day-day-enu, day-day-enu, day-day-enu, dayenu, dayenu! Learn about Passover
Passover, also known as Pesach, is perhaps one of the most famous Jewish holidays. It is an eight day long holiday for most Jews in America and seven for those living in Israel. You may know the matzah, songs, and seders...but where does it all come from?
Historical Significance
- Pilgrimage Festival: Passover is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, along with Sukkot and Shavuot.
- Escape from Slavery: Passover celebrates the Jewish people's escape from slavery in Egypt. This event led to the tradition of eating matzah.
Matzah: The Unleavened Bread
- Origin: The Israelites had to leave Egypt in haste and did not have time for their bread to rise, so they ate matzo crackers instead.
- Preparation: Matzah must be made within 18 minutes to prevent leavening, due to rabbinical reasons.
- Leavened Bread Ban: Jewish people avoid leavened bread during Passover to honor the Israelites' experience.
- Ashkenazi Practices: Avoidance of kitniyot (beans, corn, rice, and other expandable items).
- Sephardi and Mizrahi Practices: Kitniyot avoidance is less prevalent.
Passover Preparations
- Cleaning for Hametz: Many Jews around the world clean their houses of hametz (leavened items) in preparation for Pesach.
The Seder
- Ritual Importance: The Seder is a key ritual of Passover, held on the first two nights of the holiday. It involves recounting the story of the Exodus, prayer, songs, and a festive meal.
- Components of the Seder:
- Haggadah: A book that outlines the order of the Seder, containing prayers, songs, and the story of the Exodus.
- Seder Plate: Contains symbolic foods such as maror (bitter herbs), charoset (sweet paste), karpas (vegetable), z'roa (shank bone), beitzah (egg), and matzah.
- Four Cups of Wine: Drunk at specific points in the Seder to represent redemption and freedom.
- Questions and Answers: Children are encouraged to ask the Four Questions, sparking discussion and engagement.
- Community and Family: Seders can be intimate gatherings at home or large events in synagogues.
Engaging Children in Passover
- Afikomen Hunt: A popular activity for children during the Seder. The afikomen, a piece of matzah set aside early in the Seder, is hidden, and the children search for it. Finding the afikomen is rewarded with a small prize or treat.
- Purpose: The afikomen hunt keeps children engaged and attentive during the Seder and adds an element of fun to the ritual.
- Significance: The afikomen represents the dessert of the meal and is eaten as the last food item to remind participants of the Passover sacrifice.