CNN - World of Faith - April, 1996

Passover commemorates exodus of Israelites from Egyptian captivity

The week-long Jewish holiday Passover, called Pesach in Hebrew, commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egyptian captivity 3,000 years ago. The Biblical Book of Exodus tells the story.

Moses, a Jewish shepherd, approached Pharoah Ramses II and demanded that his people be released. The Pharoah ignored the demand, and God responded with 10 plagues, each one worse than the one before.

Pesach, which means "passing over" or "protection" in Hebrew, draws its name from the instructions God gave to protect the Israelites from the 10th plague -- the slaying of the first born of both man and beast. The Israelites marked their homes with lamb's blood so that the plague would "pass over" them.

Ramses finally gave the Israelites their freedom, but he sent his army after them as they fled through the desert. According to Exodus, the Red Sea parted to allow the escaping Israelites to reach the other side, but the waters closed and trapped the Egyptian army.

Passover is celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd of the Hebrew month Nissan, the first month in the Hebrew calendar. In 1996 the holiday begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 3.

The first two days of the holiday are celebrated with Seders -- traditional ritual meals. Only foods considered "kosher for Passover" are allowed ... including no foods or grains containing yeast. This proscription commemorates the Israelites overnight flight from Egypt with no time to allow their breads to rise. Only unleavened breads -- matzah -- are eaten.

The centerpiece of the Seder is the Seder plate, which contains five symbolic foods -- maror (bitter herbs), charoset (a mixture of fruit, nuts and wine), zeroah (a shank bone), betzah (roasted egg) and karpas (a green vegetable dipped in salt water) -- that are discussed and eaten during the meal.

Other traditions of the Passover celebration include the reading of the Haggadah, which tells the story of Exodus, and the "four questions," asked by the youngest person present.

The four questions explain the reasons that the Passover holiday is different from other nights of the year.

Another tradition also involves the children -- a portion of matzah, called the Afikomen, is hidden by adults and searched for by the children at the end of the meal.

Passover links

Passover commemorates exodus of Israelites from Egyptian captivity

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