Pesach/Passover
WHAT IS IT?
The spring holiday, pronounced “Pay-sach” and called in English “Passover.” It commemorates the freedom of the Israelites after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. It is also called Hag Ha-aviv (Spring Festival) Hag Ha-Matzot (the Matzah Festival) and Z'man Herutanu (the time of our freedom.)
WHY IS IT?
Pesach is both a historical holiday and an agricultural one. Agriculturally it marks the beginning of the spring harvest in Israel, and the end of the rainy season. Historically it marks the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.
WHEN IS IT?
The 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan, which usually falls around late March or into April. This year Pesach begins the evening of March 25.
WHERE IS IT FROM?
The book of Genesis in the Torah ends with Joseph going down into Egypt, becoming second-in-command to Pharaoh, and being a well respected Hebrew among the Egyptians. However when Joseph died, the Torah tells us a new Pharaoh (king) arose, who did not know Joseph or the friendship between the Hebrews and the Egyptians, and he was threatened by the strength and the numbers of the children of Israel. The Torah then tells the story of our liberation from slavery, beginning with the birth of the hero Moses, in the book of Exodus.
WHAT DO WE DO?
The two most significant observances of Pesach are not owning or eating chametz (anything leavened), and the Passover Seder or special meal on the first and second nights, when we eat matzah. Matzah commemorates when the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let the bread rise, and its opposite, chametz, is a symbol of the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) in our souls. The Seder has many special elements and rituals which are followed in a certain order (The word Seder actually means order) in a book called a Haggadah (which literally means “telling.”) There are many Haggadahs of every denomination and type on the market. The essence of the Passover Seder is to remember that we were slaves in Egypt and now we are free- therefore all humanity must be free.
WHAT DO WE EAT?
Matzah, for at least the first two days (one day in Israel) but most people eat it for the whole 8 days (or 7 in Israel and in many Reform and Reconstructionist communities.) Matzah is a flat cracker which is made in under 18 minutes. There are also special foods on the Seder plate: bitter herbs, a green vegetable (like parsley), charoset (a fruit and nut mixture to resemble mortar) a roasted shankbone and a roasted egg (vegetarians use a roasted beet and/or an avocado pit.) A bowl of salt water reminds us of the tears of slavery, and three matzahs are on the Seder table on a special plate for use during the Seder. During the week we may eat whatever is not chametz- leavened, or fermented. Ashkenazi Jews add the restriction of not eating legumes during Passover (e.g.beans, soy, rice, corn).
WHAT DO WE SAY?
“Chag Sameach”. Some people say “Chag kasher v’sameach” which means “may you have a happy and kosher Passover”, since there are so many special foods and food rules!
The spring holiday, pronounced “Pay-sach” and called in English “Passover.” It commemorates the freedom of the Israelites after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. It is also called Hag Ha-aviv (Spring Festival) Hag Ha-Matzot (the Matzah Festival) and Z'man Herutanu (the time of our freedom.)
WHY IS IT?
Pesach is both a historical holiday and an agricultural one. Agriculturally it marks the beginning of the spring harvest in Israel, and the end of the rainy season. Historically it marks the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.
WHEN IS IT?
The 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan, which usually falls around late March or into April. This year Pesach begins the evening of March 25.
WHERE IS IT FROM?
The book of Genesis in the Torah ends with Joseph going down into Egypt, becoming second-in-command to Pharaoh, and being a well respected Hebrew among the Egyptians. However when Joseph died, the Torah tells us a new Pharaoh (king) arose, who did not know Joseph or the friendship between the Hebrews and the Egyptians, and he was threatened by the strength and the numbers of the children of Israel. The Torah then tells the story of our liberation from slavery, beginning with the birth of the hero Moses, in the book of Exodus.
WHAT DO WE DO?
The two most significant observances of Pesach are not owning or eating chametz (anything leavened), and the Passover Seder or special meal on the first and second nights, when we eat matzah. Matzah commemorates when the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let the bread rise, and its opposite, chametz, is a symbol of the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) in our souls. The Seder has many special elements and rituals which are followed in a certain order (The word Seder actually means order) in a book called a Haggadah (which literally means “telling.”) There are many Haggadahs of every denomination and type on the market. The essence of the Passover Seder is to remember that we were slaves in Egypt and now we are free- therefore all humanity must be free.
WHAT DO WE EAT?
