These days, Israel celebrates the holiday of the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.

Passover is the oldest of the Jewish holidays, it is associated with one of the most important
events in Jewish history - with the Exodus from Egypt around
3300 years ago, in the year 2448 according to the Hebrew calendar. This year it is celebrated on April 18-26. It can be called the time of birth of the Jewish people. The Israelites came to Egypt as one family - the family of Jacob, consisting of
seventy people, but they came out as a people numbering six hundred thousand.
Pharaoh did not want to let the Jews go, and God sent them to Egypt ten "plagues":
the transformation of Nile water into blood, the appearance of a countless number of toads, irresistible hordes of lice, wild animals, death of livestock, ulcers, destruction of crops from hail and locusts, continuous three-day darkness and, finally, the death of the firstborn.

This holiday begins on the 15th day of the spring month of Nisan (roughly corresponding to March-April of the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for 7 days in Israel (and 8 days outside Israel): the first and last days of which are
full holidays and non-working days. Intermediate days are called
words Khol Hamoed(“holiday weekdays”)
During the holiday, the Torah prohibits Jews from eating bread and any other products containing grains that have been leavened (Heb. "chametz"- leaven).

On all days of the holiday, it is forbidden not only to eat, but also to own “chametz” in any form. Are eating only kosher foods suitable for Passover (“ Kosher LePesach") - and kosher products can be eaten all year round. Jewish families typically spend the weeks leading up to the holiday in intensive home cleaning. The goal is to eliminate all traces of leaven ( chametzah) from all the closets and corners in the house. Search chametzah always turns into a spring cleaning, children's rooms and kitchens are searched for leftovers in cupboards, under beds, etc. Although Halakha requires the elimination of pieces of "chametz" larger than an olive, many clean out the chametz to the last crumb. At the same time, the family tries to finish all available supplies of “chametz” (bread, pasta, cookies, soup mixtures) by the beginning of the holiday. If this fails, the remaining grain food is thrown away. :O)
Chametz that is of material value (such as alcoholic drinks made from grains) is permitted to be sold before Passover to a non-Jew (that is, to someone who does not celebrate Passover). The sale of chametz is organized by the local rabbi, who becomes the "agent" of all Jews in the community, through a procedure called " mehirat chametz" (sale). As an agent, the rabbi “sells” the entire chametz to the non-Jew at a price to be agreed upon after the holiday, and before that the non-Jew is asked to pay a symbolic down payment, with the condition of paying the remainder after Passover. When the holiday ends, the rabbi contacts a non-Jew to buy the community's chametz back. Such a “sale” is considered obligatory according to Halakha, with each owner having to put all the “chametz” he is selling into a box or crate and assuming that at any time during the holiday a non-Jewish buyer can come and take or use his share. Likewise, Jewish shopkeepers sell all of their chametz to a non-Jew, fully aware that the new “owner” may claim his property.
After dark on the 14th of Nisan, a formal search for leaven is carried out (“ Bdikat chametz"). The head of the family reads a special blessing “on the elimination of chametz” ( al biur chametz), after which he moves from room to room to check that there are no crumbs left anywhere. There is a custom to turn off the light in the room being searched and carry out the search using a candle, a feather and a wooden spoon: the candle effectively illuminates corners without casting shadows, the feather can sweep crumbs out of hard-to-reach places, and the wooden spoon used to collect crumbs can be burned together the next day With " chametz».
There is also a tradition before searching to hide ten pieces of bread carefully wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic film in the house. This ensures that the head of the family will find some chametz, and
his blessing will not be in vain. The next morning, all leavened products found during the search are burned (“ Biur chametz"). The head of the family announces any " chametz”, which was not found, “void” “like the dust of the earth.” If " chametz"will be actually found during Passover, it must be burned or made unfit for food
The Torah also commands to eat matzah on these days (lit. “squeezed out”, “deprived of moisture”; in the Russian tradition - unleavened bread).

Due to the strict separation " chametzah"On Passover, religious Jewish families typically have a full set of utensils especially for Passover. Many families buy new utensils for the holiday each year, first immersing them in boiling water to remove any traces of oils or materials that may contain chametz." ( agalat kelim). In addition, dishes are a very common gift for Passover.
On the morning before Passover, the fast of the first-born men begins in memory of the salvation of the first-born of Israel during the “Execution of the First-born,” the tenth of the Egyptian plagues. However, in fact, most firstborns fast only until the end of morning prayer in the synagogue. According to tradition, one who takes part in a meal on the occasion of a joyful event is exempt from the need to fast. Therefore, before Passover, there is a widespread custom of finishing the study of a section of the Talmud and, in honor of this, having a festive meal in the synagogue on the morning before Passover. Thus, all participants in this meal are exempt from fasting.

