About 3000 years ago, the Israelites
were enslaved by the Egyptians under the rule of the Pharaoh Ramses II. According
to the Book of Exodus - Moses, a simple Jewish shepherd, was instructed by G-d
to go to the pharaoh and demand the freedom of his people.
Moses' plea of let my people go was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that G-d
would send severe punishments to the people of Egypt if the Israelites were
not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request of freedom. In response
G-d unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues on the people of Egypt
1. Blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice (vermin)
4. Wild Beasts(flies)
5. Blight (Cattle Disease)
6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Slaying of the First Born.
The holiday's name - Pesach, meaning
"passing over" or "protection" in Hebrew, is derived from
the instructions given to Moses by G-d . In order to encourage the Pharaoh to
free the Israelites, G-d intended to kill the first-born of both man and beast.
To protect themselves, the Israelites were told to mark their dwellings with
lamb's blood so that G-d could identify and "pass over" their homes.
The Pharaoh was unconvinced and refused
to free the Jewish slaves.
Until the last plague.
When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom,
the Israelites left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake
their breads. So they packed the raw dough to take with them on their journey.
As they fled through the desert they would quickly bake the dough in the hot
sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today to commemorate this event, Jews
eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover.
Though the Jews were now free, their
liberation was incomplete. The Pharaoh's army chased them through the desert
towards the Red Sea. When the Jews reached the sea they were trapped, since
the sea blocked their escape.
It was then that a miracle occurred.
The waves of the Red Sea parted and the Israelites were able to cross to the
other side. As soon as they all reached the other side the sea closed trapping
the Pharaoh's army as the waves closed upon them.
Then as the Israelites watched the waters
of the Red Sea sweep away the Pharaoh's army they realized they were finally
free.
Passover celebrates this history. The
first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called
Seders in which the stories and history of Passover are celebrated. Special
foods, plates, silverware are all a part of the Seder.