Matzah, for at least the first two days (one day in Israel) but most people eat it for the whole 8 days (or 7 in Israel and in many Reform and Reconstructionist communities.) Matzah is a flat cracker which is made in under 18 minutes. There are also special foods on the Seder plate: bitter herbs, a green vegetable (like parsley), charoset (a fruit and nut mixture to resemble mortar) a roasted shankbone and a roasted egg (vegetarians use a roasted beet and/or an avocado pit.) A bowl of salt water reminds us of the tears of slavery, and three matzahs are on the Seder table on a special plate for use during the Seder. During the week we may eat whatever is not chametz- leavened, or fermented. Ashkenazi Jews add the restriction of not eating legumes during Passover (e.g.beans, soy, rice, corn).
WHAT DO WE SAY?
“Chag Sameach”. Some people say “Chag kasher v’sameach” which means “may you have a happy and kosher Passover”, since there are so many special foods and food rules!
The Laws and Customs of Pesach Food
Exodus 13
And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how the Lord freed you with a mighty hand; no leavened bread shall be eaten. This day you came out in the month Aviv. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring you into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service (or: practice) in this month.Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.Unleavened bread (matzot) shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with you, neither shall there be leaven seen with you in all your quarters. And you shall tell your child on that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did to me when I came forth out of Egypt...
The two main mitzvot are eating matzah (only on first two days!) and not eating chametz. Matzah is a symbol of humility, flatness,“bread of affliction” eaten in haste. Chametz is the opposite: symbol of pride, “puffed-up”.
Chametz=leavened, fermented
For Ashkenazim, add kitniyot (legumes but literally means “small”). Kitniyot= rice, beans, (green beans?) corn (corn syrup) but corn oil is ok! peas, peanuts, lentils, chickpeas, soy/tofu 2) forbidden grains= wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye (except for special”watched”grains used for making matzas)
Foods that require no Kosher L’Pesach label: Fresh fruit and vegetables, (remember: no peas). The following foods are permitted unmarked if they are in unopened packages or containers bought before Passover: Natural coffee, sugar, tea, salt and pepper, milk with no additives.
Seder foods:
1) Maror= Bitter herbs; use grated fresh horseradish or leaves of bitter greens (endive/ romaine); symbolizes the bitterness of servitude. 2) Haroset=Fruit and nut mixture (allergy note: you can leave out the nuts) made into a spread, symbolizing the mortar and bricks made by Hebrew slaves.3) Zeroah=Roasted bone or chicken neck to symbolize the sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem and the paschal sacrifice in particular. Vegetarian note: Use a roasted beet. 4) Beitzah=Roasted hard-boiled egg, to symbolize the roundness of life and rebirth. Vegan note: Use an avocado pit. 5) Karpas= greens. Use celery, parsley, curly lettuce to symbolize spring. 6) Three matzahs, covered with or enclosed in a matzo cloth reserved for the occasion. To symbolize G-d Torah and Israel or Cohen, Levi, and Yisrael. 7) Salt water for dipping, to symbolize the tears of slavery. 8) Four glasses of wine or grape juice; any colour or sweetness. 9) Hazeret- the “extra” marking on some Seder plates. Here's why: maror is mentioned in the Torah as something bitter, but we don't really know what maror was exactly. Later, the Talmud mentions 5 kinds of plants that could be used as maror- none are horseradish, and one is called "hazeret." Sephardic Jews have always used bitter lettuce for maror, but Ashkenazim used horseradish but they added a space on the Seder plate for a bitter lettuce. BUT Hazeret in modern Hebrew actually means "horseradish!" SO... some people put horseradish on the hazeret space and bitter lettuce on the maror space; but some still put horseradish on the maror space and bitter lettuce on the hazeret space. Suggestion: raddicio, endive, wild chicory.
And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how the Lord freed you with a mighty hand; no leavened bread shall be eaten. This day you came out in the month Aviv. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring you into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service (or: practice) in this month.Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.Unleavened bread (matzot) shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with you, neither shall there be leaven seen with you in all your quarters. And you shall tell your child on that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did to me when I came forth out of Egypt...
The two main mitzvot are eating matzah (only on first two days!) and not eating chametz. Matzah is a symbol of humility, flatness,“bread of affliction” eaten in haste. Chametz is the opposite: symbol of pride, “puffed-up”.
Chametz=leavened, fermented
For Ashkenazim, add kitniyot (legumes but literally means “small”). Kitniyot= rice, beans, (green beans?) corn (corn syrup) but corn oil is ok! peas, peanuts, lentils, chickpeas, soy/tofu 2) forbidden grains= wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye (except for special”watched”grains used for making matzas)
Foods that require no Kosher L’Pesach label: Fresh fruit and vegetables, (remember: no peas). The following foods are permitted unmarked if they are in unopened packages or containers bought before Passover: Natural coffee, sugar, tea, salt and pepper, milk with no additives.
