Date of Celebration: sunset of April 19 - sunset of April 26/27, 2008
Passover
celebrates the historic Exodus of the Jewish people. Passover
(transliterated as Pesach or Pesah), also called Chag HaMatzot -
Festival of Matzot, is a Jewish holiday which is celebrated in
the northern spring. It begins on the 15th day of Nisan (on the
Hebrew calendar), which falls between March 15-April 30.
Passover commemorates the Exodus and freedom of the Israelites
from ancient Egypt. As described in the Book of Exodus, Passover
marks the "birth" of the Jewish nation, as the Jews' ancestors
were freed from being slaves of Pharaoh and allowed to become
servants of God instead. Together with Sukkot ("Tabernacles")
and Shavuot ("Pentecost"), Passover is one of the three pilgrim
festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire Jewish
populace made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, at the time when the
Temple in Jerusalem was standing.
Passover is the day, that stands for happiness and liberation, is
celebrated with friends, families and loved ones, by spreading the cheer
and the blessings.
In Israel, Passover is a 7-day holiday, with the first and last days
celebrated as a full festival (involving abstention from work, special
prayer services and holiday meals). In the Jewish diaspora outside
Israel, the holiday is traditionally celebrated for 8 days, with the
first two days and last two days celebrated as full festivals. The
intervening days are known as Chol HaMoed (festival weekdays). The
primary symbol of Passover is the matzo, a flat, unleavened "bread"
which recalls the hurriedly-baked bread that the Israelites ate after
their hasty departure from Egypt.
According to Halakha, matzo may be made from flour derived from five
types of grain: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye. The dough for matzo is
made when flour is added to water only, which has not been allowed to
rise for more than 18–22 minutes prior to baking. Many Jews observe the
positive Torah commandment of eating matzo on the first night of
Passover at the Passover Seder, as well as the Torah prohibition against
eating or owning Chametz which includes any leavened products — such as
bread, cake, cookies, beer, whisky or pasta (or anything whose dough has
been mixed with a leavening agent or which has been left to rise more
than 18 minutes) — for the duration of the holiday.
Matzoh is the traditional unleavened bread that is eaten during
Passover, which dates back to when the Hebrew Slaves were free to leave
Egypt. According to the legend, the Hebrew Women did not have time to
bake the bread in the oven and the sun baked the dough on their backs.
It turned out flat, but tasty. It is called Matzoh and available in the
supermarket in the Kosher Food Aisle.
