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What is Passover
What is Passover
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Jewish Religions
Passover (Pesah), which celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, begins on the fifteenth of the month of Nisan and continues for seven days, through Nisan 21, though many Diaspora communities celebrate it for eight days (Strassfeld, Michael, 1985). The name Passover is taken from the Exodus story: During the tenth and ultimate plague inflicted on Pharaoh to break his will, God passed over the Israelites and struck down only the Egyptian firstborn. That night Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go; and ever since then, we gather together on that night to commemorate that time, and to contemplate the meaning of being freed by the "mighty hand and outstretched arm" of the Holy One. (Strassfeld, Michael, 1985).
The central meaning of Passover is liberation, and hence it is also called "zeman heiruteinu" the season of our liberation. Another name for Passover is "hag ha-aviv" the holiday of spring. The Jewish calendar is set so that certain holidays always occur in a particular season of the year (unlike, for instance, the Moslem calendar) (Drucker, Malka, 1981). Thus, the holiday of liberation is also the holiday of spring, not simply by coincidence but by design. Following the bleakness of winter when everything is covered with the shrouds of snow, spring marks the rebirth of the earth with the bursting forth of green life. Similarly, a people enshackled in oppressive slavery, doomed to a slow process of degradation or even extinction, bursts forth out of Egypt into a new life's journey leading to a land flowing with milk and honey (Bowker, John, 1997).
The watchwords of both spring and Pesah are "rebirth" and "hope." Thus, the spirit of renewed optimism aroused by the sights and smells of spring are reinforced in a Jewish context by Passover with its trumpeting of the possibilities of liberation. Passover reminds us annually that no matter how terrible our situation, we must not lose hope (Strassfeld, Michael, 1985).
Passover holds out the possibility of renewal, proclaiming that such change is as intrinsic to human nature as are blossoming trees to the natural world (Bowker, John, 1997).
Another name for Pesah is "hag ha-matzot" the holiday of the unleavened bread. The matzah evokes images of that night when the Israelites ate the sacrificial lamb in fearful and eager anticipation of the future. Around them arose the wails of Egyptians mourning the deaths of their firstborn (Drucker, Malka, 1994).
The word “Seder” means order. Clearly, order is very important in the Passover Seder. It turns out the Passover Seder is ordered in such a way that each of the 15 steps represents one of the 15 steps of ascension to the Beit Hamikdash. The first step is Kaddesh, which represents the Sanctification of time. Every Jew has the responsibility to sanctify his time and use every moment to the fullest extent.
Sherbok, Dan. "Life Cycle Events." Judaism: history, belief, and practice. London: Routledge, 2003. 534-537. Print.
Hamilton, V. P. (2015). Plagues, Passover, and the Exodus. In Handbook on the Pentateuch (2nd ed., pp. 157-176). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Fellner, Judith B. & Co. In the Jewish Tradition: A Year of Food and Festivals. The. New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group. 1995. The 'Se Raphael, Chaim. Festival Days: A Jewish History.
Hasidic Judaism is a branch of Orthodox Judaism established in Eastern Europe during the 1800’s that put spirituality and a connection with God through mysticism at the forefront of its beliefs. In order to understand Hasidic Judaism, one must understand that Judaism is not only a religion; it is also a philosophy and a way of life for the Jewish people. One of the oldest monotheistic religions, Judaism has evolved over the years since the time of the founding fathers. Like any culture or religion, however, Jews have never been without conflict or disagreement amongst its people. Schisms amongst Jews over long periods of time have led to a branching out of sects and Jewish institutions. What led to the separation of denominations within was a fundamental disagreement on the interpretation and implementation of Halakah (Jewish religious law). Before the 18th century there was little differentiation between sects of Judaism; Jewry was based on Talmudic and Halakhic study and knowledge. Constructed as an overly legalistic religion before the 18th century, the Hasidic movement popularized by Rabbi Israel Ben Eliezer sought to spread Judaism through the common man’s love of and devotion to God.
Hebrew religion began to give rise to Judaism after the destruction of the temple and the exile of Judah in 586 BC. The term "Jew," in its biblical use, is almost exclusively postexilic. The Jewish religion of the biblical period evolved through such historical stages as the intertestamental, rabbinic, and medieval to the modern period of the nineteenth century with Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism.
