Passover Origins And Observances

Rabbi Ari J. Goldstein

Temple Beth Shalom

The Jewish holiday of Passover, which comes from the Torah (Pentateuch), is the most widely observed holiday on the Jewish calendar. While its origins are agricultural, celebrating the barley harvest of the spring, our tradition assigned it a prominent meaning as a festival of liberation from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of Jewish nationhood as well.

The book of Exodus describes the foundation of Passover by explaining that the ancient Israelites greatly suffered as slaves to the pharaoh in Egypt. But God heard our cries and sent Moses to free our people. After 10 punishing plagues, the pharaoh agreed to let our people go and we set out on a 40-year journey through the wilderness to Canaan.

Today, Jews observe Passover for seven (or eight) days by refraining from eating anything that is leavened (no bread products) and participating in a seder, which is a festive service containing stories, prayers and songs preceding a meal.

The seder draws upon various themes of the season and holiday and incorporates them into a pseudo-liturgical experience for the purpose of reminding us of our origins and the significant role that God played in getting us to where we are today.

Some of the symbols that are included in the seder are:

1. Matzah – Unleavened bread, which reminds us of how our people left Egypt in such a hurry that there wasn’t enough time for the bread to rise.
2. Maror – A bitter herb reminding us of how our lives were embittered due to our bondage.
3. Haroset – A mixture of fruits and nuts intended to remind us of the mortar that was used during our enslavement.
4. Parsley dipped in saltwater – A green vegetable, symbolizing the emergence of springtime, dipped into a liquid reminding us of our tears.

One of the best parts of Passover is that no two seders are the same. Some seders are long (two to three hours before eating) while others are short. Some are traditional (sticking to the liturgy established for us) while others have fun themes (“The Simpsons” and “Harry Potter” being two of my favorites). All seders have the same purpose: To tell our story over and over so that future generations maintain our traditions and reflect on how we got to where we are.