The Passover sacrifice is called " korban pesach"(in the Russian version - "Easter"). Each family (or group of families, if they are individually too small to eat a whole lamb) must eat one sacrificial lamb on the night of the 15th of Nisan. Moreover, the lamb cannot be killed by someone who has leaven in their possession - the lamb must have been eaten roasted together with matzah and maror (bitter greens) - It was forbidden to break the victim’s bones - Nothing was supposed to remain from the victim until the morning.

Later, the Passover sacrifice began to be eaten during Passover Seder Nisan 15, but no more sacrifices were made. Therefore, the story about " Korban Pesach" is retold at the Passover Seder, and on the Seder plate it is symbolically represented " zroa» - fried lamb shank, chicken wing or leg, which is not eaten, but participates in the ritual.

The central event of the holiday is Easter evening ( Leil Haseder or Pesach Seder, or simply seder / seder / sider) - held on the first day of Passover.

The Seder is carefully regulated and consists of many elements. On this night, Jews must read the Passover Haggadah, which tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt, and eat the Passover meal in accordance with tradition. During the Seder, there is an obligation to drink four cups of wine (or grape juice). This applies to both men and women. According to the Torah, even the poorest person should drink them. Each bowl serves as an introduction to the next part of the Seder. The mitzvah commands that at least one piece of matzah the size of an olive be eaten at the Seder.
The Seder ritual involves several moments during the evening at which matzo is eaten. Matzo for the holiday is baked during the weeks leading up to the holiday. The matzo must be baked for 18 minutes, otherwise the fermentation process will begin and the matzo will become non-kosher for Passover.
During the Seder, at various points in the ritual, it is prescribed to taste bitter greens (from horseradish to lettuce) - maror
From the night of the second day of Passover, the counting of the days of the Omer begins - the oral counting of the forty-nine days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot: the counting of the Omer begins on the second day of Passover and ends on the day before the holiday of Shavuot (“fiftieth day”). In Temple times, on the first day of the year, a sheaf (“omer”) of wheat from the new harvest was brought there. Before the omer was brought to the Temple, Jews were forbidden to benefit from the new harvest. After the destruction of the Temple, it was forbidden to eat new crops until the evening of the second day of Passover.
After nightfall (about 30 minutes after sunset), the person counting the omer recites a specific blessing in Hebrew
Then the count of the Omer is pronounced in full days, as well as weeks and days: for example, on the 23rd day of the Omer, the count will be as follows: “Today is twenty-three days, which is three weeks and two days of the Omer.” The blessing can only be recited during the night. If a person remembers the count in the morning or after lunch the next day, the count is made without blessing. If someone forgot to count a day, he can continue to count the following days, but without the blessing.
During the period of counting the Omer, it is prohibited to cut hair, shave, listen to live instrumental music, as well as hold weddings and entertainment events - with the exception of Lag B'Omer (on the 33rd day) and the last three days of the count.

On the seventh day of Passover, the Almighty commands: “on the seventh day there is also a sacred assembly; don't do any work" .. According to tradition, on this day the waters of the Red Sea parted before the Jews and swallowed
the pharaoh who was pursuing them. In memory of this, on this day a passage from the Torah is read, dedicated to these events, including the “Song of the Sea.” There is a custom to go to the sea, river or other body of water (at least to a fountain) and sing the “Song of the Sea” there.

The holiday "Passover" has several names:

1. Passover- from passah (Hebrew passed, passed by) - in memory of the fact that the Almighty passed by Jewish houses, destroying the firstborn of Egypt: on the eve of the last of the ten Egyptian plagues - the defeat of the firstborn - God commanded the Jews to slaughter the lambs, fry their meat, and use their blood mark door jambs. On the night of Nisan 15, God “passed by” (passah) the houses of the Jews and they were saved, but in the remaining houses all the firstborn died.
2. Chag HaMatzot- the holiday of unleavened bread - in memory of the fact that the Jews ate matzo during the years of slavery, and also that during the exit from Egypt the dough did not have time to leaven: “they baked... from the dough that they carried out of Egypt, unleavened cakes, for it had not yet turned sour, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not tarry.”
3. Hag HaAviv- spring Festival. The month of Nisan is also called the month of Aviv (spring).
4. Chag HaHerut- a holiday of freedom - in memory of the Exodus from Egypt.

