Passover – The spring holiday commemorating the Exodus

 Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, the holiday commemorating the Hebrews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt lasts seven days in Israel and among Reform Jews, and eight days elsewhere around the world.  It begins on the 15th day of Nisan, which is the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.  It ends on the 21st of Nisan in Israel (and for Reform Jews) on the 22nd of Nisan elsewhere.  Since Hebrew days begin and end at sundown, Passover begins at sundown on the preceding day.
The story of Passover is told in the first third of the Biblical book of Exodus.  The Jews had come to Egypt because of a famine, while Joseph was Pharaoh’s trusted advisor.  Sometime after Joseph’s death, they were enslaved by the Egyptians and forced to perform hard labor under bitterly cruel conditions for hundreds of years.
Eventually, the prophet Moses went to the new Pharaoh and asked him to let the Jews go.  When he refused, God sent a total of ten plagues that devastated Egypt.  In the first nine, the waters of the Nile turned to blood, frogs appeared everywhere, lice infested everything, wild animals menaced the land, cattle died, there was an outbreak of boils, hail destroyed the crops, locusts devoured whatever was left, and the land was covered in darkness.  After each plague, Moses asked Pharaoh to set the Jews free.  Every time, Pharaoh refused.
The final plague was killing of the firstborn sons.  Moses instructed the Jews to sacrifice a lamb for each family and spread its blood on the doorposts of their house. (As Egyptians considered lambs sacred, this was a public test of faith.)  God passed over the marked Jewish houses, and killed the firstborn male child in every Egyptian household.  There was a great outcry, and Pharaoh finally told Moses to take the Jews and leave Egypt without delay.  The Jews left in such a hurry that they didn’t have time to make for the trip; instead, they left carrying dough, which baked on their backs before being able to rise.  The holiday is called “Passover” because God passed over the Jewish houses, protecting them while killing the Egyptians firstborn sons.
The central observance of Passover is a ritual meal shared by Jewish Families on the first and second nights called the Seder (Hebrew for “older”).  The Seder meal consists of recited benedictions and explanations, ritual hand washing, four cups of wine, and symbolic foods including matzah, bitter herbs, and crushed fruits.  Eating, drinking, and other rituals occur at specified intervals.  The recitations are set out in the Haggadah, a special book that tells the story of Exodus for the purpose of the Passover celebration.