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Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday commemorating their exodus from Egypt as cited in the Old Testament. This category is about the conceptual significance of Passover which is central to the understanding of Judaism.
937 Questions
Is the Jewish Passover when the moon is full?
It begins right around the time of a full moon; not always on the exact same day.
According to the instructions in the Torah, the Passover festival lasts for seven days.
Each family brings the Paschal lamb sacrifice to the Temple, and eats it there, on the
first day, and refrains from eating any leavened products for the rest of the 7 days.
Judging by the use of the past tense in the question, it may surprise you to learn that
right now, today, in 2013, the Passover is still observed throughout the Jewish world,
with two primary modifications: First, the Paschal lamb sacrifice is not offered, because,
just now, there is sadly no Temple in which to offer it. Second, for very technical reasons,
the festival is observed for eight (8) days by Jews outside of Israel.
Answer:
Both. The Torah calls it both one day (Leviticus 23:5) and one week (Leviticus 23:6). The one day refers to the offering up of the Passover sacrifice, while the full week is the complete festival. Note that the Passover sacrifice was offered up on the day before the full festival (unlike what the above answer implies). The day before Passover, while not a complete day of rest, was observed (Talmud, Pesachim 2b) as a minor festival (comparable to Purim, Tisha B'Av and Hol HaMoed, which have a partial cessation from work). The offering was brought on the afternoon of that day and was eaten that night, the first night of the full Passover festival itself.
How might pharaoh's daughter know that Moses was a Hebrew baby?
1) He was circumcised2) There would have been no other reason for him to be in the bullrushes
3) Israelites were lighter-skinned (Rashi commentary on Genesis ch.12), and Moses had two Israelite parents
What is the difference between the feast of Passover and feast of unleavened bread?
Nowadays they are identical and coterminous. But in Biblical days, Chag haPesach/the Passover festival, was the first afternoon/evening of the holiday, terminating with the eating of the pascal lamb sacrifice along with matza/unleavened bread and marror/bitter herbs, and the recitation of certain Psalms and other passages from the Bible and rabbinic texts. Chag haMatzot/The Festival of Unleavened Bread then lasted for the next 7 days, after which leavened products could once again be eaten.
Is lamb eaten during Passover?
Sure. Provided the lamb involved is slaughtered, drained, inspected, butchered, soaked, salted, cooked and served according to the usual kosher standards and practices. Just like beef, bison or venison.
In the bible what desert did the hebrews cross on the way to the promised land?
In the Bible there are a number of different wilderness areas described. The wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, still bears this name today. The Negev region, somewhat to the North of this covers quite a broad area of land through which the Israelites would have had to journey, much closer to Israel.
In the Biblical Exodus account the term wilderness if often used generically as 'they went into the wilderness' in a number of other places specific wilderness areas are named.
These include the following:
The Wilderness of Shur - Exodus 15:22. This is directly East of the Nile Delta. They passed to the Western edge of this on the way out of Egypt.
The Wilderness of Sin - Exodus16:1 and 17:1. This is towards the South-east on theSinai Peninsula.
The Wilderness of Sinai - Exodus Exodus 19:1, Leviticus 7:38. This refers to the area near the South East tip of the Peninsula where Mount Sinai is believe to be (the exact location is a matter of 'discussion').
The Wilderness of Paran - Numbers 10:12, 12:16, 13:3. This area was to the North-West of Sinai, up towards present-day Israel.
The Wilderness of Zin - Numbers 13:21. This area is further to the Noth-West, just below the Dead Sea and Beersheba.
The reference to these areas as wilderness certainly indicates their largely uninhabited nature at this time, as well as their general unsuitability for permanent settlement except for isolated oases. It is of course unknown what the rainfall was at that time, and if it has decreased significantly since due to a changing climate which has been evidenced in other places.
Why were the Israelites commanded to celebrate Passover each year?
To remember the Exodus from Egypt, and the great miracles, the plagues included along with the spliitng of the sea.
Passover starts on the first full moon after spring equinox?
Passover starts on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of 'Nisan'. Prior to the establishment of the calculated calendar, which started during the Babylonian period although it wasn't finalised until much later, the beginning of Passover was determined by the first full moon after the spring equinox. However, Jewish holidays are determined by a mathematically calculated calendar that was fixed in the 4th century.
Below is an answer provided by a Christian contributor and does not reflect modern Judaism nor the observance of Passover.
The Jewish month is Nisan. It is the first month of the Jewish holiday cycle.
Passover is the first day of the seven days of unleavened bread.
Passover cannot be held until AFTER the moon is full.
The moon must be full before sundown in Jerusalem, and that evening the Passover is observed.
The Passover lamb is slain around 3pm the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan. It is then roasted. At sundown the Passover begins. This is the 15th day of Nisan. The 15th then begins the first day of unleavened bread and is also the day of Passover.
There are many who believe the lamb was slain on the 13th of Nisan and then eaten after sundown which would be the 14th. This is not true. The lamb must be slain on the 14th or it is not the Passover lamb specified in the Laws of Moses (Torah).
The rule to set Passover has been: the evening AFTER the first full moon that occurs after the spring equinox. The month is Nisan. The day is the 15th which begins at sundown ending the 14th.
Happy Passover
Why is lamb not eaten during Jewish Passover?
