Jewish Passover Essay

Passover in Judaism Passover is traditionally a one to two day celebration, filled with many forms of symbolism. It is recognized as the first of the spring feasts, six feasts later build upon it. Specifically, it commemorates the celebration of the redemption of the Jewish people. Furthermore, the focal point of the celebration is remembrance of the children of Israel, and how they escaped plague stricken Egypt. During this time, God had inflicted plagues, ten in total, in effort for the Pharaoh to release the slaves. The tenth plague specifically was the worst, as it involved the death of the first born son, all of which is found in Exodus in the Bible. Although the Israelites faced hardships during their slavery in Egypt, Passover
allows them to commemorate their liberation from slavery and strengthen their devotion to god and sense of community. Today, Passover corresponds with the month of March or April (Heath).
This also marks the beginning of Israel’s religious year (Wittenberg). Since unleavened bread was the only bread eaten during the seven days following Passover, it is also referred to as the feast of unleavened bread. For that reason, matzo is used to remember the exodus, where the Israelites fled Egypt with dough that had not had yeast added to (Wittenberg). While the Jewish people have celebrated Passover annually since the time of Moses , in reality, there was only one Passover. This event took place over 3500 years ago. At that time, a lamb’s sacrificed blood was applied to each door post. This enactment, allowed for that home to be “passed over” by the death angel of God’s wrath. All consequent observations of the feast of Passover, over the centuries, were memorials of that one day
(Scholefield).
In Exodus chapter twelve , God precisely delineated the steps to be taken by those who trusted in him, so that unlike the Egyptians, they would not be struck down by the last plague. In the Hebrew month of Nissan , on the tenth day, they were to select a lamb and keep it until the 14th (Wittenberg). During this span, each family would develop a connection to lamb; therefore, the sacrifice would be more poignant. This lamb’s blood served as substitute for their sin. Ultimately, this is what would save them from God’s wrath. On the 14th day of the first month, the lambs were to be killed, subsequently eaten, and then applied to the doorpost. This served as a visible indication of their faith.
At that moment, the innocent lamb allowed for the Lord’s judgment to pass over them. Therefore, this established Passover as a perpetual reminder of the distressing, yet liberating night. Passover’s ritual and service has developed throughout time, historians attribute this to Israel’s recurrent state of captivity (Scholefield). Therefore, they were often times left without a temple leaving them unable to celebrate in traditional, organized ways.
This Passover service was so-called the Seder, in Hebrew it means order.
It started the traditional order of the scripture readings, prayers and hymns in the Passover service. Today, the traditions of the Seder remain similar to those of over a thousand years ago. The pinnacle of Passover’s celebration falls on the first two nights, in which relatives gather for ritual Seder meals. During this, the story of Passover is told. The meal must have special plates and utensils exclusively for the celebration. Next, the Haggadah depicts the hardships endured in Egypt. Also, the story of the ten plagues are listed out loud. Subsequently, a drop of wine is dripped out to remind those that their liberation was tainted with sadness under the ruling of the Egyptians. Four questions are later asked to provoke the group to reminisce on the underlying reason of their traditions (Zaklikowski). On this night, they ask why they dip their food into liquid. The saltwater, in which food such as potatoes are dipped, represent the tears shed in Egypt. Next, Matzo commemorates the Jew’s bread when they left hastily from Egypt (Heath). Bitter herbs, such as horse radish or parsley are suggestive of the bitterness of slavery endured by the slaves. Finally, on this night, Jews are seated reclined, rather than upright, sprawled on cushions to symbolize relaxation and freedom as opposed to the binding handcuffs of
slavery.