The difference between Jewish Passover and Christian Passover

Christian Easter is dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is not associated with the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The sacrifice of the Easter lamb in Christian theology is seen as a prototype of Jesus' voluntary self-sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world.
The Passover dinner (Seder) of Jesus and his disciples was called last supper and became the prototype of the “sacrament” of communion - the most important Christian rite among the Orthodox, in which Christian believers “eat” the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ the Redeemer and, thus, unite with God. Communion is necessary for every Christian to be saved: “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
During the supper, Jesus compares himself to the Passover lamb and, pronouncing the traditional blessing over wine (Kiddush), likens the wine to his blood:

“When evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples;
and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”

They were greatly saddened, and began to say to Him, each one of them: Is it not I, Lord?
He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand into the dish with Me, this one will betray Me;
However, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born.

At this, Judas, who betrayed Him, said: Isn’t it me, Rabbi? Jesus says to him: You said.

And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take, eat: this is My Body.”

And, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

But I tell you that from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new wine with you in the kingdom of My Father.

And having sung, they went to the Mount of Olives.”

Pesach (Passover) is one of the dominant holidays of the Jewish calendar, which is celebrated annually by representatives of this faith around the world. The Jewish Passover, unlike the Orthodox and Catholic ones, has a completely different meaning and significance. Moreover, Jews celebrated Passover long before the advent of Christian Easter and the birth of Christ. So what kind of holiday is this and what event is it dedicated to? How and on what date will Jews celebrate Passover in 2019? What traditions and rituals that are associated with this holiday are jealously honored in Jewish families and passed down through generations?

The history of the holiday

According to biblical legend, in ancient times, long before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Jews were in Egyptian slavery for about four hundred years. To the repeated requests of the prophet Moses to let the people go, the Egyptian pharaoh only laughed, once again oppressing the foreigners.

The Lord sent punishment after punishment to Egypt so that the ruler would pacify his “I” and release the Jews from the country. Nine terrible disasters were sent to Egyptian soil:

• Turning rivers of water into bloody ones
• Invasion of toads and frogs
• Insect attack on livestock
• Thunderstorms with lightning, thunder and hail fire
• Invasion of clouds of locusts on the fields, which destroyed the entire harvest
• The appearance of ulcers and boils on the bodies of Egyptians
• Cattle pestilence
• Punishment by dog ​​flies
• Pitch darkness that lasted three days

But the stubborn pharaoh did not agree. Therefore, the Lord decided on the tenth plague - to kill all the babies who were recently born on this cursed land. He commanded all the Jews to kill a lamb and mark the entrance doors of the houses that he passed by on the night of revenge with its blood. All the infants of the indigenous Egyptians were killed. Therefore, the name “Pesach” itself is translated as “bypassed.”

When is Passover in 2019?

The Jewish Passover, whose date varies, always falls on the 14th day of Nissan, the first month of the New Year in the Jewish calendar. Celebrations in Israel begin from the evening after sunset on April 19th to the evening of April 25th. Outside of it, in the countries of the diaspora, in particular in Russia, Passover lasts not seven, but eight days and ends on April 26.

Only the first and last day of the holiday are days off. All intermediate days are designated as semi-holidays or weekday holidays.

Traditions and rituals in Passover

General decoration of the house is the first step in preparing for the holiday. A few days before Passover is celebrated, not only unnecessary or unsuitable things for further use are removed from the house, but also products that may ferment or have already undergone the fermentation process.

On the first day of Passover after services in the synagogue, there is a tradition according to which the owner of the house with a lit candle walks around all residential and non-residential premises in search of chametz (yeast product). Then, after sunset, the whole family in snow-white clothes sits down at the table to taste the main dishes of this special day.

On the last day of the celebration of Passover - “the parting of the sea waters”, it is customary to sing, dance and have fun more than on other days. After all, believers of other faiths from all over the world should know and hear about how Jews celebrate Passover. You can learn more about how Jews celebrate Passover in the video below.

