All About Passover (Pesach)!

Holiday Name: Passover, Pesach, פֶּסַח
Means: To pass over OR protect
Pronounce it: Peh-sach

What It’s About

Pesach commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. After about 400 years in slavery Moses (Moshe) comes along and stands up to Pharaoh, coercing him with 10 plagues to release the Israelites. Only after the death of the firstborn, in which God “passes over,” or protects, the Israelites, does Pharaoh acquiesce.

Dates

Begins at sundown on Monday, April 22, 2024, and ends at sundown on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Special Foods

The Israelites were in such a hurry to leave Egypt that they didn’t have time for their bread to rise, leading to very flat bread called “matzah.” Every household has different foods that make the holiday special and will have variations on the seder plate, including bitter herbs, a roasted egg, a shankbone, charoset, and spring vegetables. Some people add an orange or a sunflower for Ukraine, or will make accommodations for vegetarianism. Every food has symbolism.

Greetings

Hag Kasher V’Sameach (Have a happy and kosher holiday!)
A zissen Pesach (A sweet Passover!)

Activities

The Passover seder is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish rituals in the calendar. Families will host one to two nights of feasts with the reading and singing of the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Many will abstain from eating leavened products for eight days, completely rid their houses of foods that have leavening agents, and use special Passover dishes, pots, and pans.