Passover

This article is about the Jewish holiday. For Christian observances of Passover, see Passover (Christian holiday).

Passover
An image of machine-made matzo, which is the "official" food of Passover
Official name	Hebrew: פסח (Pesach)
Observed by	Judaism and Jews
Type	Religious
Significance	One of the Three Pilgrim Festivals. Celebrating the Exodus and freedom from slavery of the Children of Israel from ancient Egypt that followed the Ten plagues. Beginning of the 49 days of Counting of the Omer
Celebrations	Two festive Seder meals (in Israel only one), and reciting the Haggadah, eating of matzo, maror (bitter herb), drinking four cups of kosher wine and filling the Cup of Elijah. And in the times of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Korban Pesach.
Begins	15th day of Nisan
Ends	21st day of Nisan in Israel, and among some liberal Diaspora Jews; 22nd day of Nisan outside of Israel among more traditional Jews
Date	15 Nisan, 16 Nisan, 17 Nisan, 18 Nisan, 19 Nisan, 20 Nisan, 21 Nisan, 22 Nisan
2024 date
Related to	Shavuot ("Festival [of] Weeks") which follows 49 days from the second night of Passover.

Passover (Hebrew: פסח; transliterated as Pesach or Pesah), also called חג המצות (Chag HaMatzot - Festival of Matzot) is a Jewish holiday beginning on the 15th day of Nisan, which falls in the early spring and commemorates the Exodus and freedom of the Israelites from ancient Egypt. Passover marks the "birth" of the Jewish nation, as the Jews were freed from being slaves of Pharaoh and allowed to become servants of God instead.

Together with Sukkot and Shavuot, Passover is one of the three pilgrim festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire Jewish populace made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the days of the Holy Temple.

In Israel, Passover is a 7-day holiday, with the first and last days celebrated as a full festival (involving abstention from work, special prayer services and holiday meals). Outside Israel, the holiday is celebrated for 8 days, with the first two days and last two days celebrated as full festivals. The intervening days are known as Chol HaMoed (festival weekdays).

The primary symbol of Passover is the matzo, a flat, unleavened bread which recalls the bread that the Israelites ate after their hasty departure from Egypt. According to Halakha, this bread is made from a dough of flour and water only, which has not been allowed to rise for more than 18–22 minutes. Many Jews observe the positive Torah commandment of eating matzo on the first night, as well as the Torah prohibition against eating or owning any leavened products — such as bread, cake, cookies, or pasta (anything whose dough has been mixed with a leavening agent or which has been left to rise more than 18–22 minutes) — for the duration of the holiday.

Origins of the feast

The term Pesach (Hebrew: פֶּסַח) or, more exactly, the verb "pasàch" (Hebrew: פָּסַח) is first mentioned in the Torah account of the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:23). It is found in Moses' words that God "will pass over" the houses of the Israelites during the final plague of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the killing of the first-born. On the night of that plague, which occurred on the 15th day of Nisan, the Jews smeared their lintels and doorposts with the blood of the Passover sacrifice and were spared.

There is some debate about the exact meaning of the verb pasàch (פָּסַח) as it appears in Exodus. The commonly held assumption that it means "he passed over", stems from the translation provided in the Septuagint (παρελευσεται in Ex. 12:23, and εσκεπασεν in Ex. 12:27). Judging from other instances of the verb, and instances of parallelism, a more faithful translation may be "he hovered over, guarding." Indeed, this is the image used by Isaiah by his use of this verb in Is. 31:5: "As birds hovering, so will the Lord of hosts protect Jerusalem; He will deliver it as He protecteth it, He will rescue it as He passeth over" (כְּצִפֳּרִ֣ים עָפֹ֔ות כֵּ֗ן יָגֵ֛ן יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹ֖ות עַל־יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם גָּנֹ֥ון וְהִצִּ֖יל פָּסֹ֥חַ וְהִמְלִֽיט).

The term Pesach also refers to the lamb which was designated as the Passover sacrifice (called the Korban Pesach in Hebrew). Four days before the Exodus, the Jews were commanded to set aside a lamb (Exodus 12:3) and inspect it daily for blemishes. During the day on the 14th of Nisan, they were to slaughter the lamb and use its blood to mark their lintels and doorposts. Up until midnight on the 15th of Nisan, they were to consume the lamb. Each family (or group of families) gathered together to eat a meal that included the meat of the Korban Pesach while the Tenth Plague ravaged Egypt.

In future years, during the existence of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem, the Korban Pesach was eaten during the Passover Seder on the 15th of Nisan. However, following the destruction of the Temple, no sacrifices may be offered or eaten. The story of the Korban Pesach is therefore retold at the Passover Seder, and the symbolic food which represents it on the Seder Plate is usually a roasted lamb shankbone, chicken wing, or chicken neck.

