Passover
The Passover story When? (Time) about 3000 years ago Where? (Place) Egypt Who is the story about? Pharaoh, Egyptians, Jacob’s family, Moses.
What is special about it? This is the beginning of the Jewish nation. How did they get to Egypt? There was no rain and there was hunger in the land of Israel. Jacob and his family went to Egypt to look for food and work there. Why is it different from other holidays ?
Jacob’s family lived there for hundreds of years. They had sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren. They became slaves.
When Pharaoh saw that there were so many Jewish slaves, he was afraid that they will rebel, so… He ordered that Jewish mothers must throw their new born baby boy to the river.
One of the women wanted to save her child, she put him in a basket and carefully put it in the water and watched him from the side.
Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and took him to the palace. She named him Moshe.
Moshe was adopted as the son of Pharaoh. He grew-up in the palace and didn’t know that he was a Jew. Only when he grew up, he discovered that he was adopted and that he was Jewish.
One day God was revealed to Moshe from a burning bush. God talked to Moshe and told him that he was chosen to save the Jewish people from their slavery.
Let my people go!
When Pharaoh refused to let then go, God brought the 10 plagues
The last plague was: death of the first born sons
In order for the Jews to protect themselves from this plague, they were asked to put lamb's blood on their front door so that God could identify and pass over their homes.
Pharaoh refused to free the Jewish slaves until the last plague. When Pharaoh finally agreed freed the Jews, they left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake their breads. They baked the dough quickly into hard crackers called matzos.
While the sons of Israel were went out of Egypt, Pharaoh’s army was chasing them. When they got to the sea, a miracle had happened, the waves of the Sea parted and the Jews were able to cross to the other sideside
The name Passover was given to the holiday because God has "passed over" the houses of The sons of Israel when the last plague came on Egypt on the evening before they were freed from slavery. Why do we call this holiday Passover?
Passover is celebrated today in homes by having a Seder (order). We read the Passover story in a special order from the book called a Hggadah. The Seder is the most important event in the Passover celebration.
Before the first night of Passover, the houses must be cleaned and cleared of all hametz food. I’m tiered Everything must be shining We have to clean the house from all the hametz!
The Seder The main thing is the Seder plate, a special plate containing the 5 foods that have special meaning for this holiday. It reminds us the struggle of the sons of Israel (the Jews) in their journey to freedom.
The plate contains: 1. Haroseth- symbolic of the clay used by Pharaoh's Hebrew slaves to make bricks 2. Karpas -Parsley (dipped in salt water)- reminder that the new growth during this spring festival brings renewed hope of universal peace 3. Hard-boiled egg - symbolic of life's cycle of birth and death 4. Roasted meat - representing the paschal lamb 5. Bitter herbs- commemorating the bitterness of slavery Three pieces of matzos are placed in the center of the Seder table
haroseth roasted lamb bone hard-cooked egg parsley bitter herbs matzos
Before the meal starts we take the middle matza from the plate and we break it into half. One half is returned to the plate, and the other becomes the Afikoman. The Afikoman is hidden and in the end of the meal the children will look for it. The one that finds it gets a prize.
During the Seder 4 glasses of wine are poured to represent the 4 stages of the exodus: 1. freedom 2. deliverance 3. redemption 4. Release A fifth cup is for the prophet Elijah.
Do you remember? 1.Who was Moshe? 2. What did the Jews do to protect themselves from the plagues? 3. Why do we eat matzos? 4. What are the 5 items on the Seder plate?
Enjoy your holiday