Passover
What is it?
Passover ("Pesach") begins on the night of the fifteenth day of the month of Nissan and lasts for eight days. This holiday commemorates the departure of the nation of Israel from Egypt. Pesach marks the birth of the Jewish people as a nation led by Moshe (Moses) over 3000 years ago. This is a as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as the physical liberation from slavery.
The Seder
The highlight of Pesach is the observance of the Seder, a unique ceremony performed on the first two evenings of Passover. At the Seder, Jews eat different special foods, tell the story of the departure from Egypt, sing songs and say special prayers.
The rituals and symbolic foods associated with the Seder evoke the twin themes of the evening: slavery and freedom.The seder is conducted by the order given in the Haggadah. The seder is split into 15 segments, each having different symbolic value.
Family Involvement
Since the retelling of the Exodus to one's child is the object of the Seder experience, much effort is made to arouse the interest and curiosity of the children. The Haggadah sets the tone for a question-and-answer format with several examples.
The most famous question which the youngest child asks at the Seder is the Mah Nishtanah - "Why is this night different from all other nights?"
Matzah
During Passover, observers are restricted to leavened bread or grain related foods. In its place, matzah, an unleavened bread is eaten.
