THE RABBI SAYS...

10 Things You Should Know About Passover

1. Passover is observed for seven days, eight outside of Israel. Pesach celebrates the freedom from four hundred years of Egyptian slavery.
   
   
2. Pesach refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when He was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. Passover is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was offered in the Temple on this holiday.
   
   
3. One of the most significant observances related to Pesach involves the removal of Chametz (leavened things) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls.
   
   
4. The grain product we eat during Pesach is called Matzah. This was the bread that the Israelites made when they baked the unleavened dough following their departure from Egypt.
   
   
5. The children of Israel were liberated from the yoke of their oppressors on the fifteenth day of Nissan in the (Jewish) year 2448.
   
   
6. The youngest member of the family recites the well known "Four Questions" during the Seder service.
   
   
7. Rabban Gamliel, a Talmudic sage is quoted as saying: "Whoever does not state and explain these terms at the Seder service has not fulfilled his obligation for the holiday: Pesach, Matzah and Marror."
   
   
8. "And you should tell your child on that day 'it is because of what the Lord did for me when I went forth...'" In order to teach it and pass it on, it must be told in the first person. "In every generation, each individual must feel personally redeemed from Egypt."
   
   
9. The highlight of Passover is the Seder. The Seder service is held at the dining table in most homes, and during the service the story of the Exodus from Egypt is told. The "order" of the Seder is told in a special book called the Haggada.
   
   
10. We sing a very famous and popular song called Dayenu, which means: it would have been enough for us. These verses of the song tell the things that G-d did for us when taking us out of Egypt.

KEY TERMS

Note: Pronunciations are intended to reflect the way these terms are most commonly pronounced by Jews in the United States, and may not be strictly technically correct.

Chametz (KHUH-mitz) includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) when the grain flour is left standing in water for 18 minutes or more).

Dayenu (DAYEI-nu) is a popular song at the Seder, which means: it would have been enough for us.

Haggada (Huh-GAH-duh) is a special book read during the Seder, which means narrative.

Israelites are referred to as Jewish slaves

Matzah (MAHTZ-uh) is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and baked very quickly in less than 18 minutes from the moment the water is added to the flour.

Marror are the bitter herbs. It is eaten because the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelites with hard bondage, in mortar and brick, and in all manner of labor in the field.

Pesach (PAY-sahkh) means "to pass over."

Seder (SAY-d'r) is the Passover service which means order. It is also the home ritual performed on the first two nights of Pesach