The English term "Passover" came into the English language through William Tyndale's translation of the Bible, and later appeared in the King James Version as well.

Although the term Pesach is not mentioned until the Book of Exodus, there are indications that at least parts of the feast were observed in earlier times. For example, Genesis 19:3 refers to the "matzot" which Lot served his angelic guests. According to Rashi, quoting Talmud Yoma 28b, the Patriarchs and their families intuited the celebration of all the Jewish holidays, as well as the mitzvot which God would command in the future through the giving of the Torah, and kept the mitzvot voluntarily.

"The Jews' Passover"—facsimile of a miniature from a 15th century missal, ornamented with paintings of the School of Van Eyck

Commandments

Korban Pesach

When the Holy Temple was standing, the focus of the Passover festival was the offering of a lamb (the Korban Pesach, lit. "Pesach sacrifice," also known as the "Paschal Lamb"). Every family (or, if the family was too small to finish eating the entire lamb in one sitting, group of families) was required to partake of one (Numbers 9:11) lamb on the night of the 15th of Nisan (Exodus 12:6). This lamb could not be slaughtered while one was in possession of leaven (Exodus 23:18). The lamb had to be roasted (Exodus 12:9) and eaten together with matzo and maror (Exodus 12:8). One had to be careful not to break any bones from the offering (Exodus 12:46). None of the offering could be left over until morning (Exodus 12:10, 23:18).

Only Jews were permitted to partake of the Korban Pesach. An apostate could not eat from it (Exodus 12:43), nor a hired worker (Exodus 12:45). An uncircumcised male was also restrained from eating from it (Exodus 12:48).

If one missed the opportunity to eat the Korban Pesach, he or she could make it up one month later on the night of the 15th of Iyar (Numbers 9:11), a day which is known as Pesach Sheini ("Second Pesach"). Just as on the first Pesach night, one must not break any bones from the second Paschal offering (Numbers 9:12) or leave meat over until morning (Numbers 9:12).

Today, in the absence of the Temple, the mitzvah of the Korban Pesach has reverted to being a symbolic food placed on the Passover Seder Plate. It is typically represented by a roasted shank bone and is not eaten at all during the Passover Seder, but is mentioned and pointed to during the Seder ritual.

Matzo

Main article: Matzo

All Jews must eat at least one olive-sized piece of matzo (in equivalent volume) on the first night of Passover. (The rituals of the Passover Seder, however, call for matzo to be consumed at several points during the evening.) According to Halakha, this mitzvah applies even though the Temple was destroyed.

Chametz

Main article: Chametz

Chametz (חמץ) is the Hebrew term for "leavened", which is the opposite of matzah. The Halakha prohibits any Jew from owning, eating or benefiting from any trace of chametz during the entire Passover holiday.

Maror

Main article: Maror

Maror, or bitter herbs (typically, horseradish or romaine lettuce) must be consumed at the Passover Seder at various times during this ritual. According to Halakha, this mitzvah applies even though the Temple was destroyed.

Recounting the Exodus

On the first night of Passover (first two nights outside Israel), a Jew must recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt. This mitzvah is performed during the Passover Seder.

Four Cups

There is a Rabbinic obligation to drink four cups of wine (or pure grape juice) during the Seder. This applies to both men and women. The Mishnah says (Pes. 10:1) that even the poorest man in Israel has an obligation to drink. Each cup is connected to a different part of the Seder: The First Cup is for Kiddush, the Second Cup is connected with the recounting of the Exodus, the drinking of the Third Cup concludes Birkat Hamazon and the Fourth Cup is associated with Hallel.

Observances

Removal and sale of chametz

In accordance with the mitzvah of not eating or owning leavened products during Passover, religious Jewish families typically spend the weeks before the holiday in a flurry of housecleaning. The purpose is to remove every morsel of leavened food (called chametz) from all the cupboards and corners in the home. The search for chametz is often a thorough one, as children's rooms and kitchens are cleaned from top to bottom and forgotten packages or pieces of cookies or crackers are uncovered under beds and inside closets. Although many ensure that not even a crumb of chametz remains, the Halakha only requires the elimination of olive-sized quantities of leavening from one's possession.

Meanwhile, the family attempts to consume or dispose of all edible chametz products (like bread, pasta, cookies, soup mixes, and even non-kosher-for-Passover matzo—which, being designed for year-round use, is allowed to rise for more than 22 minutes before baking) so as to have nothing left by the morning before the holiday begins.

Chametz that has a high monetary value (such as liquor which is made from wheat) may be sold rather than discarded. This sale of chametz is conducted via the community rabbi, who becomes the "agent" for all the community's Jews through a halakhic procedure called a kinyan (acquisition). As the agent, the rabbi will sell all the chametz to a non-Jew for a price to be negotiated after the holiday. In the meantime, the non-Jew is asked to put down a small down payment (e.g. $1.00), with the remainder due after Passover. As soon as the holiday ends, the rabbi will contact the non-Jew, to buy the community's chametz back from him. In practice, it is almost inevitably bought back, with a small profit to the non-Jew [1].

This sale is considered completely binding according to Halakha, to the point that each householder must put aside all the chametz he is selling into a box or cupboard and assume that at any time during the holiday, the non-Jewish buyer may come to take or partake of his share. Similarly, Jewish store owners who stock leavened food products sell everything in their storeroom to a non-Jew with full knowledge that the new "owner" can claim his property. In the Eastern European shtetls, the Jews, who were often tavern keepers, would sell their chametz in this way to neighboring gentiles, and risk having the non-Jews enter their cellars to drink all the liquor during the holiday—which they often did.

Formal search for chametz

After dark on the 14th of Nisan, a formal search for leavened products (bedikat chametz) is conducted. The head of the house recites a blessing (על ביעור חמץ - al biyur chametz, "on the removal of chametz") and proceeds to go from room to room and cupboard to cupboard to make sure that no crumbs remain in any corner. There is a custom to turn off the lights in the room being searched and conduct the search using candlelight, a feather and a wooden spoon. Candlelight effectively illuminates corners without casting shadows; the feather can dust crumbs out of their hiding places; and the wooden spoon which collects the crumbs can be burned the next day with the chametz.

Traditionally, 10 morsels of bread are carefully wrapped in aluminium foil or plastic and "hidden" around the house before the search begins. This ensures that the head of the house will find some chametz so that his blessing will not be in vain.

Burning the chametz

In the morning, any leavened products that were found during the search, along with the 10 morsels of bread, are burned (s'rayfat chametz). The head of the household declares any chametz that may not have been found to be null and void "as the dust of the earth" (biyur chametz). Should more chametz actually be found in the house during the Passover holiday, it must be burnt.

Unlike chametz, which can be eaten any day of the year except during Passover, kosher for Passover foodstuffs can be eaten on Passover and year-round. They need not be burnt after the holiday ends.

Matzo baking

An image of machine-made matzo, which is the "official" food of Passover

The weeks before Passover are also the time for the baking of the matzos which will be eaten during the holiday. In Orthodox Jewish communities, men traditionally gather in groups (chaburas) to bake a special version of hand-baked matzo together, called shmurah matzo ("guarded matzo", referring to the fact that the wheat is guarded from contamination by chametz from the time it is cut in the summer until it is baked into matzos for the following Passover). Chaburas also work together in machine-made matzo factories, which produce the typically square-shaped matzo sold in stores.

The baking process is a time-consuming job, as each batch of dough can only be worked on from start to finish (from mixing the flour and water to removing from the oven) for 18-22 minutes, depending on custom. Consequently, only a small amount of matzos can be baked at one time. The chabura members are enjoined to constantly work the dough so that it is not allowed to ferment and rise. A special cutting tool is run over the dough just before baking to create the familiar dotted holes in the matzo. After the 18-22 minutes are up and the matzos come out of the oven, the entire work area is scrubbed down and swept to make sure that no pieces of dough are left behind. By definition, any stray pieces of dough are now chametz, and can invalidate the next batch of matzo if they come in contact with it.

Matzo by-products, such as matzo farfel (broken bits of matzo) and matzo meal (finely-ground matzo) are used as flour substitutes in the baking of Passover cakes and cookies.

Passover dishware

Due to the strict separation between matzo products and chametz during Passover, families typically own complete sets of serving dishes, glassware and silverware that are reserved for use during Passover only. Ashkenazic families who purchase new pots or silverware for the holiday will first immerse them in boiling water to remove any traces of chametz-based oils or materials that may have touched them (hagalat keilim). Some Sephardic families have the custom of using the same glassware for Passover as they do during the year, but will wash the glasses thoroughly first.