Culinary features of the celebration

A family feast, a ceremonial meal on the evening of the first day of Passover, is called Seder, which means order. Each family member, as well as invited guests, has their own place at the table. The set of dishes that is on the table that day is used only once a year and exclusively for this celebration. The main dishes of the holiday are as follows:

Matzo	Unleavened bread made from wheat flour, cooked in water without yeast
Zroa	A small piece of fried meat on the bone
Beitsa	Hard boiled egg
Karpas	A bunch of greens (usually parsley)
Maror	Bitter greens (horseradish leaves)
Haroseth	Mastky sweet dish made from wine, fruits, nuts and spices

By the way, Jewish families who strictly honor the traditions and rituals of their ancestors know that they only have eighteen minutes to prepare matzo. This time reminds the Jews of the haste with which their ancestors fled from Egypt over three thousand years ago, without waiting for the dough to prepare ritual bread.

Exactly four glasses of wine are drunk at the Seder table; for children, an alternative to this alcoholic drink is grape juice.

Passover prohibitions: what not to do on Passover?

Of the things Jews should not do during the Passover period, it is worth highlighting the following:

• You can’t be sad and make others sad
• It is prohibited to consume foods and drinks prepared by fermentation.
• It is not allowed to work in the garden, field and vegetable garden
• You cannot do household chores around the house.
• You should not cut your hair or shave.

This time is best spent in prayer and rest, without being distracted by problems and household matters.

Passover is a Jewish holiday that is dedicated not to the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, like the Orthodox and Catholics, but to the liberation of Jews from slavery and the salvation of all newborn babies. Therefore, if Easter for Christians symbolizes rebirth to life after death, then for representatives of the Jewish faith, Passover is a symbol of freedom.

Thus, Passover is celebrated for 7 days in Israel and 8 days in other countries where Jews live. It is forbidden to work on the first and last day of Passover, so these days are days off. However, the entire Easter week is “semi-working” in Israel - either with a shortened working day, or even a “vacation” is declared.

When the Jerusalem Temple still existed, the Passover holiday was a time of pilgrimage to it. Nowadays, Israelis often use the Easter week to travel with their families.

Passover marks the Exodus of the Israelites from the land of Egypt, but in secular perception it is a holiday of reborn spring and renewal. However, there are still options for the etymology of the name of the holiday. “Passover” is translated as “mouths that speak” - this holiday requires speaking, telling about the history of the liberation of the Jews from the Egyptian yoke.

Hence the tradition to beware of conversations that distract from the essence of the holiday, especially on the first day of Easter, the evening family feast. The word “passover” has another meaning – “to let pass.” We remember the 10 Egyptian plagues, the most terrible of which was the killing of the firstborn. This punishment befell all Egyptian houses, but God let pass (“passover” in Hebrew) the houses of the Jews.

Israelis prepare in advance for such a great holiday. Exactly a week before the start of the Passover holiday, on Holy Saturday, the rabbi goes out to the square and addresses all townspeople with religious instructions. And there are plenty of them during Easter week.

The most basic commandment of the Jewish Passover is not to eat chametz. Chametz is food prepared by fermentation. If we knead the dough and do not bake it for 18 minutes, we have made chametz. This is the strictest, very tough and uncompromising requirement.

There is a legend that before leaving the land of Egypt, in the rush and bustle, the Jews did not have time to leaven the dough, so they baked simple unleavened flatbreads. Since then, the most important ritual dish for Passover is matzo: those same unleavened flatbreads. Also, in all dishes where one of the ingredients is flour, matzo ground into dust is used instead of it on Passover days.

There is a tradition on the eve of Passover to search for chametz. To do this, the entire house is thoroughly cleaned, and then, after praying, the owner of the house, in silence, by candlelight, looks for chametz in every corner. Chametz found must be destroyed (for example, burned). Of course, there is some symbolism in this ritual, for example, sometimes chametz is specially placed in order to be found later.

And all chametz that has not been found can be annulled by saying the prescribed words. Another interesting fact: if there is a lot of this forbidden food in the house, and the owner does not want to destroy it, you can temporarily “sell” the chametz to any non-Israeli.

The Easter table must certainly be elegant and even luxurious. Fresh flowers are a must—nature itself must be present at the table. A light tablecloth and napkins to match it are also a mandatory attribute of the holiday; it is advisable that they be made of linen. The tablecloth should cover the table completely, but at the same time not hang down to the floor. For Jewish Passover you need special dishes - porcelain or silver.

