The Jewish people celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. It commemorates the story of the Exodus as described especially in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Exodus. There we hear about the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt.
Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays. It starts with the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and lasts for seven days for most Jews. This typically occurs in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. Passover is a spring festival. The 15th day of Nisan begins on the night of a full moon after the northern vernal equinox.
In the Book of Exodus we read that God helped the Israelites escape from slavery by inflicting ten plagues upon the ancient Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves. The tenth and worst of the plagues was the death of the first-born child of the Egyptian families. The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb. Upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord knew to pass over the first-born in these homes (Exodus 12).
When the Pharaoh freed the Israelites, they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for the bread dough to rise. Thus, matzo (flat unleavened bread) is eaten during Passover and is a symbol of the Passover holiday. Matzo is made solely from flour and water. It also has the advantage of preserving well and being good for long journeys. Some scholars refer to matzo as Lechem Oni (bread of poverty), a symbol that reminds Jews what it is like to be a poor slave. It promotes humility, helps people further appreciate the gift of freedom, and avoids the inflated ego symbolized by more luxurious leavened bread.
The ritual that most people associate with Passover is the Seder, a special dinner held on the first night of Passover. Seder is the Hebrew word for "order." The meal follows a specific and formalized order. Every element is filled with symbolism. It includes the relating of the story of the Exodus. Children have an important role in the Passover Seder. Traditionally the youngest child asks questions about the Seder, serving as a prompt for the gathering to discuss the significance of the symbols in the meal. The questioning opens with, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"
Our Christian feast of Holy Thursday and the Last Supper has its roots in Passover. We commemorate the death of Jesus as the true Lamb of God and with the Eucharist, partake of unleavened bread and wine in remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus. In observing his last Passover with his disciples, Jesus explained that the symbols of bread and wine represent his body and blood, offered by him for the forgiveness (or passing over) of our sins. In the Eucharist, we give thanks for God's deliverance and remember how Jesus brought about the new exodus with his death and resurrection. Let’s pray today for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God.