All About Passover

Next week Jews the world over will celebrate Pesach or Passover.  The holiday marks the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt.  According to biblical tradition, the Children of Israel were slaves for 450 years.  The story in the Book of Exodus tells us that God heard their cries of distress and sent Moses to deliver them from their bondage.  We all know the story of the Ten Plagues that God visited upon the Egyptians to convince Pharaoh to let them go.  On the eve of the tenth plague, wherein the first born of all Egypt died, God instructed the Children of Israel to sacrifice a young goat and to spread part of its blood over the door frames of their homes.  In this way, the Angel of Death would see the blood, recognize it as a Hebrew home and “pass over” it.  Similarly, the Hebrews were instructed to be ready to leave on a moment’s notice.  In such haste their bread had no time to rise and so was born matzah, the unleavened bread associated with the Passover holiday.

Statistically, Passover and, more specifically the Seder is the most observed custom among Jews, even among those who consider themselves secularists.  Seder means “order” and this is reflected in the formulaic conduct of the Seder meal.  We retell the Exodus story and explain all the customs and symbols associated with Passover.

There are two elements of the Seder that, to me, form the essence of the Passover observance.  During the Seder we read:  “In every generation, each person is to see themselves as if they too, were leaving Egypt.”  Thus the Seder becomes experiential rather than merely commemorative.  By conducting the Seder we place our selves in our ancestors’ footsteps.  In a sense we see ourselves whisked back in time to that seminal event in which we become participants.

At one point we recount the Ten Plagues that befell Egypt.  As we name each plague, we take a single drop from our wine cups and place that drop on our plates.  Symbolically we are removing a portion of joy from our celebration as we take no pleasure in the fact that others, the Egyptians, had to suffer that we might gain our freedom.  There is a similar tale, a midrash or rabbinic story that is told regarding the crossing of the Red or Reed (depending on your translation) Sea.  When the Children of Israel had safely crossed to the other side, Pharaoh and his army pursed them onto the path of dry ground that God had created.  When the last of the Hebrews reached the other side, the waters crashed back into place, drowning the Egyptian host.  According to the midrash, the heavenly angels began to sing in celebration.  God silenced them and asked:  “Why are you singing when my children are drowning?”  The message is clear.  We value human life and never take pleasure that blood may be shed, even to our benefit.

The Exodus from Egypt, the Passover observance, is a salient moment in the history of the Children of Israel.  It is through this experience that we become a people and a few short weeks later, seal our Covenant with God at Mt. Sinai. 

We wish each other:  Chag kasher v’sameach.  May you have a proper and happy holiday!