Passover Seder And Religion

The Passover Seder is known to be one of Jewish rituals. Pesach in Hebrew means “to pass over” and celebrated during early spring, specifically during the 15th through the 22nd Nissan the Hebrew month. The reference made with Passover was that of God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites when He was slaying the firstborn of Egypt during the last of the ten plagues. Passover is the Jewish festival that memorializes the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
The origins of Passover go back in the Bible, specifically in the book of Exodus. During this time, the Israelites have been enslaved by Pharaoh. After many generations of domination, God spoke to an Israelite man, named Moses and instructed him to go to Pharaoh and tell
Pharaoh to let God’s people to go free. Pharaoh refuses to let God’s people free and as a result, Moses became a messenger to bring down the 10 plagues on Egypt.
The Plagues ranged from turning the waters of Egypt from water, to blood to the pestilence that would kill most of the domestic animals of Egyptians to even the darkness for several days without light. The very last plague was the death of the first born; God went through Egypt and killed each firstborn. Before this God told Moses to paint the doors of homes with blood, which is why God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites leaving their children unharmed. As a result of Pharaoh’s firstborn death, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to be free. Before the Israelites celebrated their freedom from Pharaoh, God told Moses to leave Egypt and go to the Red Sea. After hearing of the Israelites leaving, Pharaoh sent out his six hundred of the best chariots to pursue the Israelites. The Pharaoh and his men trapped the Israelites against the Red Sea. God goes on to tell Moses to use his staff to part the Red Sea. The waters divided, and the Israelites
went through the sea on dry land, with both sides on the left and right a barricade of water. Pharaoh’s men went after the Israelites. As the Israelites reached the other side of the Red Sea, God told Moses to stretch his hand over the sea in order to have the waters flow back. And so Moses did this, the Egyptians were swept into the sea. After their escape from the clutches of the Egyptians, they were in the desert for 40 years and finally they reached the promise land or Israel.
The message of Passover provides two components, one specifically for the Jewish people and the other is for the world.
For many Passover is a time for a self-reflection both the Jewish community and for the world. But it does not stop there, the message of history, faith, and community are along with it. The book of Exodus is one example of how Passover reminds the Jewish community what their ancestors have gone through. It also demonstrates the faith the Israelites had to follow through God’s instructions to be freed from the Egyptians and ultimately go to the promise land. The last component of Passover can be viewed through the community. During Passover one of the many things done is having a meal called Seder. Seder is during the first two nights of Passover and is a feast usually with friends and family. This is a time for where there is fellowship within the
community.
During Seder there specific foods such as vegetables dipped in salt water, lamb shank bone, charoset, matzo, and bitter herbs. All of these foods point towards the representation during their time in Egypt. The bitter herbs, for example, represent the harsh treatment during their time as slaves. The word Haggadah translate to “telling” and the purpose of it is the narration of the book of Exodus.
The Eastern European Jew or the Ashkenazi and the Yemenite Jews are quite different even though they are both Jewish people. Their key difference is where they lived. The Ashkenazi Jews live in Eastern Europe, in particular Germany. The Yemenite Jews or Sephardic Jews on the other hand, lived in places such as the Middle East or Spain. Due to their difference in location, celebrating holidays are different as well. One holiday in particular is Passover, Ashkenazi are able to speak Yiddish which is a dialect stemming from the German language. The Yemenite are Arabic speakers and the Sephardic are Spanish speakers, but they also speak Ladino which is a dialect of Spanish which also includes Hebrew into the mix. Due to both the Ashkenazi Jews and the Yemenite Jews speaking different languages the musical interpretations also change. As for the Ashkenazi Jews their musical interpretation uses ½ notes and is generally used in synagogues and homes. Due to their musical interpretation being ½ notes, it is a slow tempo compared to the Yemenite Jews since they use ¼ tones.
To concluded, Passover is a holiday where Jews are able not only eating a meal, Seder, but as well as be reminded of the history, faith, community. Although the Jewish people are separated by location, the meaning of the Passover and the history they have went through has not changed.