Passover

According to the chronology of the Bible, the first passover occurred around 1441 BC. This is computed through reference to:

1And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

The date of Solomon's Temple has been fixed by archaeology at 961 BC and simple maths, in adding 480 years to that arrives at the 1441 BC date for the Exodus and of course, the Passover which immediately preceded it. It must be remembered that the Israelites, for all their faults, were careful and accurate historians, and were careful about accurate transmission of data. Further evidences which support the 1441 passover and Exodus are these: 1. Egypt, having gone through a period of great expansion, and military success and building works under Thutmose III went through a period of decline immediately after the Exodus. The Exodus having occurred during the reign of Amenhotep II c. 1450-1425 BC. This would correlate well, both with the plagues, the death of the firstborn and the loss of an army, as well as the loss of a major population of slaves. 2. The El-Amarna letters in which help is sought repeatedly from Egypt against invaders known as the Habiru, would seem to indicate the Israelite invaders. Repeated requests with no indication of a reply or of any assistance, would also tend to support the Biblical narrative.

3. Known Egyptian military campaigns in this period into Canaan, avoided the area known to have been taken by the Israelites.

4. Pottery remains at Kadesh -Barnea, where the Israelites spent a large part to their 40 years in the desert, date from the relevant period.

5. The conquest of Jericho also fits well the Biblical date for an Exodus in 1441 BC.

These five are some of the most significant supportive facts which suggest a likely 1441 BC date for the first Passover. No one can say for sure. It was supposed to have taken place just before the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. The problem is that no obvious archaeological evidence has yet been found for this. Some say this was during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II who ruled from 1279 BC to 1213 BC. This would put the first Passover somewhere in that time period.

A more controversial claim is that Moses was actually the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III (note the similarity of the name Moses and Thutmose) whose reign was 1479 to 1425 BC. If this theory is the case the Exodus never actually happened and the Passover ritual is a remnant of older Egyptian and Mesopotamian rites. So, the first Passover may have occurred centuries later, when the Passover tradition entered Jewish legend.

At the Seder meal we retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

During the festival of the passover all the Jews came to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast, and it was very crowded indeed.

Yes you can eat sugar. You cannot eat anything that contains any of the forbidden grains or derivatives of these grains. Most Jewish people look for food labeled "kosher for Passover" so that they are sure that a forbidden food hasn't gotten in there somehow.

The second plague to hit Egypt was Frogs. The Hebrew word is Tz'fardaya.

Passover has always been celebrated in the Spring - there is a Biblical commendment to have the Passover feast in the springtime. It usually falls sometime in April, but is sometimes in late March as well.

The Exodus from Egypt, described in the Old Testament book of that name, does not appear in any secular history. The book was written several centuries after the purported event. Assuming it actually occurred, it is not possible to determine a date.

1. Blood (דָם): Ex. 7:14-25

2. Frogs (צְּפַרְדֵּעַ): Ex. 7:25-8:11

3. Gnats (כִּנִּים): Ex. 8:12-15

4. Flies (עָרוֹב): Ex. 8:20-32

5. Pestilence (דֶּבֶר): Ex. 9:1-7

6. Boils (שְׁחִין): Ex. 9:8-12

7. Hail (בָּרָד): Ex. 9:13-35

8. Locusts (אַרְבֶּה): Ex. 10:1-20

9. Darkness (חוֹשֶך): Ex. 10:21-29

10. Death of the Firstborn (מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת): Ex. 11:1-12:36

If you wish to observe the traditions of Passover, there is an elaborate formal dinner called a seder, during which there are discussions of the Jewish exodus from Egypt, and there are related songs, and various special foods. The only special prohibition during the Passover holiday is against leavened bread. Bread, or any baked goods, that were made using yeast, to make them rise and become soft and fluffy, are prohibited during this holiday (which officially lasts for 8 days, although normally you would have only one seder, on either the first or second day). Unleavened bread, particularly matzoh, is eaten instead, at this time.

Have you tried refrigerating them (for about an hour) before you cook them?

Jews ate their bread flat because they were in a hurry and had no time to wait for the bread to rise.

Yes.

Sephardim premounce it pe-sahkh; Ashkenazim pronounce it pey-sahkh. The kh at the end of the word is in the place of a sound that is not in the English dictionary. It is close, but the sound that we do not have in English comes from the throte. It is Pronounced like the CH in Bach.

yes

Below are the Easter Sunday dates for the years 2000 - 2010.

2000 - April 23

2001 - April 15

2002 - March 31

2003 - April 20

2004 - April 11

2005 - March 27

2006 - April 16

2007 - April 8

2008 - March 23

2009 - April 12

2010 - April 4

Each of the seis items arranged on the plate h the retelling of the story of the exodus from Egypt, which is the focus of this ritual meal. The seventh symbolic item used during the meal - a stack of three matzos - is placed on its own plate on the Seder table. Others place the seder plate on top of the stack of matzos....

To regular people, it is just a plate, but to my mensches, it is a symbol

Ceramic dishes, etc cannot be kashered for Passover.

Please see the related link.

I'm guessing that the question is referring to the word "L'CHAH-yim", exclaimed after any toast and just before taking the drink. The expression is Hebrew, meaning "To Life !" Neither the expression nor the party have anything whatsoever to do with the seder, which is another subject altogether.

Pit'om (פתעום) and ra'ames (רעמסס)

The most usual greeting (by English speakers) would be "good yontif." The word yontif is the Yiddish variation of the original Hebrew yom tov, meaning literally good day, but meaning holiday.

Others say "chag Pesach sameach" which is Hebrew and means "happy Passover."

Curry is just an herb and spice blend used in many recipes. The herbs and spices used in curry are all inherently kosher for Passover, so the only problem would be if the curry is adulterated by adding wheat or flour, or if the curry is prepared using dirty implements. Blended spices (as opposed to pure spices) need to be blended under kosher supervision to be kosher. If you are asking about curried meat dishes, they are only if kosher if the meat itself is kosher, and if the dish does not involve any milk products -- note that many traditional curries do involve milk, cream, ghee or yoghurt. The curry itself, however, is not the source of trouble.

Par'o, spelled פרעה

Yes, it is.