What is Passover?
Passover, also called the Jewish Passover, is a holiday celebrated in early spring, from the 15th to the 22nd of the month of Nissan according to the Hebrew calendar. It commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, a decisive event in the history of the Jewish people. For eight days, observers refrain from consuming any leavened food and celebrate Seder meals, which include four cups of wine, eating matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs, and reciting the story of the Exodus.

The Hebrew term "Passover" literally means "to pass over", referring to the divine action of passing over Jewish homes during the last of the ten plagues of Egypt, thus sparing the firstborn Israelites.

The story of Passover in a nutshell:
After decades of slavery under the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Israelites, forced into oppressive labor and subjected to atrocities, witnessed divine compassion. God, seeing their distress, sent Moses to Pharaoh with the divine command: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” Faced with Pharaoh's stubborn refusal, God sent ten devastating plagues on Egypt, which eventually broke the Pharaoh's resistance.
The final plague, the death of the firstborn, was delivered at midnight on the 15th of Nissan in the year 2448 since creation (1313 BCE). It was on this night that the Israelites were spared, while the Egyptian firstborn perished. Pharaoh, broken, freed the Israelites who hastened to their freedom, taking with them only unleavened matzah, symbolizing their hasty departure.
Ancient observance of Passover included the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, but this practice ceased with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 1st century CE.

The celebration of Passover:
Passover is divided into two distinct parts:
a) The first two days and the last two days, which commemorate the opening of the Red Sea, are days of full celebration. We light the holiday candles in the evening, we do Kiddush followed by a festive meal. Work is prohibited, but cooking is permitted.
b) The middle four days, called Chol Hamoed, are intermediate days when most work is permitted.

No Hamets:
In memory of the unleavened bread eaten upon their departure from Egypt, the observant abstain from all forms of leaven (chametz) from the day before Passover until the end of the holiday. This involves a thorough cleaning of homes to remove any chametz, followed by the chametz search ceremony the night before Passover.

The Matza:
The ideal is to use handmade “chemoura” matzah, preserved from all humidity since the harvest.
The Seders:
The central point of Passover is the Seder, celebrated on the first two nights of the holiday. This ritual family meal is punctuated by fifteen steps, including the consumption of matzah and bitter herbs, as well as the reading of the Haggadah, which tells the story of the exodus from Egypt and highlights the theme of newfound freedom.


To learn more about Passover and its traditions, check out the following resources:
What is Passover
The Passover Haggadah online