The History & Traditions of Passover

Passover 2012 is here, Lindenhurst.

Here’s an excerpt about the history of the from Holidays.net:
About 3000 years ago the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians under the rule of the Pharaoh Ramses II.

According to the Book of Exodus, Moses, a simple Jewish shepherd, was instructed by God to go to the pharaoh and demand the freedom of his people

Moses' plea of “let my people go” was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send severe punishments to the people of Egypt if the Israelites weren’t freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request of freedom.

In response God unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues on the people of Egypt:

• Blood
• Frogs
• Lice (vermin)
• Wild Beasts (flies)
• Blight (cattle disease)
• Boils
• Hail
• Locusts
• Darkness
• Slaying of the First Born

The holiday's name - Pesach, meaning "passing over" or "protection" in Hebrew - is derived from the instructions given to Moses by God. In order to encourage the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, God intended to kill the first-born of both man and beast.

To protect themselves the Israelites were told to mark their dwellings with lamb's blood so that God could identify and "pass over" their homes.

According to the book of Exodus, the Pharaoh remained unconvinced and refused to free the Jewish slaves - until the last plague.

When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom, the Israelites left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake their breads. So they packed the raw dough to take with them on their journey.

As they fled through the desert they’d quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today to commemorate this event those of Jewish faith eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover

Though the Jews were now free, their liberation was incomplete. The Pharaoh's army chased them through the desert toward the Red Sea. When the Jews reached the sea they were trapped.

It was then that a miracle occurred, according to the book of Exodus. The waves of the Red Sea parted and the Israelites were able to cross to the other side.

As soon as all of them reached the other side, the sea closed, trapping the Pharaoh's army as the waves closed upon them

Then as the Israelites watched the waters of the Red Sea sweep away the Pharaoh's army, they realized they were finally free

The Passover Seder
Passover celebrates this history. The first two nights of the eight-day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called Seders in which the stories and history of Passover are celebrated. Special foods, plates and silverware are all a part of the Seder.

Taking place the first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday, the Seder is the most important event in the Passover celebration. Usually gathering the whole family and friends together, the Seder is steeped in long held traditions and customs

Leading up to the first night of Passover, the home is cleaned and cleared of all yeast foods, called hametz. All hametz is either eaten before Passover begins or "sold" to non-Jewish neighbors and friends.

The rules surrounding Passover are strict and many, with only special foods, utensils and dishware allowed.

Kitchen utensils and dishware normally used in the home are not be used during Passover.

Special dishes and utensils for the Passover holiday are taken out of storage, cleaned and used.

Only foods that are "Kosher for Passover" are allowed. No leavened (containing yeast) foods or grains are eaten.

In their place matzoh and foods containing matzoh are eaten. This is to commemorate the Israelites who fled quickly into the desert with no time for their breads to rise and were forced to bake the dough into hard crackers in the desert sun.

All foods prohibited during Passover must be disposed of the morning of the first night of Passover.

To learn more about and the ’s traditions and foods, click here.