Hi friends,
this is our last effort on festivals. It is a research on the Jewish festival Passover . It was hard work ! Joking but it took us a lot of time , we have been busy recently. We also added a recipe: go to the section "Festive Food" and try it.
Read on anf find Pesach.
this is our last effort on festivals. It is a research on the Jewish festival Passover . It was hard work ! Joking but it took us a lot of time , we have been busy recently. We also added a recipe: go to the section "Festive Food" and try it.
Read on anf find Pesach.
Pesach means “to pass through” or as it is translated
in English “ to pass over”. It is one of the most important festival in the
Jewish year. Jewish people remember how the children of Israel left slavery and were led out of Egypt by
Moses. This is the story and it can be found in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 12
in the Torah:
Moses went to see Pharaoh many times. Each time
Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites. Moses warned Pharaoh that God would
send plagues on Egypt if Pharaoh did not
let them go. The ten plagues were: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, blight of the
livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of the first born. God
told the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and brush their doors with the blood so that the angel of death would recognize
and pass over their houses.
The final plague was the death of the first born. God
told Moses that the Israelites should mark their doorposts with lamb's blood so
that God could 'pass over' their houses and spare them from this plague. This
is why the festival is called Passover. the
Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go . They left in such a hurry that there
was no time to bake bread for the journey but they took the unleavened dough.
That’s why the feast is also called “the festival of unleavened bread” and
people eat unleavened bread called Matzah
HOW TO GET READY FOR PASSOVER
Before celebrations begin, the house must be cleaned
and every traces of chamez ( leaven) must be removed. this also symbolizes the
removal of arrogance from their souls. The day before Passover starts all
firstborn males fast to celebrate their escape from the tenth plague. The most
important moment takes place on the
first night of Passover when friends and family gather together for the seder meal.
Seder means order and ceremonies are arranged in a
specific order.
The text of the pesach seder is written in a book called Haggadah. (
narration ). Everyone at the seder has a cushion to lean on . This is to
remember that they are no longer slaves, but free people. Everyone takes part
in reading , many songs are sung and four questions are asked by the youngest
child.
THE 4 QUESTIONS ARE:
Why do we eat unleavened bread?
Why do we eat bitter herbs
Why do we dip our food in liquid?
At the beginning of the meal a piece of potato is
dipped in salt water to recall the tears the Jews shed as slaves.
Why do we eat in a reclining position?
THIS IS WHAT A SEDER PLATE CONSISTS OF:
WINE: it symbolizes
joy and happiness; an extra glass of wine is for Elijah. Jews believe
that the prophet will visit every Seder meal and announce the coming of the
Messiah. A few drops of wine are spilled to recall the sufferings of the
Egyptians during the plagues.
MATZO:
unleavened bread
A BONE OF LAMB: to represent the killing of the lamb
by each household
AN EGG : it
represents sacrifice but it can also mean Jewish determination not to abandon
their beliefs
GREENERY:
it represents new life
SALT WATER:
it symbolizes the slaves’ tears
BITTER
HERBS : they represent the bitterness of slavery
CHAROSET( a
paste made of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine ) it represents the mortar used
by the Israelites during their forced labour)
Now enjoy this nice video explaining the seder plate
Now enjoy this nice video explaining the seder plate
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