Seder foods:
1) Maror= Bitter herbs; use grated fresh horseradish or leaves of bitter greens (endive/ romaine); symbolizes the bitterness of servitude. 2) Haroset=Fruit and nut mixture (allergy note: you can leave out the nuts) made into a spread, symbolizing the mortar and bricks made by Hebrew slaves.3) Zeroah=Roasted bone or chicken neck to symbolize the sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem and the paschal sacrifice in particular. Vegetarian note: Use a roasted beet. 4) Beitzah=Roasted hard-boiled egg, to symbolize the roundness of life and rebirth. Vegan note: Use an avocado pit. 5) Karpas= greens. Use celery, parsley, curly lettuce to symbolize spring. 6) Three matzahs, covered with or enclosed in a matzo cloth reserved for the occasion. To symbolize G-d Torah and Israel or Cohen, Levi, and Yisrael. 7) Salt water for dipping, to symbolize the tears of slavery. 8) Four glasses of wine or grape juice; any colour or sweetness. 9) Hazeret- the “extra” marking on some Seder plates. Here's why: maror is mentioned in the Torah as something bitter, but we don't really know what maror was exactly. Later, the Talmud mentions 5 kinds of plants that could be used as maror- none are horseradish, and one is called "hazeret." Sephardic Jews have always used bitter lettuce for maror, but Ashkenazim used horseradish but they added a space on the Seder plate for a bitter lettuce. BUT Hazeret in modern Hebrew actually means "horseradish!" SO... some people put horseradish on the hazeret space and bitter lettuce on the maror space; but some still put horseradish on the maror space and bitter lettuce on the hazeret space. Suggestion: raddicio, endive, wild chicory.
Bonnie Stern's Passover Chocolate Bark
Bonnie writes, "My colleague Leonie Eidinger and I came up with this Passover version of our favourite chocolate bark. We like it best with potato chips but matzah works well too."
1 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups broken potato chips or chopped matzah
8 oz coconut macaroons, chopped
1 tsp flaky sea salt (eg Maldon)
1. Place chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set in a skillet of very hot water. Stir until almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
2. Combine marshmallows, chips, macaroons and salt in a large bowl and add melted chocolate. Stir to coat everything well.
3. Spread on a 9"x13" baking pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate a few hours or until set. Lift out of pan with the paper. Cut into chunks.
Makes approximately 36 pieces
1 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups broken potato chips or chopped matzah
8 oz coconut macaroons, chopped
1 tsp flaky sea salt (eg Maldon)
1. Place chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set in a skillet of very hot water. Stir until almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
2. Combine marshmallows, chips, macaroons and salt in a large bowl and add melted chocolate. Stir to coat everything well.
3. Spread on a 9"x13" baking pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate a few hours or until set. Lift out of pan with the paper. Cut into chunks.
Makes approximately 36 pieces
Passover with Kids
Before the actual Seder, there are a number of books and craft activities that can enhance the Seder experience for young children and their familites:
* Bedikat Hametz (looking for Hametz);
* Sponge painted Matzah cover;
* Stained glass kiddush cup;
* Seder plate/Matzah plate;
* Afikomen bag;
* Tablecloth;
* Learn Mah Nishtanah (the Four Questions);
* Cook together;
* Make placecards;
* Colouring books;
* Make a Pesach mobile;
* Prompting cards; and,
* Sculpting clay (fimo).
Seder Suggestions
Leading up to or during the Seder itself:
* Choose a Haggadah that’s right for your family;
* Make a family Haggadah;
* Make a touch-feel Haggadah;
* Encourage questions;
* Use puppets/masks or costumes;
* Use paper tablecloth & crayons;
* Run simultaneous stuffed animal/doll seders;
* Create a Pesach play room;
* Read Pesach story books;
* Animate the Seder with puppets;
* Have building blocks on the table (for pyramid building);
* Watch Pesach videos; and,
* Make origami frogs (lots of origami websites include instructions for frogs at different levels of complexity- from simple to intermediate)- almost all the plagues can be made from origami. Prepare sheets and instructions and they can be made at the Seder!
Pesach Games
Play games with a Pesach theme:
* Memory Game: matching picture cards or arranging cards in order;
* Quizzes: Who said to Whom;
* Who (What am I);
* Charades;
* Pictionary;
* Scavenger/Treasure hunt;
* Word scrambles;
* Crossword puzzles; and,
* Pesach Mad Libs created by Baruch Sienna:
Print this page out. Ask kids/guests for the missing words (noun, adjective, etc.) and fill them in the spaces. Then, read the resulting humourous story for all to enjoy.