Fast of the firstborn

Main article: Fast of the firstborn

On the morning before Passover, the fast of the firstborn takes place. This fast commemorates the salvation of the Israelite firstborns during the Plague of the Firstborn (according to the Book of Exodus, the tenth of ten plagues wrought upon ancient Egypt prior to the Exodus of the Children of Israel), when, according to Exodus (12:29): "...God struck every firstborn in the Land of Mitzrayim (ancient Egypt)...." In practice, however, most firstborns only fast during the morning prayer service in synagogue. This is due to the widespread custom for a member of the congregation to conduct a siyum (ceremony marking the completion of a section of Torah learning) right after services and invite everyone to partake in a celebratory meal. According to widespread custom, partaking of this meal removes one's obligation to fast.

The Passover Seder

Main article: Passover Seder

It is traditional for a Jewish family to gather on the first night of Passover (first two nights outside the land of Israel) for a special dinner called a Seder (סדר—derived from the Hebrew word for "order", referring to the very specific order of the ritual). The table is set with the finest china and silverware to reflect the importance of this meal. During this meal, the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah. Four cups of wine are consumed at various stages in the narrative. The Haggadah divides the night's procedure into these 14 parts:

1. Kadeish קדש (Recital of Kiddush blessing and drinking of the First Cup of Wine)
2. Urchatz ורחץ (The washing of the hands)
3. Karpas כרפס (Dipping of the Karpas in salt water)
4. Yachatz יחץ (Breaking the middle matzo; the larger piece becomes the afikoman which is eaten later during the ritual of Tzafun)
5. Maggid מגיד (Retelling the Passover story, including the recital of the "Four Questions" and drinking of the Second Cup of Wine)
6. Rachtzah רחצה (Second washing of the hands)
7. Motzi / Matzo מוציא / מצה (Eating the matzo)
8. Maror מרור (Eating of the maror)
9. Koreich כורך (Eating of a sandwich made of matzo and maror)
10. Shulchan Oreich שולחן עורך (lit. "set table"—the serving of the holiday meal)
11. Tzafun צפון (Eating of the afikoman)
12. Bareich ברך (Blessing after the meal and drinking of the Third Cup of Wine)
13. Hallel הלל (Recital of the Hallel, traditionally recited on festivals; drinking of the Fourth Cup of Wine)
14. Nirtzah נירצה (Conclusion)

A bronze matzo plate designed by Maurice Ascalon, inscribed with the opening words of the Magid portion of the Seder, "Ha Lachma Anya" — "This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in Egypt"

The Seder is replete with questions, answers, and unusual practices (e.g. the recital of Kiddush which is not immediately followed by the blessing over bread, which is the traditional procedure for all other holiday meals) to arouse the interest and curiosity of the children at the table. The children are also rewarded with nuts and candies when they ask questions and participate in the discussion of the Exodus and its aftermath. Likewise, they are encouraged to search for the afikoman, the piece of matzo which is the last thing eaten at the Seder. The child or children who discover the hiding place of the afikoman are rewarded with a prize or money. Audience participation and interaction is the rule, and many families' Seders last long into the night with animated discussions and much singing. The Seder concludes with additional songs of praise and faith printed in the Haggadah, including Chad Gadya ("One Kid Goat").

The holiday week

Like the holiday of Sukkot, the intermediary days of Passover are known as Chol HaMoed (festival weekdays) and are imbued with a semi-festive status. It is a time for family outings and picnic lunches of matzo, hardboiled eggs, fruits and vegetables and Passover treats such as macaroons and homemade candies.

The prohibition against eating leavened food products and regular flour during Passover results in the increased consumption of potatoes, eggs and oil in addition to fresh milk and cheeses, fresh meat and chicken, and fresh fruit and vegetables. To make a "Passover cake," recipes call for potato starch or "Passover cake flour" (made from finely granulated matzo) instead of regular flour, and a large amount of eggs (8 and over) to achieve fluffiness. Cookie recipes use matzo farfel (broken bits of matzo) or ground nuts as the base. For families with Eastern European backgrounds, borsht, a soup made with beets, is a Passover tradition.

Some hotels, resorts, and even cruise ships across America, Europe and Israel also undergo a thorough housecleaning and import of Passover foodstuffs to make their premises "kosher for Pesach", with the goal of attracting families for a week-long vacation. Besides their regular accommodations and on-site recreational facilities, these hotels assemble a package of lectures, children's activities, tours and a "rabbi in residence" to entertain Passover guests. Each meal is a demonstration of the chefs' talents in turning the basic foodstuffs of Passover into a culinary feast.

Counting of the Omer

Main article: Counting of the Omer

Beginning on the second night of Passover, the 16th day of Nisan, Jews begin the practice of the Counting of the Omer, a nightly reminder of the approach of the holiday of Shavuot 50 days hence. Each night after the evening prayer service, men and women recite a special blessing and then enumerate the day of the Omer. On the first night, for example, they say, "Today is the first day in (or, to) the Omer"; on the second night, "Today is the second day in the Omer." The counting also involves weeks; thus, the seventh day is commemorated, "Today is the seventh day, which is one week in the Omer." The eighth day is marked, "Today is the eighth day, which is one week and one day in the Omer," etc.

