The Story of Passover
Passover is a holiday
that celebrates the escape of the Israelites from Egypt in
approximately 1225 B.C.E. The narrative of this adventure
is told in the Biblical book of Exodus.
The Israelites had
moved down into Egypt as long as 400 years earlier, according to
the Bible. But some scholars suggest that the actual time
span was probably closer to 200 years or less, based upon the
Biblical genealogies from Joseph (who brought his own family
into Egypt) to Aaron (who, with Moses, led the people out of
Egypt).
The Israelites came
down to Egypt during a time when a famine was raging in the
Biblical Near East. Egypt had stockpiled food during the
seven years of plenty that had preceded the famine.
Joseph, one of the younger sons of the patriarch Jacob (who was
also known as Israel) had predicted the years of plenty and the
years of famine. As a result, he had a high position in
the court of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh welcomed Joseph's
family and settled them in the delta region of Goshen, where
they prospered.
For many generations,
the Israelites enjoyed the protection of the Pharaohs, who
valued their work as shepherds. However, a Pharaoh
eventually came to power who feared the Israelites.
According to the Book of Exodus, this Pharaoh tried to destroy
the Israelite population by ordering all male Israelite infants
to be killed at birth. He also required the Israelites to
work on large-scale building projects without pay and under
terrible working conditions. The Israelites saw themselves
as slaves.
The book of Exodus
tells us that God ordered Moses, a young Israelite man who had
been raised in the palace of the Pharaoh as a son of Pharaoh's
daughter, to lead the Israelites out of Egypt with the help of
his brother Aaron. However, in order to do so, it was necessary
for the Pharaoh to agree to the emigration of the Israelite
population. Moses said to Pharaoh, “Let my people go.”
To which Pharaoh replied, “No.”
A battle of wills
ensued between the will of the God of the Israelites and the
will of the Pharaoh, who was worshipped as a deity by the
Egyptians. Ten plagues were visited upon the Egyptians,
the last of which was the death of the first born of each
family. God told the Israelites to slaughter a lamb as a
paschal sacrifice and put the blood of the sacrifice on the
doorposts of their homes so that the Angel of Death would pass
over them on the night of the tenth plague.
After this night of
terror, Pharaoh said that the Israelites could leave Egypt.
Fearful that the Pharaoh would change his mind (which he
subsequently did), the Israelites left as quickly as possible.
Because of this, their bread did not have time to rise.
They fled and found
themselves standing at the shore of the Red Sea with the
Pharaoh's chariots close behind in pursuit. God parted the
sea for them, and they walked across on dry land. When the
chariots tried to follow, the iron wheels stuck in the soft
sand, the waters closed over them, and they drowned.
Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron led the women in dancing
and singing in praise to God, who had performed this miracle on
their behalf.
God told the Israelites
that they should celebrate their liberation from slavery in
Egypt each year with a seven-day festival during which they
should eat only unleavened bread. Two days of this holiday
were set aside as special days during which no work was to be
done. The first night of the holiday was to be special and
was to include the eating of the Paschal sacrifice (of the
lamb), bitter herbs, and unleavened bread, and the telling of
the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Since
very ancient times, Jews all over the world have assembled with
family and friends on the night of the 15th of Nisan to
celebrate the redemption of the Israelites from slavery in
Egypt.
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The splitting of
the Sea of Reeds was one of the most miraculous events
in the history of our nation…All these supernatural
occurrences demonstrated how G-d loves His people and
altered the course of nature for them.
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The Mishkan and Shabbat
The
39 melachot/creative activities form the basis of
prohibited work on Shabbat. 39 intricate miniatures
surround the Sanctuary that was the physical presence
for G-dliness on earth.
Ten
Commandments
The Ten Commandments, given at Mt. Sinai, cemented the
Jewish nation's relationship with G-d. This cataclysmic
event in Jewish history shaped the destiny of the world
for eternity.
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