What exactly is Passover?

Answer 1

Passover is a festival celebrated my the Jewish people reminding us of when we were slaves in Egypt many years ago. We have a meal with all foods which symbolise different things and we re-tell the story of the exodus from Egypt and the ten plagues that befell the Egyptians. There are a few names for Passover: Pesach( The Hebrew for Passover) & Chag Hamatzos (Meaning festival of the matzos or unleavened bread) are two of them. We eat 'matzos' on Passover symbolising the dough that never had time to rise on the way out of Egypt.

Answer 2

Passover starts off at sunset April 18 and starts off the banquet of unleavened bread which lasts for 8 days. on the 2d night we start to count variety the omer. Passover seems to drift on the Georgian calendar because of the fact the Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar.Passover - Pesach in Hebrew is now on Nissan 15, because of the fact that Hillel fixed the calendar. Passover in biblical cases became the completed moon after eco-friendly ears of barley have been got here across.

Answer 3

Passover (Pesach): Commemorates the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. It is celebrated for eight days with special prayers and symbolic foods at home, starting with the "Seder," a ritual meal that re-enacts that ancient deliverance and emphasizes the freedom of the Jews under the guidance of God. The first two and the last two days are holidays. (Judaism)

Answer 4

Really it's bloody.
The Isrialites had to take a perfect lamb, drain it's blood and mark the top and sides of their door with the blood. This way when the holy spirit came thru that night to kill all the firstborn egyptans, they didn't get the same treatment.
They could not eat any bread with yeast in it that night either, it was considered to be a picture of sin. yeast permeating the bread such as sin permeated the soul.
hope that helps
It is literally God Passing Over those houses and not killing them because of the 'pure' blood of the lamb-old testement sacrificial- on their dwelling

Answer 5

don't want to know about the food,Why? is it named THE PASSOVER?? Passover from WHAT??

Answer 6

Passover today is actually Easter. Christs resurrection from the grave washes away our sins and if we believe in him by faith we will be with him in Heaven someday. The name we use today which is Easter is really a Pagan name and how it got started in the Church is beyond me but easter eggs and chocolat bunnies is not celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

NaKeisha gave it to straight..
Or you could look in the Bible. Exodus...

Answer 8

I don't know what it is

Answer 9

Passover (Hebrew: פֶּסַח, Tiberian: pɛsaħ, Israeli: Pesach, Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish: Paysokh), is celebrated on the 14th day of the month called Nissan (Leviticus 23:4; Numbers 9:3,5; 28:16), first month of the Jewish year (on the Hebrew calendar). It immediately precedes the Festival of Unleavened Bread (חַג הַמַּצּוֹת, ħaɣ ham:asʕ:oθ, Chag Hamatzot/s), a Jewish holiday which begins on the 15th day of Nissan (Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17, 33:3) and is celebrated in the northern spring season. In 2007, it arrives at nightfall on April 2. Passover commemorates the Exodus and freedom of the Israelites from ancient Egypt. As described in the Book of Exodus, Passover marks the "birth" of the Children of Israel who become the Jewish nation, as the Jews' ancestors were freed from being slaves of Pharaoh and allowed to become followers of God instead.

The two names for the holiday are a coalescence of two related celebrations. The name Passover (Pesakh, meaning "skipping" or passing over) derives from the night of the Tenth Plague, when the Angel of Death saw the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of the houses of Israel and "skipped over" them and did not kill their firstborn. The meal of the Passover Seder commemorates this event. The name Feast of Unleavened Bread (Khag Ha'Matsot) refers to the weeklong period when leaven has been removed, and unleavened bread or matsa ("flatbread") is eaten.

Together with Sukkot ("Tabernacles") and Shavuot ("Pentecost"), Passover is one of the three pilgrim festivals (Shloshet Ha'Regalim) during which the entire Jewish populace made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, at the time when the Temple in Jerusalem was standing.

In Israel, Passover is a 7-day holiday, with the first and last days celebrated as a full festival (involving abstention from work, special prayer services and holiday meals). In the Jewish diaspora outside Israel, the holiday is traditionally celebrated for 8 days (although Reform Jews celebrate for 7 days), with the first two days and last two days celebrated as full festivals. The intervening days are known as Chol HaMoed ("festival weekdays").

The primary symbol of Passover is the matzo, a flat, unleavened "bread" which recalls the hurriedly-baked bread that the Israelites ate after their hasty departure from Egypt. According to Halakha, matzo may be made from flour derived from five types of grain: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye. The dough for matzo is made when flour is added to water only, which has not been allowed to rise for more than 18–22 minutes prior to baking.

