Passover
Transcript: Passover got its name from when the Angel of Death passed over Egypt and when the Hebrews passed from slaves to freedom. The story began when the number of Hebrews grew greatly in Egypt. The pharoh decided to enslave them, because he was afraid that they would one day rebel against him. When they continued to have children, the pharoh said that all newborn males were to be killed. This is when Moses was born. Matzo: This is a flat, unleavened bread that the Hebrews made during their flight from Egypt. They could not allow the bread to rise, so it was made flat. Since this was the bread that their anscestors ate, this is what the Jews eat instead of leavened bread at Passover. Maror-Bitter Herbs: This represents the bitterness of slavery. It is usually dipped in something to reduce sharpness of the herb. Karpas: (A vegetable dipped in salt water) It symbolizes the tears shed during slavery. The dipping of the vegetable goes back to when the hyssop branch was dipped in lamb's blood to spread the blood across the doorpost. Chazeret: a bitter vegetable. In some communities this is not a requirement to the Seder. Charoset: Apples, nuts, spices, and wine mixed together. This represents the mortar that the Hebrews used to build Egyptian structures. In some communities, sand is also mixed in so as to improve the symbolizam in the dish. Beitzah: A roasted egg that represents the sacrifice made. It is also a symbol of mourning and spring. A brown egg is often used. The Seder is eaten on the first two nights of Passover. God sent the ten plagues so that the pharoh would release the Hebrews from slavery. The Story Begins: slides in the h and a How the date of Passover is calculated What the meal contains: The Story of Moses The Ten Plagues: 1. All of the water in Egypt would be turned to blood. 2. Millions of frogs were released in Egypt. 3. Gnats and lice plagued the Egyptian people. 4. Wild animals roamed through Egypt to create chaos. 5. A disease swept through the Egyptian Livestock. 6. Egyptians were infected with boils over their bodies. 7. Hail destroyed the Egyptian crops. 8. Locusts came through Egypt to eat the remaining crops. 9. Egypt was darkened for three days. 10. The Angel of Death passed over Egypt killing the firstborn in every household, except for those which had lamb's blood brushed on the door posts. Passover is calculated by using the lunar calendar. All Jewish months begin on a new moon. The month of Nisan is the month that Spring begins. Fourteen days later in the Nisan month is the full moon. This is a special full moon, it is called the "Pascal Fulll Moon" because this is the day that Passover begins. When God sent the Angel of Death, he told the Hebrews to put lamb's blood on their doorposts so that the Angel would pass them over and they would not be harmed. The Passover meal, or Seder, is very important to the celebration. Each food that the meal contains symbolizes something that the Hebrews endured during their slavery in Egypt. After the tenth plague, the Pharoh finally agreed to release the Hebrew from slavery. As soon as he said that the Hebrews were on the move, but when the Pharoh saw them leaving he changed his mind and sent his soldiers out to bring them back. To get away from them, Moses parted the Red Sea and the Hebrew crossed. When the soldiers started to follow them across, the waves smashed down upon them. A Passover Meal Zeroa (Shankbone): Represents the Paschal Lamb. Beets are used to show the blood of the lamb, used to put on the doorposts. To protect Moses from being killed by the Egyptians, his mother sent him down the river in a basket, hoping someone would find him. The daughter of the Pharoh happend to be by the river and here the crying basket, when she looked into the basket, Moses was lying there, and seeing no mother, the daughter took him as her own child. Moses was then raised as the Prince of Egypt. One day when Moses was walking by he saw an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew. Moses was so outraged that he ended up killing the guard. Afraid of his consequence, Moses ran from Egypt into the desert. While there, God spoke to him and told Moses that he was the chosen one to release his people, the Hebrews. This year Passover begins on April 18, 2011 and goes on for eight days. Passover is celebrated by the Jews world wide to commemorate all of the events in Egypt. They fast, and have the Seder. Passover: A Jewish Holiday