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A Seder For All Ages
With Tips For Yours
page 73
(ireat Projects
For Little Hands
page 75
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Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
assayer (Pesach in Hebrew) begins this year on Wednesday
evening, March 31.
The Jewish new year begins with the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur. But there are three other major holidays on the calendar, as
well: Pesach, Sukkot and Shavuot. These are referred to as regalim, or pilgrim-
age holidays, because in ancient times, when the Temple stood, the Jewish peo-
ple were required to celebrate these
holy days in Jerusalem.
Like all major Jewish holidays,
Pesach has its origins in the Torah.
In Parshat Lech Lecha (Genesis
15: 1 3 1 4), God tells Abraham
(still known then as Avram) that his
descendants will be slaves in a foreign
land — but they will be redeemed
and leave that land with great
treasure. Years pass and Abra-
ham's great-grandson,
Joseph, is sold by his
brothers into slavery in
Egypt. Joseph endures to
become prime minister
of Egypt, saving the
land from famine and
bringing all his fami-
ly to Egypt.
In the first four
parshiyot (Torah por-
-
3/26
1999
Detroit Jewish News
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