___________ (number) years ago, the Israelites were slaves to the ___________ (adjective) Pharaoh of ___________ (name of country). He made them build ___________ (adjective) ___________ (plural noun) and ___________ (plural noun). They cried out to God, and God heard their ___________(plural noun). So God sent ___________ (person in room) to Pharaoh to say, "Let my people ___________ (verb). But Pharaoh wouldn't listen so God sent ___________ (number) ___________ (plural noun) to punish the Egyptians and to free the Israelites. First, the water turned to ___________ (liquid), then ___________ (animals) came out of the Nile, and ___________ (animals) infested the Egyptians. After ___________ (number) plagues, was the slaying of the ___________ (family member - cousin, brother etc.). The Israelites dipped a ___________ (plant) into the ___________ (liquid) of a ___________ (animal) and painted it on the ___________(part of a house) of their houses. Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go- but because they left in such a hurry, they didn't have time to bake ___________(food), and ate ___________ (Pesach food) instead. The Israelites borrowed ___________ (household item) and ___________ (household item) from their neighbours and journeyed to ___________(geographical place). The Egyptians chased after them and God saved them by ___________ (verb ending in -ing) the ___________(noun). When the Egyptians were in the middle of the sea - God made the waters cover them. The Israelites were free, so every year we remember this story of Pesach by eating ___________ (Pesach food) and ___________(Pesach food).
* Bedikat Hametz (looking for Hametz);
* Sponge painted Matzah cover;
* Stained glass kiddush cup;
* Seder plate/Matzah plate;
* Afikomen bag;
* Tablecloth;
* Learn Mah Nishtanah (the Four Questions);
* Cook together;
* Make placecards;
* Colouring books;
* Make a Pesach mobile;
* Prompting cards; and,
* Sculpting clay (fimo).
Seder Suggestions
Leading up to or during the Seder itself:
* Choose a Haggadah that’s right for your family;
* Make a family Haggadah;
* Make a touch-feel Haggadah;
* Encourage questions;
* Use puppets/masks or costumes;
* Use paper tablecloth & crayons;
* Run simultaneous stuffed animal/doll seders;
* Create a Pesach play room;
* Read Pesach story books;
* Animate the Seder with puppets;
* Have building blocks on the table (for pyramid building);
* Watch Pesach videos; and,
* Make origami frogs (lots of origami websites include instructions for frogs at different levels of complexity- from simple to intermediate)- almost all the plagues can be made from origami. Prepare sheets and instructions and they can be made at the Seder!
Pesach Games
Play games with a Pesach theme:
* Memory Game: matching picture cards or arranging cards in order;
* Quizzes: Who said to Whom;
* Who (What am I);
* Charades;
* Pictionary;
* Scavenger/Treasure hunt;
* Word scrambles;
* Crossword puzzles; and,
* Pesach Mad Libs created by Baruch Sienna:
Print this page out. Ask kids/guests for the missing words (noun, adjective, etc.) and fill them in the spaces. Then, read the resulting humourous story for all to enjoy.
___________ (number) years ago, the Israelites were slaves to the ___________ (adjective) Pharaoh of ___________ (name of country). He made them build ___________ (adjective) ___________ (plural noun) and ___________ (plural noun). They cried out to God, and God heard their ___________(plural noun). So God sent ___________ (person in room) to Pharaoh to say, "Let my people ___________ (verb). But Pharaoh wouldn't listen so God sent ___________ (number) ___________ (plural noun) to punish the Egyptians and to free the Israelites. First, the water turned to ___________ (liquid), then ___________ (animals) came out of the Nile, and ___________ (animals) infested the Egyptians. After ___________ (number) plagues, was the slaying of the ___________ (family member - cousin, brother etc.). The Israelites dipped a ___________ (plant) into the ___________ (liquid) of a ___________ (animal) and painted it on the ___________(part of a house) of their houses. Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go- but because they left in such a hurry, they didn't have time to bake ___________(food), and ate ___________ (Pesach food) instead. The Israelites borrowed ___________ (household item) and ___________ (household item) from their neighbours and journeyed to ___________(geographical place). The Egyptians chased after them and God saved them by ___________ (verb ending in -ing) the ___________(noun). When the Egyptians were in the middle of the sea - God made the waters cover them. The Israelites were free, so every year we remember this story of Pesach by eating ___________ (Pesach food) and ___________(Pesach food).