Lamb forms a part of the Passover seder meal which includes a roasted lamb shank bone called z'roa - chicken wings are also sometimes used, and vegetarians often use a beetroot instead. It serves as a reminder of the sacrifices that were offered in ancient times in the Second Temple in Jerusalem, when a lamb would be slaughtered, roasted and then eaten as part of the holiday. In modern times a tradition has arisen among Ashkenazi Jews that the bone should be neither eaten nor handled during the meal so that it remains as a reminder (Passover is, like most holidays, all about remembering events in the past). Many Sephardi Jewish families have adopted the same tradition.
What years will Easter and Passover the same weekend?
Although the date for Easter usually does NOT fall on the same date as Passover, it IS entirely possible that it could. Here's why:
Easter, celebrated on a different date every year, set by church officials, is held annually on a Sunday sometime in March or April.
Passover, first celebrated by the Israelites in Egypt and recorded in the original Hebrew scriptures, is an annual event which begins after sundown on Nisan 14, according to the Jewish calendar. This date ALWAYS coincides with the first full moon after the spring equinox. This year (2010) the Passover was held after sundown on Tuesday evening, March 30th.
Currently commemorated annually by Christians, this is now commonly referred to as The Lord's Evening Meal, The Last Supper, or The Memorial of the Death of Jesus Christ.
This year, 2012, this special memorial occasion was held on April 5th, after sunset.
What does a lamb symbolize at Passover?
Type your answer here... I'm pretty sure that in Christian art Jesus Christ is symbolized by a lamb because Jesus sacaficed himself on the cross and in the bible lambs were used as a sacafice when asking for forgiveness for your sins
How is the Passover meal related to the mass?
Passover is a Jewish holiday.
Mass is a Catholic religious service.
They are not related in any way.
Why were the israelites to perform the passover ritual?
The importance to the Israeli's on passover is that the Jews came out of Egypt from slavery.
What holidays do Jews celebrate in May?
For most, if not all of May, the Jews count the Omer, which is a seven week period which starts on the second day of Passover and continues until Shavuot. There are a number of activities which are prohibited during the Omer period (which may remind Christians of Lent, but are more invasive), such as getting haircuts, holding weddings, and dancing. This is in painful commemoration for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died during this period nearly 2000 years ago.
There are two full-on holidays in May, depending on how the Jewish and Gregorian calendars align. In every May, there is the holiday of Lag B'Omer, literally the 33rd Day of the Omer. This day marks the anniversary of death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a Mishnaic sage and leading disciple of Rabbi Akiva in the 2nd century, He specifically requested that his life be remembered happily. On this day the mourning prohibitions of the Omer are lifted. If Passover falls early, such as will happen in 2015, the holiday of Shavuot, signalling the end of the Omer and the celebration of receiving the Torah, will happen towards the end of May. However, Shavuot can fall instead in the beginning of June if Passover comes late, such as will happen in 2016.
In Israel, Israeli Independence Day and Israeli Memorial Day are celebrated/commemorated in late April or early May depending on the year, but these are celebrations/commemorations made by Liberal Jews and generally ignored by Religious Jews.
What is eaten at the Passover meal?
The Torah (Exodus ch.12) specifies matzoh, bitter hers and the meat of the pesach-sacrifice. Other foods are not mentioned, but wine, vegetables and fruits were probably on the menu.
The passover is a memorial service commemorating Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt. It is the beginning of Israel as an institution under God, the congregation of God in the wilderness.
Answer 2
Pesach (Passover) is important to us since in it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God.
The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).
The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.
During the Seder meal, other traditional foods are eaten in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. This is a command in commemoration of the Exodus, when the Israelites were in a hurry to leave Egypt and did not spend time waiting for their dough to leaven (to rise). Exodus ch.12. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day of Passover.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder table:
- Matzah - this represents the haste in which the Israelites prepared to leave Egypt.
- Wine - the four cups represent the four expressions of redemption in Exodus 6:6-7.
- The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Horseradish and/or romaine lettuce are traditionally used for maror.
- Salt water (see below).
- Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
- Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple herb into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
- Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg (which is then burnt on one side), symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat-offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
- Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.
What was the significance of the passover?
Passover is meant to make us remember that we were spared from the tenth plague in Egypt, the death of the first-born sons. The angel of death "passed over" the houses that were marked with the blood of the lamb, and we use Pesach to remind us to thank God for his mercy.
When during the Passover holiday is Passover celebrated?
The Seder meal is held on the evening of the 15th of Nisan, which occurs during April.
Pesach (Passover) is important to us since in it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God.
The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).
The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.
During the Seder meal, other traditional foods are eaten in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate:
The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Either horseradish or romaine lettuce is traditionally used for maror.
Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple vegetable into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Jewish slaves in Egypt.
Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.
Can you eat potatoes during Passover?
How could we live without it!?! cheeses and all foods must have a seal that marks them Kosher for passover, but yes, we can eat cheese. Why you would want to, doubled with the effects of the dry matzo, I don't know.
What other names is passover known as?
It is referred to as Chag HaMatzos - The holiday of unleavedned bread. Also it is referred to as being in the spring, which is also very important for the Jewish calendar.
Why did the Israelites put blood on the doors on passover?
This was done during the first celebration of Passover in Egypt to keep out the Angel of Death from their households. It was not done ever again.
The first day of passover in 1922 was Thursday April 13
What does Elijah's cup represent on the Seder table?
during "lail hasheder" which is the first night of pesach (passover) it is common practice to fill up a large, usually silver, for Elijah the prophit who is said to visit every house hold during that night and take a sip from his cup. one also opens the door for him. beyond being a weird custom it is simbolic of the open door attitude meaning all who are in need are welcome to join those who have and it is considered a great deed to host a needing person at such times.
