What is Passover?
Passover is an eight day Jewish holiday, of biblical origin, marking the birth of the Jews as a people and their emergence as a unique nation in history, devoted to God’s will. It celebrates the liberation of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt over 3000 years ago, under the leadership of Moses.
When Does Passover Begin?
According to biblical law, Passover is determined by the Jewish lunar calendar, and begins on the eve of the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan. The English date varies from year to year, falling in March or in April. (This year Passover begins Saturday evening, April 23, 2005. Dietary restrictions begin approximately three hours before mid-day Saturday.)
What Does KOSHER FOR PASSOVER Mean?
During Passover, Jewish law forbids the consumption or possession by Jews of all edible fermented grain products (chametz) or related foods. Therefore, even foods and household products which meet the strict, year-round dietary regulations, and are considered kosher, are nevertheless, often unacceptable, or require special preparation for Passover use in the Jewish home in order to be kosher for Passover.
How Can One Tell If a Product is KOSHER FOR PASSOVER?
Most processed foods and beverages require special rabbinical supervision for Passover use. They must also be kosher for year-round use, and prepared in accordance with all of the regular Jewish dietary laws. Jewish consumers are urged to look for the ‘P’ or the ‘Kosher for Passover’ designations as an integral part of the product label, and to be familiar with the Rabbi or organization giving the Passover endorsement. The mere mention of Kosher for Passover on the label is not a sufficient guarantee of the product’s acceptability for Passover use. The largest and most widely respected kosher supervisory agency is the Orthodox Union. Its registered service mark, ‘P,’ on thousands of consumer and industrial food products, is a guarantee of the highest standards of kosher for Passover. Processed foods not carrying any rabbinical supervision should be cleared with a Rabbi before Passover use, as should any medicines and vegetables.
What is ‘Matzah’?
Matzah is a crisp, flat, unleavened bread, made of flour and water, which must be baked before the dough has had time to rise. It is the only type of ‘bread’ which Jews may eat during Passover, and it must be made specifically for Passover use, under rabbinical supervision. Eating matzah on Passover commemorates the unleavened bread eaten by the Jews when they left Egypt in such haste that there was no time for the dough to rise. There are many mystical concepts tied to the unique relationship between matzah and chametz on Passover. One interpretation equates matzah with God’s commandments (mitzvot), and chametz with sin (chayt).
The rigorous laws of Passover, in this interpretation, represent the great care that must be taken to follow the Godly path.
What Special Preparations Must Be Made In The Jewish Home For Passover?
The home must be thoroughly cleaned of all chametz before Passover. Any chametz not removed from a Jew’s premises before Passover should be sold. Jewish law forbids the use of any chametz which remains in a Jew’s possession during Passover, even after the holiday is over. All cooking and eating utensils must be either set aside exclusively for Passover use, or, in some cases, ‘made kosher’ in consultation with a rabbi, according to the procedures of Jewish law. All of these preparations must be completed by the morning before Passover. See the following section, ‘Preparing the Home for Passover,’ for more specific details.
What Are The Rituals For The Period Before Passover Begins?
This year Thursday, April 21 is a fast day for Jewish firstborn males, in commemoration of the tenth plague, the slaying of the firstborn male Egyptians, which immediately resulted in the Exodus. In many congregations, a special celebration Siyum is conducted, following which participating firstborn males are permitted to break their fast. A ritual search for chametz is conducted Thursday evening, April 21, 2005 and the chametz that is found is burned the next morning.
What Is The Passover SEDER?
The Seder is a ritual banquet which reenacts the exodus, conducted on both the first and second evenings of Passover, (Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and April 24, 2005). Its major feature is the reading of the Haggadah, which relates, in detail, the events of the exodus of the Jewish people from ancient Egypt, complete with symbolic reenactments using kosher wine, specially prepared matzah, and bitter herbs.
The specially prepared shmurah matzah is made specifically for use at the Seder, with specially supervised flour according to particularly stringent Jewish traditions and laws. The bitter herbs (maror) consisting of either romaine lettuce or horseradish, commemorate the harsh conditions of slavery in ancient Egypt. Four cups of wine are consumed during the course of the Seder to commemorate the redemption of the Jewish people, the sanctity of the holiday and events related in the Haggadah. The Seder is a traditional occasion for Jewish families to gather together to reinforce their ties to Judaism.
When Do Passover Dietary Laws End?
All Passover dietary laws remain in effect until nightfall of the eighth day of Passover, Sunday, May 1, 2005. Chametz which was in the possession or jurisdiction of a Jew during Passover, in violation of Jewish law, is forbidden for consumption by any Jew even after Passover.
What Other Restrictions Are Applicable On Passover?
Sabbath-like restrictions on work and creative activity, with the exceptions of carrying and the use of fire (with respect to cooking and the preparation of food), apply to all Jews on the first two and last two days of Passover. However, full Sabbath rules remain in effect on Friday evenings and Saturdays during Passover. With the exception of Sabbath, during the inter-mediate four days of Passover, Chol Hamoed (nightfall of Monday, April 25, 2005 through shortly before sundown, Friday, April 29, 2005), and only nonessential work activities and crafts, as defined by Jewish law, are prohibited.