View source for Passover

{{Short description|Jewish holiday}}
{{About|the Jewish holiday}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox holiday
| image         = Pessach Pesach Pascha Judentum Ungesaeuert Seder datafox.jpg
| caption       = A table set up for a [[Passover Seder]]
| holiday_name  = Passover{{pb}}{{lang|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|חַג הַפֶּסַח}}}}
| official_name = '''Pesach''' – {{langx|he|פסח|Pesaḥ}}
| type          = Jewish
| longtype      = [[Judaism|Jewish]] (religious and cultural)
| begins        = 15 [[Nisan]]
| ends          = 21 Nisan (22 Nisan in traditional Diaspora communities)
| celebrations  = [[Passover Seder]]
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=last|cite=no}} (8 days)
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=current|cite=no}} (8 days)
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next|cite=no}} (8 days)
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next2|cite=no}} (8 days)
| significance  = {{ubl|Celebrates [[the Exodus]], the freedom from [[slavery]] of the [[Israelites]] from [[History of ancient Egypt|Ancient Egypt]] that followed the [[plagues of Egypt|Ten Plagues]]|Beginning of the 49 days of [[Counting of the Omer]]|Connected to barley harvest in spring}}
| relatedto     = [[Shavuot]] ("Festival of Weeks") which follows 49 days from the second night of Passover.
| date          = 
}}

'''Passover''', also called '''Pesach''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɛ|s|ɑː|x|,_|ˈ|p|eɪ|-}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pesach "Pesach"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130123710/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pesach |date=November 30, 2014 }}. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''</ref> {{Langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|חַג הַפֶּסַח}}|Ḥag hapPesaḥ|[[Three Pilgrimage Festivals|Pilgrimage]] of [[Plagues of Egypt#Death of every Egyptian's firstborn son|the Passing Over]]}}), is a major [[Jewish holidays|Jewish holiday]] and one of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]]. It celebrates [[the Exodus]] of the [[Israelites]] from slavery in [[Biblical Egypt|Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|date=March 4, 2012|title=What is Passover? – Learn All About the Passover Holiday|url=https://toriavey.com/what-is-passover/|access-date=October 18, 2021|website=Tori Avey|language=en-US|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018185623/https://toriavey.com/what-is-passover/|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the [[Book of Exodus]], [[God in Judaism|God]] commanded [[Moses]] to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood, in addition to instructions for consuming the lamb that night. For that night, God would send the [[Destroying angel (Bible)|Angel of Death]] to bring about the [[Plagues of Egypt|tenth plague]], in which he would [[Plagues of Egypt#plague10|smite all the firstborn in Egypt]]. But when the angel saw the blood on the Israelites' doorframes, he would ''pass over'' their homes so that the plague should not enter (hence the name). The story is part of the broader Exodus narrative, in which the Israelites, while living in Egypt, are enslaved en masse by the Pharaoh to suppress them; when Pharaoh refuses God's demand to let them go, God sends [[Plagues of Egypt|ten plagues]] upon Egypt. After  the tenth plague, Pharaoh permits the Israelites to leave.<ref name="bibleverse|Exodus|12:27|HE">{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:27|HE}}</ref> Scholars widely believe that the origins of Passover predate the biblical Exodus, with theories suggesting it evolved from earlier semi-nomadic or pre-Israelite rituals and was later transformed through religious and cultic traditions.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeffrey G.|last=Audirsch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQaQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|title=The Legislative Themes of Centralization: From Mandate to Demise|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|year=2014|page=108|isbn=978-1620320389|access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403034602/https://books.google.com/books?id=yQaQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|url-status=live}}</ref>

This story is recounted at the [[Passover Seder]] by reading the [[Haggadah]]. The Haggadah is a standardized ritual account of the Exodus story, in fulfillment of the command "And thou shalt tell [Higgadata] thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the {{LORD}} did for me when I came forth out of Egypt."<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0213.htm#8| title = Exodus 13:8| access-date = April 7, 2021| archive-date = March 8, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308151948/https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0213.htm#8| url-status = live}}</ref> Jews are forbidden from possessing or eating leavened foods (''[[chametz]]'') during the holiday.

