Jewish Passover 2024(Passover)

Passover is a joyful holiday for Jews all over the world. According to the lunar calendar, which they used in ancient times, the beginning of the holiday falls on the 14th day of the first month of the biblical year. This corresponds to the middle of spring. The celebration lasts for a week. The historical basis of Passover is the mass exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt. In the 13th century BC. After 400 years of oppression and unbearable life, the Jews followed the prophet Moses to the Promised Land. One of the meanings of Passover is Exodus (departure from hated lands). Once upon a time, 70 people from the tribe of Jacob came to Egypt. Then the number of Jews grew, and already 600 thousand left the country. Pharaoh did not want to let them go, but God sided with the Jews and subjected the Egyptians to 10 plagues: rampant elements (hail, darkness), an invasion of reptiles, and a pestilence of livestock. The last straw was the death of the first-born boys. Jewish children were not harmed because... on the doors of the Jews there was the blood of slaughtered lambs. Moses ordered to kill the lambs sacred to the Egyptians, roast them, eat them openly, and mark their doors with their blood. The ruler of Egypt was forced to give in and release the Jewish tribe. When he rushed in pursuit of the Jews, the Red Sea parted before the fugitives and swallowed up their pursuers. These events are celebrated on the seventh day of Passover. Jews go to ponds and read an excerpt from the Pentateuch “Song of the Sea.” General cleaning is the beginning of preparations for the most important Jewish holiday. The remnants of fermented food are carefully swept out of the house - after all, in the Exodus they ate only unleavened wheat cakes (matzo), the dough did not have time to ferment. Chametz (leavened bread) is burned or sold to non-Jews, and is redeemed after Passover. For the evening festive meal - seder - special dishes are used. Dishes are placed on the table, each of which, according to Kabbalistic teachings, has a special meaning: the meat bone of a lamb is a symbol of sacrificial lambs; 4 cups of wine for each - symbols of liberation; bitter herbs for matzo sandwich; a jug of salt water - tears shed in slavery. It is customary to invite the poor to the Seder. On Passover, the Torah is read in synagogues and in homes, the history of the people of Israel is remembered, and prayers of gratitude are said. Celebrating Passover, Jews return to the historical events that led to the formation of the Jewish people. This is a holiday of spring renewal, liberation from slavish habits. It is the strict sequence of actions and dishes in the Passover Seder, unbroken in millions of Jewish families for many centuries, that guarantees that the sons of Israel scattered throughout the world feel themselves released from captivity, liberated. The holiday reminds them that they need to love their neighbors and take care of their people.