1.•

T

To Life!

HOLIDAY

Pesach At-A-Glance

Elizabeth Applebaum

from dough or batter, most foods and
beverages made from grain, and any-
thing edible that even might contain
any amount of anything leavened. All
• When We Celebrate: On the
food for Pesach is certified as kosher
Jewish calendar, Pesach (Passover)
for Passover or is beyond suspicion
is observed from . 14-22 Nisan. This
of containing any leaven. Instead of
year on the secular calendar, Pesach
bread, we eat matzah, either plain by
begins the evening of Wednesday,
April 12, and lasts until the evening of • itself or prepared with other ingredi-
ents to make a variety of dishes.
Thursday, April 20. Most Jews observe
The first two and last two days
an eight-day holiday, while some cel-
of Pesach are full holidays when we
ebrate for seven days.
abstain from work. The intervening
days are semi-holidays when work is
• Why We Celebrate: In the Torah,
allowed.
God commands the Jewish people to
Some families observe the tradition
commemorate their liberation from
of eating only shmura, or "watched-
Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12:14-19).
guarded:' matzah. According to the
Torah, oo sh'martem,"you shall
• What's In A Name?: Pesach in
observe the holiday of Pesach. Some
Hebrew means "pass over" and refers
rabbis interpreted this to mean that
to the 10th and final plague that God
Jews
should literally watch over the
brought upon Egypt, when He killed
matzah
so that it does not become
all first-born Egyptians but passed
leavened.
(Exodus
over the Jewish households
Of course, not everyone. agrees as to
12:21-30).
when this should occur. Some rabbis
said that shmura matzah must be
• What We Celebrate: Primarily,
watched from the very start, when it is
our liberation froth slavery to the
cut from the wheat; others say "watch-
Egyptians, 3,000 years ago. On a more
ing" means the time when the wheat
profound level, Pesach marks the
is made into flour. Shmura matzah is
founding of the Jewish nation and the
much more expensive than the regu-
beginning of our relationship with
lar version, which explains why most
God.
families use it only for the first two
days, and specifically the seders.
Pesach
is
a
How
We
Celebrate:
•
Interestingly, Jews are not obligated
holiday of prayer, discussion and, of
to consume matzah except on the first
course, food. Special prayers are recit-
ed at all services for the entire holiday. days of Pesach, After that, we are not
allowed to eat chametz, but we are
In observance of the Torah com-
nonetheless not obliged to eat any
mandment,"You shall tell your child"
(Exodus 13:8), we gather with family kind of matzah, shmura or otherwise.
and friends to hold a commemora-
But Did You Know?
tive meal called a seder (order). The
• The Shabbat immediately preced-
seder menu includes foods intended
ing Pesach is Shabbat HaGadol, the
to arouse curiosity from the children
and discussion among all on the many Great Shabbat. According to tradition,
it was on this day that the Jews placed
subjects that revolve around Pesach:
the blood on their doorposts as a sign
Jewish identity, our relationship
for the Angel of Death to pass over.
with God, the events of the Exodus
• Chametz is not actually wheat,
from Egypt, our life in Egypt prior to
oats, barley, spelt and rye, but rather
liberation and miracles. Among the
what these create — a leavened prod-
best-known seder foods are matzah
uct — when they are mixed with
(unleavened bread), charoset (sym-
bolic of mortar), a bitter vegetable and water for more than 18 minutes.
• The night before Pesach begins is
four cups of wine.
leil shimmurim, night of guardian,
because according to Rashi, God had
• Rules And Regulations: On
long anticipated this evening as the
Pesach, we refrain from consum-
beginning of the Jews' liberation from
ing foods that are leavened or con-
Egypt.
tain leavening (such as yeast). This
• Some Jews eat peas and corn on
includes bread and other items made

Contributing Editor

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April 6 • 2006