Many Jews observe the positive Torah commandment of eating matzo on the first night of Passover at the Passover Seder, as well as the Torah prohibition against eating or owning Chametz which includes any leavened products — such as bread, cake, cookies, beer, whiskey or pasta (or anything made from raw dough that had been left alone for more than 18 minutes, as it then begins to ferment) — for the duration of the holiday.

The term Pesach (Hebrew: פֶּסַח) or, more exactly, the verb "pasàch" (Hebrew: פָּסַח) is first mentioned in the Torah account of the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:23). It is found in Moses' words that God "will pass over" the houses of the Israelites during the final plague of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the killing of the first-born. On the night of that plague, which occurred on the 15th day of Nisan, the Israelites smeared their lintels and doorposts with the blood of the Passover sacrifice and were spared.

There is some debate about the exact meaning of the verb pasàch (פָּסַח) as it appears in Exodus. The commonly held assumption that it means "he passed over", stems from the translation provided in the Septuagint (παρελευσεται in Ex. 12:23, and εσκεπασεν in Ex. 12:27). Judging from other instances of the verb, and instances of parallelism, a more faithful translation may be "he hovered over, guarding." Indeed, this is the image used by Isaiah by his use of this verb in Isaiah. 31:5: "As birds hovering, so will the Lord of hosts protect Jerusalem; He will deliver it as He protecteth it, He will rescue it as He passeth over" (כְּצִפֳּרִים עָפוֹת--כֵּן יָגֵן יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, עַל-יְרוּשָׁלִָם; גָּנוֹן וְהִצִּיל, פָּסֹחַ וְהִמְלִיט.)

The term Pesach also refers to the lamb or kid which was designated as the Passover sacrifice (called the Korban Pesach in Hebrew). Four days before the Exodus, the Israelites were commanded to set aside a lamb or kid (Exodus 12:3) and inspect it daily for blemishes. During the day on the 14th of Nisan, they were to slaughter the animal and use its blood to mark their lintels and doorposts. Up until midnight on the 15th of Nisan, they were to consume the lamb. Each family (or group of families) gathered together to eat a meal that included the meat of the Korban Pesach while the Tenth Plague ravaged Egypt.

In subsequent years, during the existence of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem, the Korban Pesach was eaten during the Passover Seder on the 15th of Nisan. However, following the destruction of the Temple, no sacrifices may be offered or eaten. The story of the Korban Pesach is therefore retold at the Passover Seder, and the symbolic food which represents it on the Seder Plate is usually a roasted lamb shankbone, chicken wing, or chicken neck.

The English term "Passover" came into the English language through William Tyndale's translation of the Bible, and later appeared in the King James Version as well

When the Temple was standing, the focus of the Passover festibal was the Korban Pesach (lit. "Pesach sacrifice," also known as the "Paschal Lamb"). Every family (or, if the family was too small to finish eating the entire offering in one sitting, group of families) was required to offer a young lamb or Wild Goat at the Jewish Temple on the afternoon of the 14th day of Nisan (Numbers 9:11), and eat it that night, which was the 15th of Nisan (Exodus 12:6). The offering could not be slaughtered while one was in possession of leaven (Exodus 23:18). It had to be roasted (Exodus 12:9) and eaten together with matzo and maror (Exodus 12:8). One had to be careful not to break any bones from the offering (Exodus 12:46). None of the meat could be left over until morning (Exodus 12:10, 23:18).

Because of the Korban Pesach's status as a sacred offering, the only people allowed to eat it are those who have the obligation to bring the offering. Among those who can not offer or eat the Korban Pesach are: An apostate (Exodus 12:43), a servant (Exodus 12:45), an uncircumcised man (Exodus 12:48), a person in a state of ritual impurity, except when a majority of Jews are in such a state (Pesahim 66b). The offering must be made before a quorum of 30 (Pesahim 64b). In the Temple, the Levites sing Hallel while the Kohanim perform the sacrificial service. Men and women are equally obligated regarding the Korban Pesach (Pesahim 91b).

Women were obligated, as men, to perform the Korban Pesach and to participate in a Seder.

Today, in the absence of the Temple, the mitzvah of the Korban Pesach is memorialized in the form of a symbolic food placed on the Passover Seder Plate, which is usually a roasted shankbone. Ashkenazic Jews have a custom of not eating lamb or goat during the Seder in deference to the absence of the Temple. Many Sephardic Jews, however, have the opposite custom of eating lamb or goat meat during the Seder in memory of the Korban Pesach.

