A very important celebration for Jews all around the world is going to be celebrated this week. It is called פֶּסַח (pe-sakh), but in English we know it as “Passover”. I’ll be posting information about this celebration so you can better understand why it’s so important.

פֶּסַח (pe-sakh – passover) is a holiday and festival commemorating the historical record found in the book of Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. פֶּסַח (pe-sakh – passover) begins on the 15th day of the month of נִיסָן (ni-san – Nisan) in the Jewish calendar and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays. You can read about it in the Torah in the book of שְׁמוֹת (she-mot – Exodus). The commandment to observe פֶּסַח (pe-sakh – passover) is recorded in the book of וַיִּקְרָא (va-yi-kra – Leviticus) chapter 23 verse 5.

Together with Pentecost and Sukkot, פֶּסַח (pe-sakh) is one of the three pilgrimage festivals during which the entire Jewish populace historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Samaritans still make this pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim, but only the men participate in public worship.

In Israel, פֶּסַח (pe-sakh) is a seven day celebration where the first and the seventh days are celebrated as full holidays. The five days in between, called the חֹל הַמּוֹעֵד (khol ha-mo-ed – intermediate days) are celebrated as half holidays. Outside of Israel, it is an eight day holiday. The first two days and the last two days are celebrated as full holidays, and the four חֹל הַמּוֹעֵד (khol ha-mo-ed – intermediate days) are celebrated as half holidays.

פֶּסַח (pe-sakh) is a family holiday. It starts by cleaning all חָמֵץ (kha-mets – leaven) out of the house. There is a ceremony to search for the חָמֵץ (kha-mets – leaven) called בְּדִיקָת חָמֵץ (be-di-kat kha-mets – the searching out of the leaven) andבִּעוּר חָמֵץ (bi-ur kha-metz – the burning of leaven).

The highlight of פֶּסַח (pe-sakh) is theסֵדֶר (se-der – order). The סֵדֶר (se-der – order) service is held at the dining table in most homes, and during the service the account of the Exodus from Egypt is told. The “order” of theסֵדֶר (se-der – order) is told in a special book called theהַגָּדָה (hag-ga-da – narrative). I will be posting these steps in another post this week.

During פֶּסַח (pe-sakh) passages from theתּוֹרָה (to-ra – Torah) and the הַפְטָרָה (haf-ta-ra – the writings of the prophets) are read.

Tomorrow I’ll be writing about בְּדִיקָת חָמֵץ (be-di-kat kha-metz – the searching out of the leaven) andבִּעוּר חָמֵץ (bi-ur kha-metz – the burning of leaven).