Pessa\' H

The Passover Jewish (in Hebrew: פסח , Pessa' H “It passed”, lat. pascha , Yiddish Peysah '), also called Zman Heroutenou (the Time of our freedom), 'Hag HaMatzot (the festival of unleavened), or “Hag HaAviv (the festival of spring, rather translated by festival of corn at the Karaïtes), is a Jewish holiday 7 days (8 days apart from the Ground of Israel). It begins the 15 Nissan (which corresponds in 2007 the day before the April 2nd) in 22 Nissan. It commemorates the Exodus Hebrew out of Egypt. As describes it the Book of the Exode, Pessa' H marks the " naissance" Children of Israel, from which is resulting the Juif people, the ancestors of the Jews having been released of the Pharaonic yoke and from now on free to follow the ways and regulations of God.

With Souccot (" Tentes") and Chavouot (" Semaines"), Pessa' H is one of the three festivals of pilgrimage ( Shloshet HaRegalim ), during which all the people were to carry out a pilgrimage with Jerusalem, at the time when the Temple was upright (the Samaritans pélerinaient on the Mont Garizim where they had set up their Temple. Israel, Passover has 7-day holiday, with the first and last days celebrated ace has 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 ace full festivals. The intervening days are known ace Chol HaMoed (" festival weekdays").

Primary The symbol off Passover is the Matzo, has flat, unleavened " bread" which recalls the hurriedly-baked bread that the Jews ate after to their hasty departure from Egypt. According to Halakha, matzo may Be made from flour derived from five types off grain: Wheat, Barley, Spelt, Oat S, Rye. The dough for matzo is made when flour is added to toilets only, which has not been allowed to small channel for more than 18– 22 minutes prior to baking.

Many Jews observes the positive Torah commandment off eating matzo one the first night off Passover At the Passover Seder, ace well ace the Torah prohibition against eating gold owning Chametz which includes any leavened products — such ace bread, cake, cookies, beer, whiskey gold pasta (gold anything made from raw Dough that had been left alone for more than 18 minutes, aces it then begins to close) — for the duration off the holiday. -->

Significance of the festival

In Hebrew, Pessa' H means “to pass over”. This name comes to recall that during the Ten Wounds inflicted to the Egyptians, God killed all the first-born Egyptians but whom it “passed above” the houses of the Hebrew and preserved them (e.g. 12:27). Pessa' H thus commemorates the exit of the Hebrew people of Egypt and the gift of the Torah to Moïse on the Mont the Sinai.

It possible that the various names of the festival return to originally distinct celebrations, but is confused today. Thus, Loth invites the men and prepares to them Matzot (unleavened breads), this quite front the Exodus. Hag HaAviv perhaps also returns to an old agricultural festival.

Religious laws relative to this festival

The principal commands associated with this festival are:

prohibition to eat any food containing of the Yeast ('Hametz) during the festival,
command to eat matzot , i.e. bread not having raised (unleavened),
the account of the exit of Egypt and the evocation of the Miracle S which were held there.

Other habits associated with Pessa' H include to eat various traditional mets of which bitter grasses to point out the bitterness of the Hebrew slaves at the time of the Seder S . The Jeûne of first-born the was also instituted to point out the last plague of Egypt which saw the death of all the first-born Egyptians.

Before Gamaliel II, the essential command was to make the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, 14 (Full moon) month of Nissan , and to consume it the evening-even.

Prohibition to consume Hametz

Pessa' H is characterized by the prohibition of consumption of called raised food “ Hametz ” (breads, pastes, certain cakes…). During the 8 feastdays, only the consumption of Unleavened bread called “ Matza ” (wafer prepared containing flour and of water) is authorized.

Whereas many explanations are given for the fact of eating not raised matzot and breads, most popular is that is done to point out the bread which the Hebrews ate during the Exodus because, according to the account, in their haste to leave the Egypt, they had not had time to let the bread raise.

Seek 'Hametz the festival day before

Before the festival does not start, the Jews seek and destroy any food containing yeast being in their house. Some proceed sometimes to the “sale” of their 'Hametz to get rid time of them of the festival.

The festival day before at the evening, one organizes at the house the research of the 'Hametz . Bread crumbs wrapped in paper are sometimes hidden for the children. The 'Hametz found is then flaring the next morning and a blessing is then pronounced, informant “dust” all the 'Hametz which could not have been flushed out. The first day of Pessa' H begins the next evening with the first Seder .

Meal of Seder

The commands were combined in a special meal of Pessa' H called Seder , celebrated the first two evenings of the festival (or only the first evening in Israel). Apart from Israel, the two evenings have the same importance.

The Seder consists of a succession of stages mixing blessings, food, accounts and songs. The traditions can vary according to the family habits of each one, but the Seder is organized overall around the same symbols and according to the same program:

Symbols of the Seder

the lamb (like the sacrifice requested from the Jews 4 days before their release, according to the text of the Exodus 12:3). Although the sacrifices cannot be any more realized since the destruction of the second Temple of Jerusalem, a roasted bone of lamb is present on the table of Seder;
the bitter grasses, eaten at specific times of the evening, point out the roughness of slavery in Egypt;
the Matza, symbol of haste with which the Hebrews recovered their freedom, thanks to the miracles carried out by God. The matzot are 3 on the plate of Seder;
four cuts of wine (or grape juice) drunk at specific times of the evening, by all the guests who drink them while being accoudés on the left side, “ like free men ”;
the wish “ the next year with Jerusalem ” is pronounced in all the hearths.

Program of Seder

Haggada provides a procedure to be followed for the evening which it cuts out in 15 stages:

Kadesh קדש (one recites the blessing of Kiddoush around the first wine cut);
Our' Hatz ורחץ (all must wash the hands without blessing, before eating Karpass soaked in water, because one must always make the nétila without blessing before eating food soaked in liquids - Our wise gave us a sign to remember which are these liquids: yad chah' At prejudice - ידשחטדם they are the innitiales of יין - wine, דם - blood, שמן - oil, חלב - milk, טל - dew, דבש - honey, מים - water);
Karpass כרפס (the guests eat Karpass soaked in salt water);
Ya' Hatz יחץ (one breaks into two the second Matza which one keeps the broadest half as a Afikoman for the end of the meal);
Maggid מגיד (Account of the history of the Exodus - the youngest guest shows his interest by putting four traditional questions - second wine cut);
Ro' htzah רחצה (all the guests wash the hands - netilat yadayim with blessing);
Motzi/Matza מוציא/מצה (This stage is divided into 2 parts: Motzi one recites the Blessing המוציאלחםמןהארץ on the three matzot (half between the two whole ones) then Matsa one releases the lower matsa and one recites the blessing עלאכילתמצה);
Maror מרור (one eats bitter grasses soaked slightly in the h' arosset);
Kore' H כורך (one tastes the bitter matza and grasses unit, according to the habit of Hillel Old the);
Choul' han Ore' H שולחןעורך (the table is been useful and the guests eat the meal);
Tzafoun צפון (one eats the Afikoman to mark the end of the meal);
Bare' H ברך (Blessings which follow the meal and third wine cut)
Hallel הלל (reading of Hallel, text read traditionally at the time of Jewish holidays - fourth wine cut)
Nirtzah נירצה (Conclusion of Seder around songs symbolic systems).

Account of the Exodus at the time of Seder

During the seders, the history of the exodus of Egypt is told with young people with the description of the situation of the Hebrews slaves, the account of the construction of the people since the patriarch Abraham until the birth of Moïse, then the ten wounds, and the release of the Twelve tribes of Israel to receive the Torah and to receive the Pays of Canaan according to the divine promise. This history is read in the Haggada.

Deduct of Omer

The Jews start to count the days of the Omer which separate Pessa' H from Chavouot (gift of the Ten Commands with Moïse on the Mont the Sinai), starting from second Seder.

Seventh day of Pessa' H

At the seventh day after the exit of Egypt, the biblical text tells the Miracle opening of the Red Sea to let the Jews cross it while it was closed again on the tanks of the Pharaon which continued them. That is the occasion of new religious commemorations. In Ground of Israel, it is the evening of this day which the Jews sépharades celebrate the Mimouna

Bonds with the Christian festival of Easter

The name of the Christian festival of Easter comes from Hebrew Pessa' H because, according to the Évangile S, it is during the commemoration of this Jewish holiday by Jesus and his disciples (see the Cène which could correspond to the first evening of the Seder) whom had place the death and the resurrection of Jesus.

Certain symbols of Pessa' H, like the lamb, blood/wine, the bread/leaven, are also recalled at the time of the Christian festival of Easter.

See too

Exodus (and the Exodus)
the Fast of first-born the
the Seder
the Haggada
Pessa' H sheni

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