In many families, such dishes are kept for a whole year and are taken out only for Passover. A dish with matzo, of course, takes pride of place on the Passover table. A special Easter plate occupies an equally significant place. It has 6 cells. The first contains a bone - a symbol of the Easter sacrifice, the second - a hard-boiled egg (a common holiday sacrifice). The next cell contains maror - this is a bitter green.

Then charoset - a mixture of nuts, dried fruits, spices and wine, karpas - a vegetable that is eaten by dipping in salted water, which symbolizes the tears shed by the Jews in Egypt. And again bitter greens. Of course, these are not the only ritual dishes, but perhaps the most significant.

At the festive table, prayers and reading texts from the Torah are required. Another important ritual: everyone must drink 4 glasses of grape wine or juice - this also has its own symbol. The first and last Passover should not be worked. The first evening on the eve of the holiday is a family meal (Seder), and the last day of Passover, when they remember the events at sea, where the parting of the waves allowed the Israelis to pass, and the Egyptian army was drowned in close ranks, should be spent near the water.

And at the end of the trip to festive Israel (remember that Passover in 2019 will begin on April 19), a recipe for meat tzimmes.
This is another important dish on the Jewish Passover table.
So, let's take 1.5 kg. meat from the neck or shoulder blade, a little more than a kilogram of carrots, 2 large potatoes, 1.5 cups of sugar, 1 cup of honey, a pinch of salt. Cut the meat into cubes, chop the carrots and potatoes.
Place all this in a saucepan filled three-quarters with water. Add sugar, honey, salt and cook for one and a half to two hours.

Bae theavon! Which in Hebrew means: bon appetit!

Passover (Passover, Easter) is the main Jewish holiday associated with their history. Pesach means “ pass by" Now they interpret that this holiday appeared in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. In fact, it appeared a little earlier, in honor of salvation from the angel of death. Those. The Torah says that when Pharaoh did not want to let the Jews leave Egypt, God commanded the Jews to sacrifice lambs and mark the doors of their houses with the sacrificial blood. The Angel of Death walked past houses with a bloody sign, so he struck only the infants of Egypt, and did not touch the infants of the people of Israel. So the Jews celebrate Passover - death has passed by. To this day, in honor of that mark, Jews make an inscription on a tablet or metal and attach such a sign to the entrance doors of their homes or synagogues. “And everyone ate the bread with the blood of the altar and marked the doors,” now when Jews enter home, they touch the doorpost with their hand, where the sign is screwed, and touch their lips, i.e. as if they were again marking themselves with the sacrificial blood of a lamb so that death would pass them by.

history of the holiday

Let's read what the Jews themselves write about their Passover (we will consider our opinion about it later). Passover is, first of all, a holiday of liberation, in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. To better understand the meaning of the holiday and the customs associated with it, you need to remember the dramatic events, the flight of the Israelis from Egypt. The ancestors of the future Jewish people, Jacob and his 12 sons, fleeing the famine that struck their land of Canaan, came to Egypt. Pharaoh, whose advisor was Jacob's son Joseph, received them with honor and gave them the land of Goshen for settlement, where the Jews lived according to their customs. They lived well, and the Jewish family multiplied.
* Please note that the Jews did not live according to the laws of Egypt, but according to their own customs, i.e. autonomous settlement.

Many years later, a new pharaoh ascended the Egyptian throne, who did not know about Joseph’s services to the Egyptians, but the pharaoh was worried about the fertility of the Israelites; it was dangerous for the state. Then Pharaoh commanded: “ Behold, the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we; Let us outwit him so that he does not multiply, otherwise, when war happens, he will unite with our enemies, and arm himself against us and leave our land"(Exodus 1:9-10). At that time, the pharaoh was building his capital Raamses and a city for granaries and military supplies in the Nile Delta. By order of Pharaoh, Jews were herded into these difficult construction works under the scorching sun, where they were forced to knead clay and burn bricks. But the number of Israelis did not decrease. Pharaoh issued more and more laws against the Jews, but to no avail. Then he resorted to extreme measures: “ Throw every newborn son of the Jews into the river, and leave every daughter alive."(Exodus 1:22). Thus, Pharaoh hoped that the Jews would cease to exist as a people, they would not have men, their daughters would marry Egyptians. And in the land of Goshen there was groaning and weeping.
* Pharaoh did not know the main secret of Judaism, that among Jews, the ancestry and gene pool are transmitted through the mother, and not through the father, like all other peoples.