Pesach starts on the 15th day of the [[Hebrew calendar|Hebrew month]] of [[Nisan]], which is considered the first month of the Hebrew year. The Rabbinical Jewish calendar is adjusted to align with the solar calendar in such a way that 15 Nisan always coincides with Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The Hebrew day starts and ends at sunset, so the holiday starts at sunset the day before. For example, in 2025, 15 Nisan coincides with Sunday, April 13. Therefore, Pesach started at [[erev|sundown]] on Saturday, April 12, 2025.{{update after|2025}}

==Etymology==
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar}}
{{langx|hbo|פֶּסַח}} is rendered as [[Tiberian Hebrew|Tiberian]] {{IPA|he|pɛsaħ||He-Pesach.ogg}}, and [[Modern Hebrew]]: {{IPA|he|ˈpesaχ|}} {{transliteration|he|Pesaḥ, Pesakh}}. The verb {{transliteration|hbo|pāsaḥ}} ({{lang|hbo|פָּסַח}}) is first mentioned in the [[Torah]]'s account of the Exodus,<ref name="bibleverse|Exodus|12:23|HE">{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:23|HE}}</ref> and there is some debate about its exact meaning. The commonly held assumption that it means "He passed over" ({{lang|hbo|[[:wikt:פסח|פסח]]}}), in reference to God "passing over" (or "skipping") the houses of the Hebrews during the final of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, stems from the translation provided in the Septuagint ({{langx|grc|παρελεύσεται|pareleusetai}} in Exodus 12:23,<ref name="bibleverse|Exodus|12:23|HE"/> and {{langx|grc|ἐσκέπασεν|eskepasen|label=none}} in Exodus 12:27.)<ref name="bibleverse|Exodus|12:27|HE"/> The [[Targum Onkelos]], written in [[Jewish Babylonian Aramaic]], translates {{transliteration|hbo|pesach}} as {{langx|he|וְיֵחוֹס|wəyēḥos|he had pity}}, coming from the Hebrew root {{lang|he|חסה}}, meaning "to have pity".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12.23?with=Onkelos+Exodus&lang=bi&aliyot=0|title=Exodus 12:23|website=www.sefaria.org|access-date=April 9, 2019|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806040243/https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12.23?with=Onkelos+Exodus&lang=bi&aliyot=0|url-status=live}}</ref> Cognate languages yield similar terms with distinct meanings, such as "make soft, soothe, placate" ([[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] {{transliteration|akk|passahu}}), "harvest, commemoration, blow" ([[Egyptian language|Egyptian]]), or "separate" ([[Arabic]] {{transliteration|ar|fsh}}).<ref>Prosic, p.&nbsp;32.</ref>

Pesach may also refer to the [[domestic sheep|lamb]] or [[domestic goat|goat]] which was designated as the Passover sacrifice. Four days before the Exodus, the Hebrews were commanded to set aside a lamb,<ref name="bibleverse|Exodus|12:3|HE">{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:3|HE}}</ref> and inspect it daily for blemishes. During the day on 14th Nisan, they were to slaughter the animal and use its blood to mark their [[Post and lintel|lintels and door posts]]. Before midnight on 15th Nisan, they were to consume the lamb.

The English term ''Passover'' is first known to be recorded in the [[English language]] in [[William Tyndale]]'s translation of the Bible,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/132788787/King-James-Bibles-Anniversary-Puts-Focus-On-Prior-Version|title=King James Bible Borrowed From Earlier Translation|website=NPR.org|language=en|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806113303/https://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/132788787/King-James-Bibles-Anniversary-Puts-Focus-On-Prior-Version|url-status=live}}</ref> later appearing in the [[King James Version]] as well. It is a literal translation of the Hebrew term.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gilad|first=Elon|url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-the-etymological-haggadah-1.5345148|title=The Enigmatic Origins of the Words of the Passover Seder|date=April 1, 2015|work=Haaretz|access-date=April 22, 2020|language=en|archive-date=April 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422205416/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-the-etymological-haggadah-1.5345148|url-status=live}}</ref> In the King James Version, Exodus 12:23 reads:

{{blockquote|For the {{LORD}} will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the {{LORD}} will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:23|KJV|}} ([[King James Version]] 1611)</ref>}}

== Origins and theories ==
[[File:Israel's Escape from Egypt.jpg|thumb|Illustration of [[the Exodus]] from Egypt, 1907]]
The Passover ritual is "a mitzvah commanded by Torah (rather than of rabbinic origin)."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/breath-of-life-night-or-morning |title=Breath of Life – Night or Morning |publisher=[[Jewish Theological Seminary of America]]  |date=April 3, 2014}}</ref>

===Apotropaic ritual===
The Passover ritual is thought by modern scholars to have its origins in an [[apotropaic magic|apotropaic rite]] unrelated to the Exodus to ensure the protection of a family home, a rite conducted wholly within a clan.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeffrey G.|last=Audirsch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQaQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|title=The Legislative Themes of Centralization: From Mandate to Demise|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|year=2014|page=108|isbn=978-1620320389|access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403034602/https://books.google.com/books?id=yQaQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ezov]] was employed to daub the blood of a slaughtered sheep on the lintels and door posts to ensure that demonic forces could not enter the home.<ref>{{cite book|first=Bernard M.|last=Levinson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U-GJFShHwzsC&pg=PA57|title=Deuteronomy and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1997|pages=57–58|isbn=978-0195354577|access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403035045/https://books.google.com/books?id=U-GJFShHwzsC&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Barley harvest plus Exodus narrative===
A further hypothesis maintains that once the [[Priestly Code]] was promulgated, the Exodus narrative took on a central function, as the apotropaic rite was, arguably, amalgamated with the [[Canaan]]ite agricultural festival of spring which was a ceremony of [[unleavened bread]], connected with the [[barley]] harvest. As the Exodus motif grew, the original function and symbolism of these double origins was lost.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tamara|last=Prosic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVCvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|title=The Development and Symbolism of Passover|publisher=A&C Black|year=2004|pages=23–27|isbn=978-0567287892|access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403035020/https://books.google.com/books?id=BVCvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|url-status=live}}</ref> Several motifs replicate the features associated with the [[Akitu]] spring festival of [[ancient Mesopotamian religion]], which celebrates the sowing of&nbsp;barley.<ref>Prosic, p.&nbsp;28</ref> Scholars [[John Van Seters]], [[Judah Segal]], and [[Tamara Prošić]] disagree with the merged two-festivals hypothesis.<ref>Prosic pp.&nbsp;28ff., 32ff.</ref>

==Biblical narrative==
===In the Book of Exodus===
{{Further|Plagues of Egypt}}
In the [[Book of Exodus]], the Israelites are enslaved in ancient Egypt. [[Yahweh]], the god of the Israelites, appears to Moses in a [[burning bush]] and commands Moses to confront [[Pharaohs in the Bible|the Pharaoh]]. To show his power, Yahweh inflicts a series of [[plagues of Egypt|ten plagues on the Egyptians]], culminating in the plague of the death of the firstborn.
{{blockquote|Moses said, “Thus says {{lang|he|יהוה}}: Toward midnight I will go forth among the Egyptians, and every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle. And there shall be a loud cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again;|[[Bo (parashah)|Exodus 11:4–6]]}}
Before this final plague, Yahweh commands Moses to tell the Israelites to mark a [[sheep|lamb]]'s blood above their doors so God will pass over them and the plague of the death of the firstborn will not afflict them.

The biblical regulations for the observance of the festival require that all [[leavening agent|leavening]] be disposed of before the beginning of the 15th of Nisan according to Exodus 13:7 An unblemished lamb or goat, known as the [[Passover sacrifice]] or "Paschal Lamb", is to be set apart on 10th Nisan,<ref name="bibleverse|Exodus|12:3|HE"/> and slaughtered at dusk as 14th Nisan ends in preparation for the 15th of Nisan when it will be eaten after being roasted.<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:6|HE}}</ref> The literal meaning of the Hebrew is "between the two evenings".<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:6|ESV}} English Standard Version</ref> It is then to be eaten "that night", 15th Nisan,<ref name="Exodus 12:8">{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:8|HE}}</ref> roasted, without the removal of its internal organs<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:9|HE}}</ref> with unleavened bread, known as matzah, and bitter herbs known as {{transliteration|he|[[maror]]}}.<ref name="Exodus 12:8"/> Nothing of the sacrifice on which the sun rises by the morning of the 15th of Nisan may be eaten, but must be burned.<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:10|HE}}</ref>

The biblical regulations of the original Passover at the time of the Exodus only also include how the meal was to be eaten: "your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a passover offering to {{lang|he|יהוה}}."<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:11}}</ref>

The biblical requirements of slaying the Paschal lamb in the individual homes of the Hebrews and smearing the blood of the lamb on their doorways were celebrated in Egypt. However, once Israel was in the wilderness and the [[Tabernacle]] was in operation, a change was made in those two original requirements.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|16:2–6|HE}}</ref> Passover lambs were to be sacrificed at the door of the Tabernacle and no longer in the homes of the Jews. No longer, therefore, could blood be smeared on doorways.

===The Passover in other biblical passages===
Called the "festival [of] the unleavened bread" ({{langx|hbo|חג המצות|ḥaḡ ham-maṣoṯ}}) in the [[Hebrew Bible]], the commandment to keep Passover is recorded in the [[Book of Leviticus]]:
{{blockquote
|text=In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at dusk is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work.
|source={{bibleverse|Leviticus|23:5–8|HE}} ([[Jewish Publication Society of America Version|JPS 1917 Version]])
}}

The sacrifices may be performed only in a specific place prescribed by God. For Judaism, this is Jerusalem.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|16:2, 5|HE}}</ref>

The biblical commandments concerning the Passover (and the Feast of Unleavened Bread) stress the importance of remembering:
* Exodus 12:14 commands about God's sparing of the firstborn from the [[Plagues of Egypt#plague10|Tenth Plague]]: "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|12:14|HE}}</ref>
* Exodus 13:3 repeats the command to remember: "Remember this day, in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength the hand of the LORD brought you out from this place."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|13:3|HE}}</ref>
* Deuteronomy 16:12: "And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt; and thou shalt observe and do these statutes".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|16:12|HE}}</ref>

In 2 Kings 23:21–23 and 2 Chronicles 35:1–19, King [[Josiah]] of [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]] restores the celebration of the Passover,<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Kings|23:21–23|HE}} and {{bibleverse|2 Chronicles|35:1–19|HE}}</ref> to a standard not seen since the days of the [[Biblical judges|judges]] or the days of the [[Biblical prophet|prophet]] [[Samuel]].<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Kings|23:21–23|HE}}; {{bibleverse|2 Chronicles|35:1–18|HE}}</ref>

Ezra 6:19–21 records the celebration of the passover by the Jews who had returned from [[Babylonian captivity|exile in Babylon]], after the [[Second Temple|temple had been rebuilt]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Ezra|6:19–21|HE}}</ref>

