Passover: Encyclopedia II - Passover - Observances

Passover - Observances

Passover is a Jewish holiday central to Judaism. Before the holiday begins, observant Jews will remove and discard all food with leavening (called chametz) from their households. Although many do a thorough job, so that not even a crumb remains, the law only requires the elimination of olive-sized quantities of leavening from one's possession. There is a custom to conduct a formal search for overlooked leavening, on the evening prior to the start of the holiday. This tradition is called bedikat chametz ("search [for] leavened"). Throughout the holiday, they will eat no leavened food, replacing breads, pastas, and cakes with matzoh and other specially prepared foods. The holiday is also preceded by the fast of the firstborn.

Passover is a family holiday and a happy one. The first and seventh days are observed as full holidays, as are the second and eighth days for Diaspora Jews.

It is traditional for a Jewish family to gather on the first two nights (only one night in Israel) for a special dinner called a seder (derived from the Hebrew word for "order", due to the very specific order of the ceremony) where the story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt is retold by the reading of the story in the seder prayer book, the Haggadah.

At the seder three matzohs are used. During the seder, the middle matzoh is broken in two. The smaller piece is returned to the set of matzohs while the larger piece is designated as the afikomen, or the "dessert" matzoh. Two distinct customs have arisen among some Jews regarding the afikomen, both of which involve the afikomen being hidden as a means of keeping the children interested in the proceedings. In one custom, a child "steals" it and the parent has to find it. If the parent can't find it, the child is given a reward for the return of the afikomen. In the other custom, an adult hides the afikomen and the children look for it at the end of the meal. If the children find it, they receive a reward or ransom, as the seder cannot end until the afikomen is found.

During the seder, a platter called the "Seder Plate" (ke'ara), covered with symbols of Passover, is placed at the center of the table in view of all. There is a roasted shank bone of a paschal lamb called a Z'roa which represents the offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem on Passover. It has a roasted egg called a Beitzah which represents the second offerings given at the temple in Jerusalem on Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. There is a green, leafy vegetable (usually celery (Sephardic tradition) or parsley/lettuce (Ashkenazi tradition)) called Karpas which reminds the participants that Passover corresponds with Spring and the harvest, which, in ancient times was a cause for celebration itself. There is a dish of chopped fruits, nuts, and wine called Charoset which represents the mortar used by the Jews in bondage. There is a dish of maror or "bitter [herbs]" which represent the bitterness of slavery.

Another tradition during the seder ceremony is recalling the Four Sons: the Wise son (chacham), the Wicked son (rasha), the Simple son (tam), and the son who does not know enough to inquire (eino yodei'a lish'ol). According to some, these sons represent the different types of Jews, as follows:

1. The Wise son is the learned Jew;
2. The Wicked son is the Jew that mocks his religion;
3. The Simple son is the Jew that is unlearned;
4. The fourth son is the Jew so unfamiliar with his heritage and traditions that he cannot relate to the subject without personal attention.

Since Seder means "order", it is not unexpected that there is an order to the night's proceedings. The night goes as follows:

• Kadesh קדש (Saying of Kiddush blessing and the first cup of wine)
• Ur'chatz ורחץ (The washing of the hands)
• Karpas כרפס (Dipping of the Karpas in salt water)
• Yachatz יחץ (Breaking the middle matzoh which becomes the Afikomen)
• Maggid מגיד (Telling of the Passover story, including reciting the Four Questions)
• Rachtzah רחץ (Second washing of the hands)
• Motzi/Matzah מוציא / מצה (Saying of the matzah blessing)
• Maror מרור (Eating of charoset and maror)
• Korech כורך (Eating of Matzah, charoset, and maror)
• Shulchan Orech שולחן עורך (Dinner is served; lit., "prepared table")
• Tzafun צפון (Eating of the Afikomen)
• Barech ברך (After dinner blessing and wine; in Ashkenazi families: welcoming of Elijah the Prophet)
• Hallel הלל (Song singing, wine)
• Nirtzah נירצה (Conclusion)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Observances", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki