Chag sameach: Learn about the tradition of Passover
Passover starts at sunset on Friday, April 15 and continues through Saturday, April 23. The first two days and the final two days are considered Holy Days.
A Seder meal is the central activity of Passover and is a ritual done at home. The word Seder is Hebrew for order. There is no need for a “professional” rabbi to lead the ritual. This means there can be a great deal of variety in how Passover is celebrated in each home.
What is the same is the story being remembered, which is the Exodus story. This is when the Israelites were set free from slavery in Egypt and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Each food in the Seder is symbolic to remembering the journey from slavery to freedom. On the table is a roasted shank bone of a leg, remembering the lamb that was killed to put blood on the frame of the door of each family; an egg for springtime and renewal; bitter herbs (maror); horseradish (chazeret); salt water, a symbol of the bitter tears cried in slavery; parsley (karpas), another sign of spring or nobility/aristocracy; and matzah, the unleavened bread they took out of Egypt. There is also the tradition of drinking four glasses of wine for the four promises of redemption.
Why is this night different from all other nights? At the Seder meal, the youngest in the family asks these four questions:
- On all other nights, we eat either bread or matzah. Why, on this night, do we eat only matzah?
- On all other nights, we eat herbs of any kind. Why, on this night, do we eat only bitter herbs?
- On all other nights, we do not dip our herbs even once. Why, on this night, do we dip them twice?
- On all other nights, we eat either sitting or leaning. Why, on this night, do we eat while leaning?
It is believed that Passover is the oldest Jewish holiday, being over 3,300 years old. It is proper to wish your Jewish friends and neighbors Happy Passover or chag sameach, which means happy festival.
These are just a few things to know about the holiday of Passover. Want to know more about the Jewish faith? Join the members of the Jewish Student Union here at Carthage, who meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, in Ehrler Hospitality Center in the A. F. Siebert Chapel.
Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:
Center for Faith and Spirituality