===In extra-biblical sources===
Some of these details can be corroborated, and to some extent amplified, in extrabiblical sources. The removal (or "sealing up") of the leaven is referred to in the [[Elephantine papyri and ostraca]] in an [[Imperial Aramaic]] papyrus letter from the [[5th century BCE]] from [[Elephantine]], Egypt.<ref>James B. Prichard, ed., ''The Ancient Near East – An Anthology of Texts and Pictures'', Volume 1, Princeton University Press, 1958, p. 278.</ref> The slaughter of the lambs on the 14th is mentioned in [[Jubilees]], a Jewish work of the [[Ptolemaic period]], and by the [[Herodian kingdom|Herodian-era]] writers [[Josephus]] and [[Philo]]. These sources also indicate that "between the two evenings" was taken to mean the afternoon.<ref>"On the feast called Passover...they sacrifice from the ninth to the eleventh hour", Josephus, ''Jewish War'' 6.423–428, in ''Josephus III, The Jewish War, Book IV–VII'', Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1979. Philo in one place (''Special Laws'' 2.148) states that the victims are sacrificed "from noon till eventide", and in another place (''Questions on Exodus'' 1.11) that the sacrifices begin at the ninth hour. According to Jubilees 49.12, "it is not fitting to sacrifice [the Passover] during any time of light except during the time of the border of evening."</ref> Jubilees states the sacrifice was eaten that night,<ref>Jubilees 49.1.</ref> and together with Josephus states that nothing of the sacrifice was allowed to remain until morning.<ref>"And what is left of its flesh from the third of the night and beyond, they shall burn with fire," ''Jubilees'' 49.12. "We celebrate [the Passover] by fraternities, nothing of the sacrificial victims being kept for the morrow," Josephus, ''Antiquities'' 3.248.</ref> Philo states that the banquet included hymns and prayers.<ref>"The guests assembled for the banquet have been cleansed by purificatory lustrations, and are there...to fulfill with prayers and hymns the custom handed down by their fathers." Philo, Special Laws 2.148, in ''Philo VII: On the Decalog; On the Special Laws I–III'', Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1937.</ref>

==Date and duration==
{{see also|Hebrew calendar|Yom tov sheni shel galuyot}}
The Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of [[Nisan]], which at present falls between March 26 and April 25 of the [[Gregorian calendar]].<ref>See [[Jewish and Israeli holidays 2000–2050]] for more information.</ref> The 15th day begins in the evening, after the 14th day, and the seder meal is eaten that evening. Passover is a spring festival, so the 15th day of Nisan typically begins on the night of a [[full moon]] after the northern [[March equinox|vernal equinox]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteor.wisc.edu/~hopkins/dstreme/97easter.htm|title=Full Moon, Easter & Passover|website=University of Wisconsin|first=Edward J.|last=Hopkins|year=1996|access-date=April 10, 2017|archive-date=June 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607170345/http://www.meteor.wisc.edu/~hopkins/dstreme/97easter.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> However, due to [[Intercalation (timekeeping)|leap months]] falling after the vernal equinox, Passover sometimes starts on the second full moon after vernal equinox, as in 2016.

To ensure that Passover did not start before spring, the tradition in ancient Israel held that the [[Lunar new year#Middle East/West Asia|lunar new year]], the first day of Nisan, would not start until the barley was ripe, being the test for the onset of spring.<ref>The barley had to be "eared out" (ripe) in order to have a wave-sheaf offering of the first fruits according to the Law. {{cite book |title=Secrets of Time |last=Jones |first=Stephen |year=1996}} This also presupposes that the cycle is based on the northern hemisphere seasons.</ref> If the barley was not ripe, or various other phenomena<ref>"..., when the fruit had not grown properly, when the winter rains had not stopped, when the roads for Passover pilgrims had not dried up, and when the young pigeons had not become fledged. The council on intercalation considered the astronomical facts together with the religious requirements of Passover and the natural conditions of the country." – {{Cite book | last=Spier | first=Arthur | title=The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar | year=1952 | publisher=Behrman House, Inc. | location=New York}}, p.&nbsp;1</ref> indicated that spring was not yet imminent, an intercalary month ([[Adar II]]) would be added. However, since at least the 4th century, the intercalation has been fixed mathematically according to the [[Metonic cycle]].<ref>"In the fourth century, ... the patriarch [[Hillel II]] ... made public the system of calendar calculation which up to then had been a closely guarded secret. It had been used in the past only to check the observations and testimonies of witnesses, and to determine the beginning of the spring season." – Spier 1952, p.&nbsp;2</ref>

