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Overcast Celebrating the miracles of Passover
Eight-day holiday begins Friday night
The eight-day holiday of Passover begins Friday night. Pesach, as its called in Hebrew, commemorates the ancient Hebrews exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.
After being enslaved for several hundred years, as recounted in the Bible, God performed 10 miracles, which compelled the Egyptian king, Pharaoh Ramses, to release the Jewish people from bondage.
Realizing they made a hasty decision to free the Jews, Pharaoh and his army gave chase, and the Jews had nowhere to run but into the Red Sea, which miraculously split for them, but drowned the Egyptians, along with their possessions, which the Jews took as spoils.
The holiday typically brings the entire extended family together for the Seder, the Passover meal, where several rituals are performed and the holiday’s story is recounted using the Haggadah, which originates from the Hebrew word hageyd that means to tell.
Following the Haggadah, 15 steps are performed on the first eve of the holiday to commemorate the exodus. Four cups of wine are drunk to correspond to the four stages of the exodus. There are four questions, usually asked by the youngest person at the Seder table, focusing on why this night different from all other nights.
Throughout the holiday, Jews eat matzo, unleavened bread, to remember the haste with which the Jews left Egypt, in addition to refraining from eating or possessing leavened foods, called chometz, throughout the duration of the holiday.
Like Hannah, the protagonist of “The Devil’s Arithmetic,” a historical novel written by Jane Yolen, I always wondered what the purpose of commemorating these ancient miracles is. What is the reason behind all of these rituals? Why abstain from bread for a week?
It is not only to remember what occurred more than 3,000 years ago; it is not only to celebrate a religious holiday and it is not just an excuse to eat matzo.
It’s a time to remember miracles big and small; it’s a time to remember the blessings God showers upon us and our loved ones every day and it’s a time to share time with our family and friends.