When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Omer was an actual offering of a measure of barley, which was offered each day between the 16th of Nisan and the eve of Shavuot. Since the destruction of the Temple, this offering is brought in word rather than deed.

One explanation for the Counting of the Omer is that it shows the connection between Passover and Shavuot. The physical freedom that the Israelites achieved at the Exodus from Egypt was only the beginning of a process that climaxed with the spiritual freedom they gained at the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Another explanation is that the newborn nation which emerged after the Exodus needed time to learn their new responsibilities vis-a-vis Torah and mitzvot before accepting God's law. The distinction between the Omer offering—a measure of barley, typically animal fodder—and the Shavuot offering—two loaves of wheat bread, human food—symbolizes the transition process.

Seventh day of Passover

Shvi'i shel Pesach (the seventh day of Passover) is another full holiday, with special prayer services and festive meals. (Outside the land of Israel, Shvi'i shel Pesach is celebrated on both the seventh and eighth days of Passover). This holiday commemorates the day the Israelites reached the Red Sea and witnessed both the miraculous "Splitting of the Sea" and the drowning of all the Egyptian chariots, horses and soldiers that pursued them. According to the Midrash, only Pharaoh was spared to give testimony to the miracle that occurred.

Hasidic Rebbes traditionally hold a tish on the night of Shvi'i shel Pesach and place a cup or bowl of water on the table before them. They use this opportunity to speak about the Splitting of the Sea to their disciples, and sing songs of praise to God.

15 Nisan

The start of Passover on 15 Nisan in the Hebrew calendar corresponds to:

• 5765: sunset 22 April 2005
• 5766: sunset 12 April 2006
• 5767: sunset 2 April 2007
• 5768: sunset 19 April 2008

Passover in the Christian tradition

Main article: Easter

The Passover is significant in Christian theology because according to the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was the Passover meal eaten on the 15th of Nisan and Jesus was arrested that night and crucified the following afternoon (the Gospel of John puts the events a day earlier). While there is much debate among Christian theologians over whether Jesus’ Passion and crucifixion could have occurred on a Jewish Holy Day, traditionally the Last Supper has been viewed by the Christian church as the Passover Seder and, correspondingly, the institution of the Holy Eucharist — one of the two major sacraments in the Christian tradition — commemorated by Christians on Maundy Thursday.

The view of Jesus as a metaphorical lamb offering himself as a Passover sacrifice became a popular motif both in the New Testament, notably in the Gospel of John, and in later times. For instance, writing to a proto-Christian community in Corinth, Paul exhorts them to higher ethical standard, calling on the community to "clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed" (First Corinthians 5:7, NRSV).

Both the sacrificial character of Jesus’ crucifixion and the institution of the Lord’s Supper has led to a traditional view of the Holy Eucharist as a Passover meal. During the liturgy, Christians recite the Agnus Dei and certain fraction sentences (for example, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast") at the breaking of the bread (the symbolic body of Christ). The Passover theme reaches its apogee during Holy Week and Easter. For example, the liturgy for the Great Vigil of Easter includes the Exsultet — an ancient hymn which contains the line "This is our passover feast, when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain, whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers." Another theme connecting the Christian Easter with the Passover is the Christian perception of the story of Jesus’s resurrection as liberation from slavery (that is, slavery to sin). The collects, liturgy for the renewal of Baptismal vows, and the Eucharistic Prayer, all include explicit references to both Jesus as the Passover lamb as well as to his resurrection accomplishing a metaphorical release from the bondage of slavery. In keeping with this, chapters 14 and 15 of the Book of Exodus frequently constitute one of the readings at the Great Vigil.

See also: Passover (Christian holiday)

References

• Anglican Church of Canada, Book of Alternative Services (Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 1985).
• Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (XIII-XXI), pp. 555-58 (Anchor Bible; New York: Doubleday, 1970).
• Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, Vol. 1, pp. 84 ff. (New York: Scribner’s, 1951).
• Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy, pp. 338-43 (London: A. & C. Black, 1945).

See also

• Passover Seder
• Passover Seder Plate
• Kitniyot
• Fast of the Firstborn
• Haggadah of Pesach

External links

• Passover All About Passover or Pesach, by Eli Ha-Levi, BA, M.L.I.S.
• Complete Guide to Passover chabad.org
• Frequently asked questions about Passover askmoses.com
• Complete Guide to Passover Aish.com