In [[Israel]], Passover is the seven-day holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the first and last days celebrated as legal holidays and as holy days involving holiday meals, special prayer services, and abstention from work; the intervening days are known as [[Chol HaMoed]] ("Weekdays [of] the Festival"). Jews outside of Israel celebrate the festival for eight days. [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]] Jews usually celebrate the holiday over seven days.<ref>{{cite web| last1= Shapiro| first1= Mark Dov| title= How Long is Passover?| url= http://www.sinai-temple.org/passover/length.php| website= sinai-temple.org| publisher= Sinai Temple| access-date= April 9, 2015| archive-date= April 7, 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150407194507/http://www.sinai-temple.org/passover/length.php| url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reformjudaism.org/passover-7-or-8-days|last1=Dreyfus|first1=Ben|title=Is Passover 7 or 8 Days?|website=ReformJudaism.org|publisher=Union for Reform Judaism|access-date=April 9, 2015|archive-date=April 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408015041/http://www.reformjudaism.org/passover-7-or-8-days|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rabbinicalcollege.edu.au/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/871715/jewish/What-Is-Passover.htm |title=What Is Passover? |publisher=Rabbinical College of Australia and N.Z. |access-date=March 17, 2012 |archive-date=August 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805110640/http://www.rabbinicalcollege.edu.au/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/871715/jewish/What-Is-Passover.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Karaite Judaism|Karaites]] use a different calendar; they rely on visual identification of ripe barley and the date of Passover cannot be determined before this.<ref>{{cite book|title=Calendar and Community: A History of the Jewish Calendar 2nd Century BCE – 10th Century CE|first=Sacha|last=Stern|page=viii|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2001|isbn=0198270348}}</ref> Some modern Karaites follow the Rabbinical calendar in modern Israel because of social pressure.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Journal |first1=Jewish |title=My family's Karaite-style Passover |url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/food/102773/ |website=Jewish Journal |date=4 April 2012}}</ref>

The [[Samaritans]] use a calendrical system that uses a different method from that current in Rabbinic practice; it sometimes is the same date on the solar calendar, sometimes two days later, and sometimes an entire month later.<ref>Reinhold Pummer,''The Samaritans,'' [[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing]], 2016 {{isbn|978-0802867681}}, pp. 7, 258ff.</ref> In 2024, Rabbinical Passover begins at sunset on 22 April. On the calendar used by the Samaritans, 22 April 2024 is also the day of the Passover sacrifice. Karaite and Samaritan Passovers are each one day long followed by the six-day Festival of Unleavened Bread, for a total of seven days.<ref>{{cite book|title=1,001 Questions and Answers on Pesach|page=291|first=Jeffrey M.|last=Cohen|isbn=978-0853038085|year=2008|publisher=Vallentine Mitchell }}</ref>

== Prohibition of Chametz ==
=== Removing all leaven (''chametz'') ===
{{see also|Chametz#Removal of chametz|Bedikat Chametz}}
[[File:Biur chametz woodcut.png|thumb|Washing dishes for passover (1657)]]
[[File:BiurChametz2010.jpg|thumb|250px|Burning chametz on the morning before Passover begins]]
Leaven, in Hebrew ''[[Chametz#What is chametz?|chametz]]'' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|חמץ}} ''ḥamets'', "[[leavening]]") is made from one of five types of grains<ref name=Pomerantz/> combined with water and left to stand for more than eighteen minutes. The consumption, keeping, and owning of ''chametz'' is forbidden during Passover. Yeast and fermentation are not themselves forbidden as seen for example by wine, which is required, rather than merely permitted. According to Halakha, the ownership of such ''chametz'' is also proscribed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oukosher.org/passover/articles/which-foods-are-chametz-2/|title=Which Foods are Chametz?|date=January 23, 2013|website=Kosher for Passover|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407120816/https://oukosher.org/passover/articles/which-foods-are-chametz-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Chametz'' does not include [[baking soda]], [[baking powder]] or like products. Although these are defined in English as leavening agents, they leaven by chemical reaction, not by biological fermentation. Thus, bagels, waffles and pancakes made with baking soda and matzah meal are considered permissible, while bagels made with sourdough and pancakes and waffles made with yeast are prohibited.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1742/jewish/What-Is-Chametz.htm|title=What Is Chametz (Chometz)?|website=www.chabad.org|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=April 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411142053/https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1742/jewish/What-Is-Chametz.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Torah commandments regarding ''chametz'' are:
* To remove all ''chametz'' from one's home, including things made with chametz, before the first day of Passover<ref name="bibleverse||Exodus|12:15|HE">{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:15|HE}}</ref> It may be simply used up, thrown out (historically, destroyed by burning), or given or sold to non-Jews.
* To refrain from eating ''chametz'' or mixtures containing ''chametz'' during Passover.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|13:3|HE}}, {{bibleverse||Exodus|12:20|HE}}, {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|16:3|HE}}</ref>
* Not to possess ''chametz'' in one's domain (i.e. home, office, car, etc.) during Passover.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:19|HE}}, {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|16:4|HE}}</ref>