But then one day a son was born into a Jewish family. His mother, contrary to the decree of the pharaoh, left him alive and hid him until he was 3 months old. He could be discovered at any moment, and then the mother came up with a cunning plan. She knew that the daughter of Pharaoh had compassion for the persecuted Jews, and every day she bathed in the Nile in a certain place. The mother took a reed basket, put the baby in it and left it near the river bank. After bathing, Pharaoh's daughter discovered a basket with a child and realized that he was one of the Jewish children. She took pity and took him into her house. So he grew up at the court of Pharaoh Moses - the future leader of the Jewish people. Once Moses saw that an Egyptian overseer was severely beating an Israelite, he killed the rapist in anger, buried the corpse in the sand and ran away into the desert. On the land of Moab, he found shelter with a priest named Jethro. Jethro gave Moses his daughter as a wife. And one day, when Moses was tending sheep in the desert, he saw that the thorn bush was burning with fire, but the bush did not burn up. Suddenly, from the burning bush, the voice of God was heard, who commanded Moses to go to Egypt and lead the Jews out of slavery. From this moment on, Moses’ special ministry begins; he returns to Egypt to his people.

Moses and his brother Aaron told the Jews what God had revealed. " And the people believed; and they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and had seen their suffering, and they bowed down and worshiped"(Exodus 4:31). Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh asking him to let the Israelites go into the wilderness. But in response to Moses’ request, Pharaoh only tightens the oppression; he orders them not only to produce the established quota of bricks, but also to provide themselves with straw for making bricks, which had to be searched throughout the country. God tells Moses to continue speaking to Pharaoh, and sends one more terrible plague to Egypt than the other.(* later we will discuss that executions are absurd and senseless). After each execution that befalls the country, the water turns into blood, toads appear everywhere, then gnats, flies, pestilence affects livestock, ulcers appear on livestock and people. Pharaoh agrees to free the Jews, but then his heart suddenly hardens and he refuses. Finally, the most difficult test comes - the death of all the firstborn, from the firstborn of the pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave who reaps at the millstone. Tradition says that before this execution, Moses demanded that each Jewish family slaughter a one-year-old lamb and smear its blood on the doors of their house, and at dinner eat lamb meat with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. And when midnight came, The Angel of Death began to walk from house to house, and where there was no bloody sign, and it was not on the houses of the Egyptians, he killed the firstborn (i.e., the firstborn who carries the power of the gene pool).

After this, Pharaoh allowed the Jews to be released. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron at night and said: “ Arise, O Jews, among my people; both you and the children of Israel, go and serve the Lord, as you have said." In memory of this very night, Passover holiday established, in Hebrew means “to pass by,” for death passed over the Jews on the night when the firstborn died in Egypt. Since the Jews left Egypt with great haste, they had to prepare bread from dough that had not soured, which is also associated with One of the most famous Passover customs is eating matzah., i.e. special unleavened bread, instead of the usual, throughout the seven days of the holiday. In honor of this holiday (Pesach), which is sometimes called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it is also forbidden to consume products made from cereals: wheat, rye, barley, millet.

Passover sacrifice

Preparations for the holiday in ancient times began on the 10th day of the month Nisan, i.e. it is a lunar month falling in March-April according to the solar calendar. On this day, according to the commandment of the Torah, each family or several families (if the family has little wealth) chooses a lamb, young lamb, intended for the Passover sacrifice in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. On the 14th of the month of Nisan, in the afternoon, all these lambs were sacrificed in the Jerusalem Temple, and in the evening of this day a solemn meal was held in each family. During the meal, the head of the family told the children and everyone at home, including the servants, about the events that happened on that dramatic night in Egypt.

Passover - Harvest

The holiday of Passover is associated not only with the history of the Jewish people, but also with the annual cycle of ripening and harvesting. Here's what the Bible and Torah say:

“When you come into the land that I am giving you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest; he will present this sheaf before the Lord so that you may find favor; on the next day of the holiday the priest will offer it up... You shall not eat any new bread, nor dried grains, nor raw grains until the day on which you bring offerings to your God: this is an everlasting statute throughout your generations and in all your dwellings.”

In the customs associated with Passover - two meanings of the holiday combined: For 7 days, Jews should eat matzah instead of bread, in memory of the exodus from Egypt, and should not eat any grains in honor of the new grain harvest. The ripening of grain in Palestine is precisely on the 14th of Nisan. This date separates the old and new years, and after Easter you are not supposed to eat grain from the old harvest.

