pesach
This article on Pesach represents the seventeenth article I have written for the Tzafon On-line Jewish Holiday Handbook since I was elected Religion/Education Vice President. I think that the upcoming holiday of Pesach (beginning with the first seder Monday night) presents the most unique challenge yet. There is so much to say about this most important festival that one could write forever (don't worry; I won't). I will do my best to summarize.
Pesach is the first of the three Pilgrimage Festivals (Shavuot and Sukkot being the other two). As with the others, Pesach possesses both historical and agricultural importance for us as Jews. Historically, it commemorates perhaps the most important single event in Jewish history, Yitziat Mitzrayim (exodus from Egypt). Agriculturally, Pesach marks the beginning of the spring season. In Deuteronomy 16:1 we are told to "Observe the month of Aviv (spring), and keep the Passover unto the Lord thy God." Certain symbols, such as parsley, are used during the seder in order to commemorate this phpect of the holiday.
There are at least six special rituals which are done before Pesach in preparation for the holiday. The first of these is called Ma'ot Chittin, giving of charity (similar to Matanot La'evyonim given on Purim). While it is always a mitzvah to give charity, there is a special obligation before Pesach due to the Talmudic concept that no one should go hungry on Pesach. The second ritual is the Kashering of one's home. The entire house is thoroughly cleaned so as to be sure that there is no remaining hametz (leaven; forbidden foods). Most people reserve a special set of dishes and utensils for use on Pesach. For those who don't, there is an arduous kashering process which must be adhered to. The third ritual is the search for hametz. Using a feather and a candle, members of the family go around the house in a largely ceremonial search for any remaining hametz. Once this is done, bittul chametz is performed. This blessing nullifies any unfound hametz remaining in the house. On the morning of the first seder, any hametz which had been found the preceding night is burned. The sixth ritual is the sale of hametz. It is customary for a Jew to symbolically "sell" his or her remaining chametz to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday (due to the prohibition against possessing hametz). Once the holiday ends, the sale is nullified.
In the diphpora, each of the first two nights of Pesach is marked by a seder, a special 14-part ceremony, the purpose of which is to recount the story of the departure from Egypt. The seder contains a great deal of symbolism, and there is much to be said about it. However, in the interest of brevity, I have chosen one line on which to focus briefly. In the Haggadah (the special book used as a guide for the seder) we read: "In every generation one must look upon himself as if he himself had departed from Egypt." The departure from Egypt, nearly 4000 years past, is viewed as a constantly contemporary event. It is perhaps for this reason that the seder is so rich in tradition -- we eat saltwater to remind us of the tears of slavery; we eat matzah to commemorate how hurried "we" were when "we" departed from Egypt; we eat marror to remind us of the bitterness "we"experienced as slaves; and we recite Hallel in order to praise God for liberating "us" from "our" bondage. The Exodus from Egypt is the major event in our history which binds us together as a people. By viewing it as if it happened directly to us, it ensures Jewish unity for at least one more generation.
Chag Pesach Kasher v'Sameach -- a happy and kosher Pesach.
This page was originally created by John Davis and Michael Kay, and can be found at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jdd16/guide/.
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