Blog Post: What's Pass-Over?

What a year it has been so far!! The High holidays, Hanukah, TuBeshvat and Purim have come and gone. It’s hard to believe how fast this all happened and we are already celebrating Passover. This year, Passover begins on April 6th -- the Eve of Nissan15 (Hebrew date) and lasts for 8 days in the diaspora (outside of Israel). In Israel, however, the holiday lasts for only 7 days.

Passover is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday, recalling the biblical story of the Israelite’s Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago, and their liberation from long years of slavery. It also reminds us of 20th century events such as the Holocaust, where millions of courageous Jews left their birthplace to escape the persecution of Nazi Europe.

Passover is also known by three, lesser-known names: The Spring, The Freedom and The Matzah holiday. The most common name obviously is Passover, which was coined from part of the story when the Angel of Death “passed over” or “pass through” the houses of Jews. Seder in Hebrew means the “order” and during Passover we refer to the Seder as a special home service and festive meal that follows a traditional 15 steps process.

Instructions on how to conduct the Seder are described in a special book called the Hagadah. The traditional Seder plate includes: harosset, bitter herbs, lamb bone, roasted egg, parsley and matzah. These items symbolically remind us of the story of Passover and teach us valuable lessons that have been passed down for generations.

At JSN, we conducted our 13th Annual Model Seders this week. We had three seders with Cantor Li-Paz, Cantor Judy and our music teacher Wendy Lenvenson. This was a great opportunity to continue the chain of tradition and extend to students the story of our people. The rituals and customs were incorporated in the songs, plays and hands-on activities offered at each Model Seder.

For the youngest JSN students at iTot, to whom Pessach is new and exciting, being introduced to the Model Seder for the first time was especially fun and rewarding. While making their very own Matzah and Harosset, the students were engaged and had fun learning each custom.

I think that Passover is one of the most meaningful and enduring Jewish holidays, because it describes a story of human courage, dignity and equality. It shares the story of a people who, for 2,000 years, had been wandering in exile and suffering in one place after the next. By retelling the story, each generation learns to appreciate the strength of the Jewish people and the adversity they’ve overcome. The rich symbols of the holiday are relevant to current issues, issues that face Jews and non-Jews alike.

Pessach Sameach! May this Passover brings peace and unity in the world.