As winter winds down and spring returns to Northern Virginia, millions of Jews around the world will soon be celebrating Passover (Peseach), an annual Jewish holiday of great cultural and religious importance. Spanning 7 days for those in Israel and 8 for the rest of the world, Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from their ancient Egyptian oppressors, as told in the Biblical book of Exodus. The holiday espouses values of freedom, redemption, and justice that are still significant for Jewish communities.
A critical element of celebrating Passover is the Seder, a ceremonial meal involving storytelling, singing, and of course, food. Occurring on the first 1-2 days of Passover, family and friends gather together to observe this ritual. The dishes served on the Seder plate are highly symbolic, as they represent the plight of Jewish predecessors. These foods include bitter herbs, which symbolize the bitterness of slavery; charoset (a sweetened blend of chopped nuts and apples) standing in for the mortar used by the Israelites to make bricks in Egypt; and eggs, representing life and new growth. Notably absent from the table is the presence of any leavened wheat products. This is because the Israelites had no time for bread to rise when fleeing Egypt. In its place, matzah, an unleavened flatbread, has become a symbol of affliction and freedom.
In addition to symbolic foods, it is also customary to read from a Haggadah, a book that recounts the story of the Israelities’ exodus from Egypt, and sing Passover songs such as Dayenu (“It Would Have Been Enough”) or Mah Nishtanah (“The Four Questions”).
Due to Passover’s fixed date in the lunar cycle-reliant Hebrew calendar, the date shifts annually on the Gregorian calendar. This year, Passover will be taking place from April 12th to April 19th or 20th. Newcomers interested in participating in the holiday can contact their local synagogues to find a communal seder.