Ceremonial meal - seder

After the Babylonian captivity (586 BC), during which the Jerusalem Temple burned down, and the resettlement of Jews that began following the captivity, a new ritual for celebrating Passover began to take shape, since the opportunity for all Jews to make sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple was lost. After the secondary destruction of the temple in 70 AD. this ritual spread everywhere. The main importance was now attached to the ceremonial meal on the night of the 15th Nisan. This meal is called seder in Hebrew - “order”, and follows certain rules. Must be present on the table dish with three unleavened bread(i.e. unleavened flatbread - matzo), as if the personification of the three parts of the Jewish people:
1) kagans, i.e. priests (for example: Khazar Kaganate - ruled by a priest);
2) Levites, i.e. ministers in temples;
3) ordinary Jews, called Israel, which means - struggling with God.

In addition, six objects are placed on a separate tray or on the top matzo, which also have symbolic meaning:
1. A piece of meat with a bone, reminiscent of a lamb that was once sacrificed.
2. Maror(bitter horseradish), testifying to the hard life of the Jews in Egyptian slavery.
3. Baked egg, symbolizing the Jewish people. Those. the baked egg becomes hard, as if it means that the Jews are being hardened in the trials that befall them.
4. Greens(parsley, celery), symbolizes spring.
5. Charoset made with grated nuts, apples, wine and cinnamon - reminiscent of the clay from which the Jews made bricks in Egypt.
6. Saucer with salt water, which symbolizes the tears shed in Egypt.

After washing the hands and blessing the youngest of those present, they gather with family or friends at the table, and the youngest asks 4 questions about what happens on this night and how it differs from other nights. The host of the meal (usually the eldest) answers him and tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt, while pointing to objects symbolizing various moments of this drama; The book “Haggadah” is read at the table. Children play an important role in the Seder ritual. In each generation, each Seder participant must participate as if he personally came out of Egypt, was enslaved and saved from slavery. During the meal, everyone, including the youngest, Everyone must drink 4 glasses of red Easter wine in memory of the fact that God promises 4 times in the Bible to lead the people out of Egypt. Separately, the wine is poured into a special glass, from which, according to legend, the prophet Elijah himself drinks it. In the ritual of the Easter meal, many customs of the solemn feast, accepted in antiquity (at the beginning of the first millennium of the new era), were preserved. Let’s say that all participants should, as it were, recline on one side, because according to ancient custom, this is how free people should behave. The next morning they go to the synagogue, where in addition to the festive service, a special prayer for dew for the land of Israel is also read.

Holiday week

The holiday lasts 7 days, of which you are not supposed to work on the first and seventh. If possible, you should also refrain from heavy work in the days between. These 7 days of the holiday are called hol amoed, i.e. "holiday routine"

In the diaspora, i.e. outside Jewish Palestine, the holiday lasts 8 days, and accordingly it is not customary to work on the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th days. This custom has a later origin and is due to the fact that after the resettlement of the Jews, there was no firmly established calendar. Therefore, in order to avoid possible mistakes, all holidays are celebrated for two days.

In the evening of the second day of Passover, the seder is also established, which is carried out in the same way as on the first day. In modern Israel, the holiday lasts 7 days; according to the Torah, days 1 and 7 are declared holidays. On the second day of the holiday, the harvest of the new harvest began.

Counting the Omer

Counting the Omer- this is the count of 49 days between the holidays of Pesach and, starting from the second day of Pesach, is called “yemei sephirat haomer” i.e. "days of numbering the sheaf." They have special significance and are considered responsible. At this time, you need to be attentive to both people and nature, as the harvest is underway. According to legend, it was on these days that the students of the famous teacher Rabbi Akiva died. The epidemic struck them because they were not respectful to each other. At this time, you are not supposed to indulge in pleasures or arrange weddings. The only day when all restrictions are lifted is the 18th day of Yair, i.e. Lag B'Omer— 33rd day of the Omer. On this day, the great sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, whose name is associated with mystical teachings, died.

After which the 50th day is celebrated (Pentecost - Shavuot).

The holiday of Pesach (Easter) is the most ancient and significant in Jewish culture, but it does not, like Christians, mark the exodus of Jews from Egypt.

During Passover, Jews gather around the festive table, hold a traditional Passover ceremony, talk about the history of their people, remember hardships and significant events. It is believed that this holiday should be celebrated with dignity by every Jew, regardless of their financial and social status.

