He Passoveralso known as Jewish Passoveris a holiday commemorating the liberation of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, their exodus to the Promised Land, and their transformation into a nation.
The holiday corresponding to the Jewish year 5784 begins this Monday, April 22, 2024. The memorial service begins at sunset and focuses on the family.
Members of the household gather for a Seder, a ritual dinner where strict order prevails. The Passover Seder is intended to preserve the memory of a historical event based on moral and spiritual values.
- The night of the “Seder” begins with the reading of the “Haggadah,” a book that contains the story of the departure of the enslaved Hebrew people from Egypt.
- Then the “matzah” is eaten. It is an unleavened bread made without yeast. Its dough is a mixture of grain flour and water to which salt can be added.
- This food symbolizes what the Hebrews ate during their journey to Israel. The lack of time during the Exodus prevented the production of leaven and therefore the introduction of unleavened bread.
- Next, families consume bitter herbs called maror. The taste of this vegetable highlights the bitterness of the enslaved people.
- Four glasses of wine are then drunk, representing forms of deliverance: “I will bring them forth, I will save them, I will redeem them, and I will take them.”
- The Easter sacrifice is then eaten, as was customary in Jerusalem at the time of the Temple.