🍷 What is Passover?
An eight-day Jewish holiday celebrated in early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of Nissan (April 12-20, 2025). Passover (Pesach) commemorates the Israelites' liberation from Egyptian slavery and is marked by avoiding leaven, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the Exodus story.
📜 Historical Background
After decades of brutal slavery under Egyptian pharaohs, G-d sent Moses to demand: "Send forth My people." When Pharaoh repeatedly refused, G-d unleashed ten devastating plagues on Egypt. At midnight on 15 Nissan (1313 BCE), G-d struck the final blow—killing Egyptian firstborns while "passing over" Jewish homes, hence the holiday's name.
🚶♂️ The Exodus
With Pharaoh's resistance shattered, the Israelites hastily departed Egypt—600,000 adult males plus women and children. Their bread had no time to rise, resulting in the unleavened matzah now central to Passover. This mass departure began their journey toward Mount Sinai and their destiny as G-d's chosen people.
📅 Holiday Structure
• First two days and last two days: Full holidays with candle lighting, kiddush, and festive meals
• Middle four days (Chol Hamoed): Semi-festive "intermediate days" with fewer restrictions
🚫 No Chametz
To commemorate the unleavened bread eaten during the Exodus, Jews avoid all chametz (leavened grain products) throughout Passover. This prohibition extends to any food containing wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives that weren't protected from fermentation.
🧹 Pre-Holiday Preparations
• Complete home cleaning to remove all chametz
• Ceremonial search for chametz the night before Passover
• Burning remaining chametz the following morning
• Selling non-disposable chametz to a non-Jew (bought back after the holiday)
🫓 Essential Passover Foods
• 🫓 Matzah: Flat unleavened bread, mandatory at the Seders
• 🌿 Bitter herbs: Symbolizing the bitterness of slavery
• 🍷 Four cups of wine: Celebrating newfound freedom
• 🥚 Various symbolic foods on the Seder plate
🕯️ The Seder Experience
The holiday centerpiece occurring on the first two nights features:
• 📖 Reading the Haggadah (Exodus story)
• 👶 The Four Questions traditionally asked by children
• 🫓 Eating matzah and bitter herbs
• 🍷 Drinking four cups of wine or grape juice
• 🎵 Traditional songs and prayers
✨ Deeper Meaning
Passover represents the triumph of freedom over oppression and celebrates our ability to transcend limitations. The humble matzah teaches that by shedding our inflated egos, we can access the divine energy within our souls and connect with the miraculous.
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✨ Celebrate With Us!
Join us the evenings of Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13th for the Passover Seders!