PESACH THE PASSOVER

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.

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