Pessach

14th Nissan – 22nd Nissan 5785

The Passover festival is one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar year. During the eight-day Passover festival, Jews traditionally celebrate the liberation of the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery, as told in the Second Book of Moses (Ex. 12). The modern Passover developed from two different festivals that merged over time: a nomadic-influenced animal sacrifice ritual and a rural harvest festival of thanksgiving for the first harvest of winter grains.

Originally, Passover was one of the three pilgrimage festivals during which people would travel to the Jerusalem Temple. Today, it is mainly celebrated within the family circle. For the holiday, the family's house or apartment must be cleaned of all "unleavened" foods, including the smallest crumb of bread. In this kind of "spring cleaning," the children are especially involved.

The highlight of the Passover festival is the first evening. This ritual dinner is also called the Passover Seder. The foods prescribed by the ritual, which are consumed during the meal, have a symbolic meaning. A special feature of the entire festival was the unleavened bread (matzah), which is made only from flour and water. They are also meant to remind us of the flight from Egypt, as there was no time to let the bread sour as travel provisions. During this joyful gathering, the Passover Haggadah is read, which tells the story of the exodus of the twelve tribes from Egypt.