Beginning on the evening of April 12th, 2006, Jewish people around the world will celebrate Passover (or “Pesach” in Hebrew). Passover is a holiday which commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from the Egyptians 3000 years ago. Commonly depicted in the movie The Ten Commandments, Passover is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays.
The story of Passover begins when the Jews were slaves in Egypt roughly 3000 years ago. One day, God came to Moses and told him to free the Jews from slavery. When the Pharoah (or king of ancient Egypt) refused to let the Jews go, Moses unleashed the 10 plagues, which involved throngs of locusts, boils, cattle disease and the killing of the first born child of all of the Egyptians. After this terror, the Pharoah agreed to let the Jews go, but, fearing he might change his mind, the Jews hurried so quickly out of Egypt that they did not have time to prepare. In their haste, they did not have time to let their bread rise for the journey, and thus ate unleavened bread.
The Pharoah quickly changed his mind and sent his troops after the Jews, who had run all the way to the Red Sea. With seemingly nowhere to go, Moses raised his hand and parted the sea so the Jews could run to safety on the other side, but he kept the sea parted only long enough for the Jews to run through. When the last Jew reached the other side, the water crashed down and drowned the Egyptians. Thus began the next 40 years for the Jews in freedom, but wandering lost in the desert, in search of Jerusalem.
Today, Jews the world over commemorate this story by having two special meals, called “sedars” at which special food is eaten and special prayers are sung. In addition, Jews eat matza (or unleavened bread) during the 8 days of Passover to remember the times when their ancestors had to leave Egypt so quickly they didn't have time to let the bread rise.
For more information on Passover and other Jewish customs or to make a request for kosher items, please go to our article on Passover Treats, or www.jewfaq.org.