A commandment to eat matzo on the first night of Passover, and to only eat matzo during the week of Passover Exodus 12:18. The eating of matzo figures prominently in the Passover Seder.

There are several explanations for the eating of matzo on Passover. Some suggest that it is because the Hebrews left Egypt with such haste that there was no time to allow the bread to rise and thus flat bread, matzo, is a reminder of the Exodus[1]. Other scholars teach that in the time of the Exodus, matzo was commonly baked for the purpose of traveling because it preserved well and was light to carry. They suggest that matzo was baked intentionally for the long journey ahead. Matzo has also been called - Lechem Oni - or poor man's bread. Passover is a time to be humbled and remember what it is like to be a poor slave. In this explanation, matzo serves as a symbol to appreciate freedom and avoid the puffed ego symbolized by leavened bread

Chametz (חמץ, "leavening") refers to either a grain product that is already fermented (e.g. bread, cake, and pasta) or a substance that can ferment grain products (e.g. yeast or sourdough). During Passover, the only grain product that can be owned or eaten is one in which flour and water have not combined for more than 18-22 minutes—i.e. matzo.

The Torah commandments regarding chametz are:

To remove all chametz from one's home (Exodus 12:15). (This is normally done before Passover, either by consuming, physically destroying, or selling one's chametz.)
To refrain from eating chametz or mixtures containing chametz during Passover (Exodus 13:3, Exodus 12:20, Deuteronomy 16:3).
Not to possess chametz in one's domain (i.e. home, office, car, etc.) during Passover (Exodus 12:19, Deuteronomy 16:4).

A commandment to eat Maror, bitter herbs (typically, horseradish or romaine lettuce), together with matzo and the Passover sacrifice Exodus 12:8. In the absence of the Temple, Jews cannot bring the Passover sacrifice. This commandment is fulfilled today by the eating of Maror both by itself and together with matzo in a Koreich-sandwich during the Passover Seder.

On the first night of Passover (first two nights outside Israel), a Jew must recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt. This commandment is performed during the Passover Seder.

There is a Rabbinic obligation to drink four cups of wine (or pure grape juice) during the Seder. This applies to both men and women. The Mishnah says (Pes. 10:1) that even the poorest man in Israel has an obligation to drink. Each cup is connected to a different part of the Seder: The First Cup is for Kiddush, the Second Cup is connected with the recounting of the Exodus, the drinking of the Third Cup concludes Birkat Hamazon and the Fourth Cup is associated with Hallel.

In accordance with the mitzvah of not eating or owning leavened products during Passover, religious Jewish families typically spend the weeks before the holiday in a flurry of housecleaning. The purpose is to remove every morsel of fermented grain products (called chametz) from all the cupboards and corners in the home. The search for chametz is often a thorough one, as children's rooms and kitchens are cleaned from top to bottom and forgotten packages or pieces of cookies or crackers are uncovered under beds and inside closets. Although many ensure that not even a crumb of chametz remains, the Halakha only requires the elimination of olive-sized quantities of leavening from one's possession.

Meanwhile, the family attempts to consume or dispose of all edible chametz products (like bread, pasta, cookies, soup mixes, and even non-kosher-for-Passover matzo—which, being designed for year-round use, is allowed to rise for more than 18 minutes before baking) so as to have nothing left by the morning before the holiday begins.

Chametz that has a high monetary value (such as liquor which is made from wheat) may be sold rather than discarded. This sale of chametz is conducted via the community rabbi, who becomes the "agent" for all the community's Jews through a halakhic procedure called a kinyan (acquisition). As the agent, the rabbi will sell all the chametz to a non-Jew for a price to be negotiated after the holiday. In the meantime, the non-Jew is asked to put down a small down payment (e.g. $1.00), with the remainder due after Passover. As soon as the holiday ends, the rabbi will contact the non-Jew, to buy the community's chametz back from him. In practice, it is almost always bought back, with a small profit to the non-Jew[2].

This sale is considered completely binding according to Halakha, to the point that each householder must put aside all the chametz he is selling into a box or cupboard and assume that at any time during the holiday, the non-Jewish buyer may come to take or partake of his share. Similarly, Jewish store owners who stock leavened food products sell everything in their storeroom to a non-Jew with full knowledge that the new "owner" can claim his property. In the Eastern European shtetls, the Jews, who were often tavern keepers, would sell their chametz in this way to neighboring non-Jews, and risk having the non-Jews enter their cellars to drink all the liquor during the holiday—which they often did.

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