Passover, one of the most important holidays in the Jewish year, commemorates the biblical story of the Exodus of the Israelites from bondage and slavery in ancient Egypt. The eight-day festival is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan.

 

As told in the Book of Exodus, after many decades of slavery to the Egyptian Pharaohs, during the time when the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, God sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “Let my people go!”. But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed God’s command. God then sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops. Pharaoh’s resistance was broken, and he virtually chased his former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise. This is the reason why during Passover, Jews eat unleavened bread called matzah.

 

It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover for a festive dinner called Seder. During this meal, the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah