Our obligation to teach at the PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). table is not fulfilled until we interpret these symbols: Pesach, matzaThe unleavened bread eaten on Passover that recalls the Israelite's hasty escape from Egypt when there was no time for the dough to rise. Matzah is also considered the "bread of our affliction," eaten while we were slaves. and marorBitter herbs eaten at the Passover seder to recall slavery in Egypt.
We do not raise or point to the Pesach on our sederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. Additionally, there an ancient tradition to have a seder on Rosh Hashanah, which has been practiced in particular by Sephardi communities. This seder involves the blessing and eating of simanim, or symbolic foods. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. plate because it symbolizes a sacrifice that is no longer offered. The TalmudThe rabbinic compendium of lore and legend composed between 200 and 500 CE. Study of the Talmud is the focus of rabbinic scholarship. The Talmud has two versions, the main Babylonian version (Bavli) and the smaller Jerusalem version (Yerushalmi). It is written in Rabbinic Hebrew and Aramaic. teaches that vegetarians may use a broiled beet instead of a shankbone for the Pesach (Pesachim 114b).
Pesach. The Passover sacrifice.
What does the Pesach teach? On their last night in Egypt Israelite families shared the Passover meal: a roasted lamb, eaten in haste, family by family.
And in each Israelite household were women who sustained family life, who continued to bear children despite Pharaoh’s decree, who created spaces for holiness to enter, even as destruction raged outside.
Matza. The unleavened bread.
Raise the matza and say:
What does the matza teach? The next morning, as God led us out of Egypt, our people fled with “their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks around their shoulders.” (Ex. 12:34). In the wilderness, they baked the dough prepared in bondage into hard, unleavened cakes – the bread of freedom.
And in each Israelite household were women who met extraordinary circumstances with calm practicality, preparing food for the journey ahead. In this matza, we see a daily chore transformed.
Maror. The bitter herb.
Raise the maror and say:
What does the maror teach? Bitter vegetables remind us of the harsh taste of servitude. But why talk of slavery when we’ve just now glimpsed freedom? Our tradition teaches that only those who long for freedom fully know the bitterness of slavery. Only those who refuse to be defeated by bitterness will realize freedom.
And so we honor women who refused to submit. Yocheved risked her son’s life to save him. And the young slave, MiriamMiriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. As Moses' and Aaron's sister she, according to midrash, prophesies Moses' role and helps secure it by watching over the young baby, seeing to it that Pharaoh's daughter takes him and that the baby is returned to his mother for nursing. During the Israelites' trek through the desert, a magical well given on her behalf travels with the Israelites, providing water, healing, and sustenance., spoke up to royalty to ensure her people’s future. We recall countless, nameless Jewish women throughout history who overcame the bitterness of persecution and prevailed, armed only with faith, courage and love.
All:
In upheaval and dislocation – the courage of daily resolve.
And, in defiance of bitterness – the root and leaf of hope.
