Pesach

Passover — the Festival of Freedom, the foundational story of the Jewish people, and the seder that is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world.

By The EditorsEssential

Sacred Time · 3 minute read

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Summary. Pesach (Passover), the 15th–22nd of Nisan (15th–21st in Israel), commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah commands the eating of matzah (unleavened bread) for seven days (Shemot 12:18); the seder on the first night (two nights in the diaspora) is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world. Pre-Pesach preparation includes the elimination of chametz (leavened products) from the home — a labor of weeks. The themes are slavery and freedom, story-telling across generations, the obligation to see oneself as if one personally left Egypt (Mishnah Pesachim 10:5).

Preparation: Cleaning Out Chametz

The Torah prohibits the eating, owning, or seeing of chametz (leavened products: wheat, rye, oats, barley, or spelt that has fermented) during the seven days of Pesach (Shemot 12:15, 13:7). The preparation involves: (1) using up or selling chametz in the home; (2) thorough cleaning to eliminate any crumbs; (3) the formal sale of remaining chametz to a non-Jew (typically arranged through one's rabbi by a power of attorney form); (4) the search for chametz (bedikat chametz) on the night before Pesach, by candlelight, with a feather and wooden spoon; (5) the burning of any remaining chametz (biur chametz) on the morning before Pesach. The work is substantial — many families begin weeks in advance. The principle of "selling" the chametz allows one to retain hard-to-replace items (whiskey, brewing supplies, etc.) by treating them as not one's own during Pesach.

The Seder

The Pesach seder (literally "order") is the structured first-night home ritual that retells the Exodus story. The Mishnah (Pesachim 10) provides the framework; the medieval Haggadah ("telling") gives the text. The seder has 15 steps: Kadesh (kiddush), Urchatz (washing without blessing), Karpas (vegetable in salt water), Yachatz (breaking the middle matzah), Maggid (the telling — the longest section), Rachtzah (washing with blessing), Motzi (bread blessing) and Matzah (matzah blessing), Maror (bitter herb), Korech (Hillel sandwich), Shulchan Orech (the meal), Tzafun (the afikoman), Barech (Birkat Hamazon), Hallel, Nirtzah (closing). Four cups of wine, the four questions, the four sons, the ten plagues, Dayenu, Chad Gadya — these are the famous landmarks. A good seder runs three to five hours.

The Haggadah

The Haggadah is the seder text. Many editions exist; among the most useful for the New Jew: the ArtScroll Haggadah (with extensive commentary); the Koren Sacks Haggadah (Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks's commentary); the Lieberman Brisker Haggadah; the Maxwell House Haggadah (free, distributed widely in American supermarkets, more historically significant than substantive). Two or three Haggadot at the table during the seder makes for fertile conversation.

The Seven (or Eight) Days

In Israel, Pesach is seven days: the first day is full Yom Tov, days two through six are Chol HaMo'ed, the seventh day is again full Yom Tov. In the diaspora, eight days: the first two days are full Yom Tov, days three through six are Chol HaMo'ed, the seventh and eighth are again full Yom Tov. The seventh day commemorates the crossing of the Sea of Reeds; the eighth (diaspora) is a continuation. Throughout the week, matzah is the only bread eaten; chametz is entirely absent.

Counting the Omer

Beginning on the second night of Pesach, the count of the Omer begins — 49 days until Shavuot. See the Calendar chapter for the full treatment.

Where Denominations Diverge

Universal observance. Reform observance frequently includes a seder; the eight-day observance is typically shortened to seven days in Reform practice. Conservative observance is generally traditional. Sephardic and Mizrahi seder customs differ from Ashkenazi in many details (no charoset-vinegar but date-based; different songs; different table foods). The Sephardi/Mizrahi tradition permits kitniyot (legumes — rice, beans, corn, etc.) on Pesach; the Ashkenazi tradition forbids them (a custom that the Israeli Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ruled non-binding on Sephardim, leading to a substantial Sephardi observance of kitniyot in Israel even by some Ashkenazim).