Jews use the solar-lunar system of chronology, therefore, according to the Gregorian calendar that is familiar to us, the date of Passover is different every year. The celebration traditionally begins on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, and lasts 7 days in Israel and 8 outside it. Jewish Passover (Pesach) in 2017 falls on April 11-17.

history of the holiday

The history of the Passover holiday is connected with biblical events, in particular, the withdrawal of the Jews from Egypt by Moses. According to legend, before sending the last of the 10 plagues on Egypt, God ordered the Jews to slaughter and roast lambs and mark the doors with their blood.

On the night of Nisan 14, the Almighty passed by the houses of the Jews on which marks were made, and in the remaining families all the first-born children died. After this, Moses led the Jewish people outside of Egypt.

The name Pesach comes from the word “passover,” which translated from Hebrew means “to go around, to pass by.” Thus, the holiday is named in honor of the fact that trouble bypassed the homes of the Jews, and they received freedom.

Celebration traditions

One of the main features of Passover is the prohibition on the consumption and possession of leaven (chametz) - products that have undergone a fermentation process, for example, beer, yeast bread, pasta, baked goods, etc. Only traditional unleavened bread called matzo is allowed. The ban is due to the fact that the escape of the Jews from Egypt took place in great haste, which is why they were forced to bake bread for the journey from dough that had not yet risen, and did not have time to stock up on leaven.

Preparations for the holiday begin a week before the deadline. A general cleaning is carried out in the house, as a result of which not a single piece of chametz should remain in the home. All collected leaven is burned or sold to a non-Jew; if it was not possible to destroy the forbidden products, and they remained stored in the house, then they cannot be eaten even after the holiday. As a rule, families try to eat all their reserves of leaven before Passover.

The first and last days of Passover in Israel are weekends, and the rest are weekday holidays.

Festive meal

The main point of the holiday is the evening meal, which is called seder (translated from Hebrew as “order”). It is held on the first evening of Passover, and in the countries of the Diaspora - on the first two evenings. The celebration begins after the family arrives from the synagogue and when the last ray of sun disappears behind the horizon.

During the Seder, prayers are read, traditional blessings are said, and psalms are sung. Also on this evening, it is customary to invite those in need and those Jews who do not have the opportunity to spend the holiday with their family to the table.

The table is set with the best dishes, which are first doused with boiling water to destroy any traces of leaven. Especially religious families have dishes that are used exclusively for Passover and are passed down from generation to generation.

Wine, candles, three pieces of matzo and a cup intended for the prophet Elijah (Eliyah) are also placed on the table. A mandatory attribute of the holiday table are bowls filled with salt water, symbolizing the tears that Jewish women shed when all their firstborns were killed by order of Pharaoh.

During the seder, the story of the Exodus is read in a certain order, and then everyone present eats symbolic dishes. The food is laid out on a special dish called kear, which is used exclusively for the seder.

Three dishes with symbolic meaning are placed on it in a certain way: karpas - any spring vegetable, zroa - a piece of fried lamb with a bone, beitsa - a hard-boiled egg.

Whole matzos are placed in front of the person leading the seder and covered with a napkin. Opposite each participant in the meal they place a book with the legend of the Exodus from Egypt (Haggadah), as well as everything that is necessary for prayer and blessing.

The Seder involves going through five stages - mitzvot:

• eat matzah;
• drink 4 cups of wine;
• eat maror;
• read the Haggadah;
• read the psalms.

For a festive meal, chicken soup with matzo dumplings, baked meat and stuffed fish are often prepared.

During the Seder it is customary to drink four cups of wine; children and sick people can drink grape juice. Each glass symbolizes one of the four promises that God made to the Jewish people. In addition, there is a tradition of filling a special cup for the prophet Eliyah, who should proclaim the coming of Moshiach - the Messiah who will bring prosperity to the earth and return all Jews to Israel.

Weekend for Passover

The first and last days are considered the most important for Passover. On the first day, it is prohibited to perform any work. The next five days are also holidays, but simple work is allowed on them. The seventh day symbolizes the Jews' crossing of the Red Sea.

On this day, a special ceremony of “dividing the waters of the sea” is held in synagogues; in addition, there is a tradition of reading a certain passage from the Torah near a river or other body of water. Diaspora countries celebrate the eighth day of Passover.