This evening is the beginning of Passover. Passover is the most celebrated Jewish holiday — a celebration of spring, of birth and rebirth, of a journey from slavery to freedom, and of taking responsibility for yourself, the community and the world.
The Torah states that Jews are to observe Passover for seven days, beginning on the 15th of the Jewish month Nisan (usually in April.) This year Passover begins this evening (April 8) and ends the evening of April 16. The first night always includes a special seder (ritual dinner.) Traditional Jews outside of Israel don’t work on either first two or the last two days of the seven-day period.
Passover can be thought of as honoring the renewal of the sun (it’s always on the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox,) or a time to step firmly into springtime. It can also be thought of as a celebration of the Jewish people’s “birth certificate” and “Declaration of Independence.” It’s also memorializing something that God did for the Jews over three thousand years ago.
Jewish people have four Hebrew names for Passover, each pointing to a particular aspect of the holiday. The most common Hebrew name is Pesach, that usually translates as “passing over,” as the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Jews in Egypt. The other Hebrew names for Passover are: Chag Ha-matzot (Festival of Unleavened Breads,) Z’man Cheiruteinu (The Time of Liberation,) and Chag Ha-aviv (Festival of Spring.)
And as the Jewish community begins Passover, we prepare for Easter….
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