that their home should be "passed over" while the firstborn males of Egyptians would meanwhile be sacrificed. The passover that gives the name its holiday, therefore, is a vital element in the understanding of the celebration. It was the power of God to pass over the house of the Hebrew slaves and spare the firstborn males of those houses that indicate not just the strength of their god, but their chosen place in His plan.

Function

Passover is actually considered to be a combination of two annual celebrations. The first is know as Ḥag ha-Pesaḥ, or the Feast of the Passover, and that name derives from a passage in the Book of Exodus (34:25). The other celebration is called Ḥag ha-Matsot or the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which lends the holiday its most common symbol, the eating of bread that has not been allowed to rise.

Features

The eating of unleavened bread is Biblical in basis. Jews refrain from eating bread that has been allowed to rise because during the Exodus from Egypt, the Hebrew slaves were in too much of a hurry to fully bake their bread and were forced to subside on the unleavened dough. Traditionally, Jews celebrating Passover strict observe this element of observance.

Considerations

Passover celebration is marked by an important ritual known as the Seder. The Seder is celebrated inside the home on the first night of Passover in Israel and on the second night in celebrations outside Israel. The ritual of Seder involves a ceremonious and joyous meal. The meal is highly ritualistic in the sense that many strict rules must be observed.
The Seder, celebrated in the home on the first night of Passover (outside Israel, also on the second night), is a festive meal during which various rituals are carried out and the Haggadah is read or chanted. The Haggadah ("telling") is the traditional collection of hymns, stories, and poems recited in obedience to the command for parents to tell their children of God's mighty deeds in delivering the people from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 13:8).

Features

One of the rites that is involved in the Seder is the reading, or sometimes chanting, of the Haggadah. The Haggadah, whether read or chanted, is simply a collectino of ancient stories and hymns that are recited as a means of showing obedience to the commandment for Jewish parents to educate their children on the importance of God's hand in delivering the Hebrews from their enslavement in Egypt.

Misconceptions

Because Passover occurs the same week as Good Friday and Easter, and because the Last Supper itself was actually a Seder meal, many people confuse the holiday with being a Christian celebration. In fact, the first Passover occurred a thousand years before Jesus Christ was born and though Passover does have a tenuous connection with the Easter holiday, it is not a Christian observation at all.