As Passover begins

Michele Marr

At sundown on the 15th day of Nissan, this year April 16, Jewish

families in Huntington Beach and throughout the world will gather in

their homes and, with a Seder meal, celebrate the first night of

Passover, the most commonly observed of all Jewish festivals.

One of three major festivals that, along with Shavu’ot and Sukkot,

has both an agricultural and a historical significance, it is

sometimes also called the Spring Festival or the Time of Our Freedom.

“Here in California we don’t have such a severe winter, but in

other parts of the country and in the world [people] are emerging

from [a harsher] winter into spring, so it’s a time for hope.” said

Rabbi Steve Einstein of Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley.

“And it is also our festival of freedom.”

Passover in Hebrew is Pesach, which means “pass over” or

“protection.” The eight-day festival commemorates the story, as told

in the biblical book of Exodus, of the liberation of the Israelites

from slavery in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.

Seder means “order” and the meal is ordered with history, ritual

and symbolism, much of it involving food.

Weeks before the first night of Passover households begin to

prepare for the festival by removing all remnants of leaven from

their homes. The absence of leaven throughout Passover has double

significance.

Historically, it remembers how the Israelites left Egypt with such

haste they did not even have time to let their bread rise.

Spiritually it signifies the removal of arrogance and pride --

“puffed-up-ness” -- from the soul.

The meal includes matzoth, unleavened bread, and six other

symbolic foods. Haroseth, which is made from chopped walnuts, apples,

wine and cinnamon, represents the mortar the Israelites used in

bricklaying while working as slaves in Egypt.

Parsley represents spring. It is dipped in salt water before it is

eaten as a reminder of the tears of the Israelite slaves. An egg

represents spring renewal. A shank bone represents the lamb of

sacrificial offerings. Horseradish or bitter herbs represents the

affliction of slavery.

Four glasses of wine represent freedom, deliverance, redemption

and release.

“But at one point, recognizing that a full cup is a symbol of full

joy, we remove 10 drops of wine from the cup to remind everybody of

the 10 plagues that people suffered in order for us to have our

freedom,” said Einstein.

The 10th of the plagues that caused the Pharaoh to finally let the

Israelites go was the death of all firstborn male children in Egypt.

It’s from this plague that Passover gets its name.

Instructed by God through Moses, the Israelites had brushed the

blood of a lamb over their doors so that angel of death passed over

their firstborn children, letting them live.

The Egyptians also suffered the loss of countless soldiers who

drowned in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his

army after the Israelites. Einstein explained that this is another

reason for a cup of joy not quite full.

“As the Israelites were singing their song of joy to God the

angels joined in,” he said. “But God silenced them. [God] said ‘Don’t

you see that my children the Egyptians are drowning in the sea?’ It

was a cause of sadness.”

Einstein thinks it’s a message just as significant today.

“So many of our brave people in [military] service are giving of

themselves fully, some even paying with their lives so that we can

have our freedom,” he said. “And we also need to be concerned for the

innocents in Iraq and in all of the world who suffer because of the

foolishness of their leaders. The parallel couldn’t be stronger.”

The second night of Passover is often observed with second Seder

meal, this one typically at a synagogue.

Many Jewish families in Huntington Beach, who are members of

Congregation B’nai Tzedek with celebrate this meal with Einstein at

Miles Square Park. Anyone in the community, Jewish or not, is welcome

to attend this Seder. For more information, call the synagogue at

(714) 963-4611.