Pesach (Passover) begins on the 15th of Nisan (April) and lasts for seven days (eight among Conservative and Orthodox in the Diaspora). Pesach has its roots as an agricultural festival to mark the spring barley harvest. It also commemorates the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and the beginning of the Jews as a nation. The story that Pesach memorializes is found in the Biblical Book of Exodus.
According to Scripture, God charged Moses to go to Egypt and urge Pharaoh to release the Hebrew slaves. Pharaoh adamantly refused. God then inflicted ten plagues on Egypt. After the last plague, the killing of the first born of man and beast in Egypt, Pharaoh finally agreed to release the Hebrews from slavery. On the day before the last plague, the Hebrew slaves painted the door posts of their houses with lamb's blood so that the Angel of Death would "pass over" the houses of the Hebrews. After this tragic plague struck Egypt, Pharaoh relented, and the allowed the Hebrews to leave.
Food is central to the celebration of Pesach - what should be eaten and what one is forbidden to eat. The food most associated with Pesach is matzah (a flat bread). According to tradition, the Hebrews left Egypt in haste and had no time to wait for bread to rise. For this reason, Jews are commanded to eat matzah during Pesach.
Before the holiday begins, one should remove all foods with leavening from the home. Kitchen cupboards, the oven, counters and floor are cleaned to make sure that no crumbs of leavened food remains. Passover foods are then brought out to replace the foods that have been removed.
Decorations & Celebration Tips
- Hold a Passover seder
- Decorate a plastic wine cup for Elijah
- Decorate a plate to use as the seder plate
- Make a matzah cover
- Make charoset - try Sephardic recipes with dried fruit, nuts, etc.