Here in the United States of America on the forth Thursday in November each year we, as a nation and as individual families, celebrate Thanksgiving. For most Americans we bring out our best dishes and have an enormous meal with turkey, dressing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Families gather together, we eat until we are stuffed, we play games and watch football, but why? Have we lost the true meaning behind the beginning our nation? We have our tradition but somehow we have lost them important meaning of the treacherous start of a nation. Like various other cultures that have a celebration of thanks the Jews have a Passover celebration with rich family meal inundated with tradition and meaning. They have not forgotten why they celebrate. The hardship that they endured and the pivotal point in the transformation of their freedom to a better life is vividly remembered with Passover each year and passed down from generation to generation. If we reincorporate the true story of thanksgiving into our celebrations, we should be able to ensure a change in ourselves and our families to come together and become a stronger nation.
God’s provision and guidance will lead Israel home (vv.1-3, 7-11), and the first future has been announced. After the safe return, Israel will receive a joyful and peaceful future (vv. 4-6, 12-14) or the second future. I call these two stages of future the double hope. The prophet tended to convince Israel and Judah of the constant hesed of YHWH, the God of the past, presence, and future. To be restored, Israel needs to have strong hope or the double hope. The list of God’s “I will” emphasizes the divine message of hope in the book of Consolation: “I will restore... I will bring them back... I will break the yolk... I will save... I will gather... I will lead... I will turn mourning into joy... I will make a new covenant... I will be their God.” In Jeremiah’s visions, the divine hesed will guarantee the first future, and the same hesed will also ensure a second future, a truly eschatological hope for Israel and Judah.
It is a holiday with a complex history, and therefore its observance varies quite a bit by region and by degree of urbanization.
Henderson, Helene, and Sue Ellen Thompson. Holiday Symbols and Customs: A Guide to the Legend and Lore behind the Traditions, Rituals, Foods, Games, Animals, and Other Symbols and Activities Associated with Holidays and Holy Days, Feasts and Fasts, and Other Celebrations, Covering Ancient, Calendar, Religious, Historic, Folkloric, National, Promotional, and Sporting Events, as Observed in the United States and around the World. Detroit MI: Omnigraphics, 2009. Print.
...fter Rosh Hashanah by fasting and praying all day. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish year. Every Saturday of the week is called Shabbat and is described as the day that God used as a day to rest after creating the world. There are also three traditional “Pilgrimage festivals”. Passover and season of rejoicing are both eight-day fruit harvested festival that celebrate Israelites success while Festival of weeks is a wheat-harvest festival that commemorates God’s revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai. In the modern state of Israel a few other national Holidays are acknowledged to commemorate a historical event. These holidays include Jerusalem day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and day of the Shoah. Day of the Shoah or Yom Hashoah is remembrance of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. 50-70% of the victims of the Holocaust were Orthodox Jews.
The Jewish tradition of the Passover has been very important for the welfare and freedom of the Jews since the Old Testament. Each part of the Passover brings forth the knowledge of what God promises to his people. “The name “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach which is based on the root “pass over” and refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt during the last of the ten plagues.” The Christian belief is that the Last Supper fulfills the promise made to the Jews through Jesus Christ. The Passover and the Last Supper are important in understanding the relationship between the Jewish belief and Christian belief. They are also important to help grasp what it means to be free with a God.
Passover and Easter have many hidden representational art and iconography that are reflected in the historical stories behind Judaism and Christianity. For Jewish people, the Exodus story narrated the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt which dates back to the 13th century BC. The story begins with a Shepard named Moses who hears God calling his name in the form of a burning bush. God tells Moses to return to Egypt and demand Pharaoh to let his people go. Many Jews believed that the burning bush represented the Israelite people in bondage, and the fire symbolized the forces of persecution that the Egyptians exercised on their Jewish ancestors (Holiday Celebrations). Just like the bush being burnt, but not consumed, the Israelites were being tormented but refused to perish from Egyptian’s oppression. Due to the Pharaoh’s unwillingness to free the Israelites, God delivered upon the Egyptians ten plagues; water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locust, darkness, and death of the first born (Exod. 7-14) . In a sense, these plagues represented God’s almighty power
Mail, A.S. (1997). An Exploration of the Impact of the Israel Experience upon Bar/Bat Mitzvah Students: Rites of Passage for Progressive Jewish Teenagers. Journal of Progressive Judaism. Nov97, Issue 9, pg59-82.
Some Easter customs have come from this and other pre-Christian spring festivals. Others come from the Passover feast of the Jews, observed in memory of their deliverance from Egypt. Formerly, Easter and the Passover were closely associated. The resurrection of Jesus took place during the Passover. Christians of the Eastern church initially celebrated both holidays together.