Matsah, bitter herbs, lamb, 10 wounds in Egypt … Here are the traditions and meanings of Jewish Passover.
Passah’s feast refers to the history of the release of Egypt, at the time of Pharaoh. Each year, this Jewish celebration lasts a week, during which bread or any other sourdough food is replaced by azyme bread called Matsah.
What are the dates of Pessah this year?
This year, Pessah’s feast goes on with Shabbat since it begins Saturday evening at dusk, April 12, 2025. The first two party evenings (Saturday evening and Sunday evening) are devoted to the Seder, a meal during which the practitioners read the story of Passah called “Hagada de Passah”, then taste a family meal. Passah’s party ends on Sunday April 20 at nightfall.
What is Passah’s story?
The feast of Passah refers to the release of the Jewish people, reduced to Egypt by Pharaoh for 400 years. Men and women were forced to hard work, putting their lives in danger, the firstborn boys were also thrown into the Nile and drowned … Seeing the distress and suffering of his people, God ordered Pharaoh to let him go on several occasions, but the latter refused. “”Let my people go ” He warned, through Moses, before intervening by sending the 10 wounds of Egypt.
What are the 10 wounds in Egypt?
According to the Bible, each time, divine dramas spared the Jewish people. But it is the last, the most terrible, who finally convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, after having lost his only son. After the release of the Jewish people, Pharaoh sent his troops to pursue them. This has led to a new punishment. God allowed Moses to open the sea in two, allowing the Hebrews to cross on dry foot to Mount Sinai, where Moses gave them the Torah (the tables of the law) and led them to the land of Israel. Meanwhile, the Egyptians were drowned when the sea closed on them. In total, they are 10 wounds that have been sent to try to end the slavery of the Jewish people:
- The first wound in Egypt was Change Nile Water into Blood,,
- THE frogs,
- Vermin,
- wild beasts,
- the plague,
- ulcers,
- hail,
- landscapes,
- darkness,
- The extermination of the Egyptian firstborn.
What does Pessah mean?
Pessah, in Hebrew, means “pass over“. In English, Passah’s feast is called”Passover ” and translates into the same way. This term is explained as follows: when the angel of death killed all the Egyptian first-born during the 10th plague of Egypt, he spared Jewish houses passing over them. To avoid this massacre, the Jews had marked their house by putting lamb blood on the amounts and the lintel of the doors. This is why the custom is to prepare a dish based on lamb on the occasion of the Passah festivals.
What foods are prohibited in Pessah?
There Jewish Passover is accompanied by a number of rituals. During this period, practitioners must refrain from consuming cereals, and more precisely any product based on sourdough (Hamets). Observation of this practice requires beforehand a Large cleaning of the house intended to ban any food containing sourdough, even in tiny quantities. In short, no crumbs of bread in the house, pasta, or foods that can rise. The purification of kitchen utensils and the use of aluminum to make the stove the stove is also recommended before the start of the party. Note that depending on the customs, some practitioners consume rice during the Passah party.
Why do we eat from Matsa to Passah?
When they left Egypt, the Hebrews did not have time to take their personal belongings. While they used to prepare their own bread, The dough did not have time to raise. Azyme breadthat it is customary to eat during Pessah, therefore refers to the exit from Egypt, in a hasty way.
What are the traditions of Pessah?
During the first two and last days of Pessahthe faithful will refrain from working and using the electric lights. Songs and prayer reading will punctuate Jewish Easter. Finally, Lare two first evenings, During the Passah Seder, we read the story of Jewish Easter, called the Hagada of Passahto remember the exit from Egypt, and the freedom found. She specifies in particular that “In each generation, everyone must consider themselves as if he had himself come out of Egypt “. Around a very family meal, we explain to children this part of the story, we involve the youngest and we answer their questions.
Pessah meals and cakes: What recipes and meals?
It is customary to prepare A lamb -based meal for Passah’s party. Regarding the cakes, it is necessary to replace the wheat flour with the corn flourauthorized during Pessah. We can therefore prepare cakes with almonds, chocolate, simply replacing the ingredients that are not eaten during this period. But the flagship recipe for Pessah’s cakes is undoubtedly the Sferies, made from crushed matsa and syrup. These little donuts are always happy with little gourmets. See the recipe for sferies.
Seder de Passah: What do the foods of the tray mean?
Pessah is inaugurated by the Seer,, ritual recalling the accession of Jews to freedom. THE SEDER Plateau consists of various elements each referring to a part of the story of Passah:
- Three Matsts (Azymes breads): In reference to the exit of Egypt, the bread having not had time to lift. The three Matzot also refers to the whole of the Jewish people.
- The Pascal Lamb (Zeroa) which had been used to save Jewish families.
- Bitter herbsto remember the difficult and bitter life of the Jewish people in slavery.
- Hosset : This is a mixture made from nuts, pears and apples, dates, linked with wine. It refers to the mortar used to make bricks intended for the construction of the city for the Egyptians.
- A hard egg, which represents a party offering in the temple.
- A vegetable dipped in salt water: In reference to tears paid by the Jewish people during forced labor.