What is Passover and what does it mean?

Passover or Pesach in Hebrew will be observed from the evening of April 22 to April 30.

In a world that needs more healing, it’s important to learn about all kinds of traditions and celebrations.
“It’s a time to remove the restrictions of yesterday to make tomorrow the opportunities we did not open ourselves up to yesterday,” said Rabbi Dovid Hazdan.

South Africa has a large Jewish community and for many, Passover is an important celebration. We sat down with the Rabbi from the Great Park Synagogue in Houghton who is also a teacher at the Torah Academy in Orchards.
He explained the true meaning of Passover was in order to protect their firstborn children, the Israelites marked their doors with lamb’s blood so the angel of death would pass over them.

It was also about reliving the events experienced by the Jewish slaves when they were freed in Egypt thousands of years ago. In practice, it is a need to physically and spiritually free oneself. “The festival also affords us the opportunity to contemplate and free ourselves from the many difficulties and restrictions that burden our lives, ” he said.

“We strive to liberate ourselves from negative habits, emotionally draining resentments, and the mental chains that debilitate our thoughts. Our quest for freedom includes a thorough self-evaluation, cleansing and commitment to growth.”
This year’s Passover is set against the backdrop of a polarizing conflict in the Middle East. Rabbi Hazdan elaborated on an underlying grievance of the Israelis, saying “The Jewish world will be thinking of the hostages that have been held for over 180 days which will be inextricably wound up with our quest for freedom.”

Among the many rituals observed during the eight days of this Jewish celebration, is the consumption of matzah or unleavened bread. This represents being humble before God. The day before Pessach is set aside for spring cleaning when all old food items containing leavening agents are removed. The meaning behind this is that slaves in Egypt did not have any leavening agents or the time to wait for the dough to rise before baking it.
On the night of April 22 and April 30, four cups of wine are poured which relate to the four historical redemptions of the Jewish people: the choosing of Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt, the survival of the Jewish people throughout their exile, and the fourth which will happen at the end of days.

This ritual meal on these evenings is called the Seder meaning ‘order’ and during this, the book called the Haggadah is read. The meal usually includes five or six components:

• Zeroa (lamb shank bone) – The shank bone represents the lamb that ancient Jews sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem.
• Beitzah (egg) – The egg represents the pre-holiday offering traditionally brought into the Holy Temple.
• Charoset – This sweet mixture represents the brick-and-mortar that the Jews used to build structures for the pharaoh when they were slaves in Egypt.
• Maror and Chazeret – Bitter herbs symbolising the bitterness and harshness of the slavery that the Hebrews endured in Egypt. At a certain point in the Seder, you dip the maror i
• the charoset and eat it. Later, you eat maror sandwiched between two small pieces of matzo.
• Karpas (vegetable) – This is a green vegetable that represents hope and rebirth.

But more importantly, Dovid said the meal was about being interactive with your guests, family and children. It is very much about storytelling and reliving the events of Jewish history. “It is a very experiential learning, it is not just a message that is delivered formally in words.”

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