FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION: THE JEWISH HOLIDAY OF PASSOVER

by fran klodawsky, guest blogger

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is a major, widely observed holiday and an important celebration of  Jewish life and history.
 
Passover celebrates the biblical account of the Israelites’ flight from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. Holiday rituals include a dramatic retelling of the Exodus story and many unique food traditions, including the prohibition of eating bread, grains and any food with leavening, in memory of the matzah or unleavened bread eaten by the Israelites in their haste to flee Egypt.
 
Jews come together with friends and family at home or in a communal setting to celebrate the great lessons of the story: the blessing of freedom and the reminder that since we were once slaves and were freed, it is our responsibility to work for freedom for all people, everywhere. Many families have long-standing, beloved traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation but new traditions are also welcome.
 
The Seder is the centrepiece of any Passover experience. The word Seder literally means “order”. It is laid out in a special prayer book called the Haggadah and consists of 15 specific steps, including a festive meal, recounting the story of the Jews' redemption from slavery in Egypt, asking questions, eating special foods, drinking 4 cups of wine, singing, and other Passover traditions. Many families include prayers and references to contemporary issues that invite reflection, especially about groups and individuals who are still enslaved in some way.  
 
The Seder Plate contains symbolic foods referenced in the Seder. Its contents vary but most contain:

• Shankbone, symbolizing the lamb that was sacrificed in ancient days
• Roasted egg, representing the wholeness and continuing cycle of life
• Bitter herbs, a reminder of the bitter lives of the Hebrew slaves
• Charoset, the mixture of apples, nuts, sweet wine, cinnamon and sugar, or dates, nuts and sweet wine, reminding us of the bricks and mortar made by the Hebrew slaves
• Greens, karpas, symbolizing spring, the time of year when Passover takes place

 
Other ritually significant items placed on the holiday table are:

• Three matzot (plural of matzah), on a plate with a cloth or napkin cover
• Salt water, a reminder of the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves
• Cup of Elijah, symbolizing the hope for a redemptive future

 
Along with these traditional symbols, families may include a Cup of Miriam, a special goblet filled with water, to honour Miriam, the sister of Moses, who played a vital role in the Exodus. Also popular with some families and congregations is an orange as a symbol of inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and others who have felt marginalized in Jewish life
 
The afikoman is half of the middle matzah that is broken in the fourth step of the seder. It is customary to hide the afikoman, and the person (often a child) who finds it gets a prize.
 
Passover - also known as the Festival of Spring - takes place on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, the first month of spring in the Hebrew (lunar) calendar. The traditional greeting Jews use during the 8-day holiday is "Chag Sameach", Hebrew for "Happy Holiday". The word “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word pasach, which means "passed over,” referring to the 10th plague that killed the Egyptian firstborn, but miraculously “passed over” the houses of the Israelites.
 
“I love Passover because for me it is a cry against indifference, a cry for compassion."
ELIE WIESEL
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