Observant Jews spend the weeks before Passover in the process of thorough housecleaning, to remove all ''chametz'' from every part of the home. [[Halakha|Jewish law]] requires the elimination of [[olive]]-sized or larger quantities of leavening from one's possession, but most housekeeping goes beyond this. Even the seams of kitchen counters are thoroughly cleaned to remove traces of flour and yeast, however small. Any containers or implements that have touched ''chametz'' are stored and not used during Passover.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ultra-orthodox-burn-leavened-food-before-passover-begins-1.356761 |title=Ultra Orthodox burn leavened food before Passover |work=Haaretz |date=April 19, 2011 |access-date=April 17, 2014 |archive-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419023434/http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ultra-orthodox-burn-leavened-food-before-passover-begins-1.356761 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some [[hotel]]s, [[resort]]s, and even [[cruise ship]]s across [[United States|America]], [[Europe]], and [[Israel]] also undergo a thorough housecleaning to make their premises "kosher for Pesach" to cater to observant Jews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespruce.com/guide-to-kosher-travel-4050383|title=Get Out of Town: Your Guide to Kosher Travel|first=Miri|last=Rotkovitz|date=May 6, 2016|access-date=April 10, 2017|website=The Spruce|archive-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410220818/https://www.thespruce.com/guide-to-kosher-travel-4050383|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Interpretations for abstinence from leaven or yeast ====
Some scholars suggest that the command to abstain from leavened food or yeast suggests that sacrifices offered to God involve the offering of objects in "their least altered state", that would be nearest to the way in which they were initially made by God.<ref name="Bokser">Bokser, Baruch M. (1992) "Unleavened Bread and Passover, Feasts of" in ''The Anchor Bible Dictionary'', ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday), 6:755–765</ref><ref name="Greenberg">Greenberg, Moshe (1974) "Lessons on Exodus". New York</ref> According to other scholars the absence of leaven or yeast means that leaven or yeast symbolizes corruption and spoiling.<ref name="Bokser"/><ref name="Sarna">Sarna, Nahum M. (1986) "Exploring Exodus". New York</ref>

There are also variations with restrictions on eating matzah before Passover so that there will be an increased appetite for it during Passover itself. Primarily among [[Chabad]] Chassidim, there is a custom of not eating matzah (flat unleavened bread) in the 30 days before Passover begins.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/260800/jewish/The-Laws-Concerning-the-Thirty-Days-before-Passover.htm|title=The Laws Concerning the Thirty Days before Passover|website=www.chabad.org|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806062740/https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/260800/jewish/The-Laws-Concerning-the-Thirty-Days-before-Passover.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Others have a custom to refrain from eating matzah from Rosh Chodesh Nissan, while the [[halacha]] merely restricts one from eating matzah on the day before Passover.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/halacha-hashkafa/eating-matzah-before-pesach/2012/03/29/|title=Eating Matzah Before Pesach|first=Rabbi J. Simcha|last=Cohen|date=March 29, 2012 |access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108120339/https://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/halacha-hashkafa/eating-matzah-before-pesach/2012/03/29/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Kitniyot ====
[[Kitniyot]] ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: קִטְנִיּוֹת, ''qitniyyot''; literally "small things") refers to legumes, rice, maize, and other foods that are similar to grains. [[Ashkenazi Jews]] historically refrain from eating kitniyot on Passover, despite there not being a clear commandment to include them in the category of chametz.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is Kitniyot? |url=https://www.kashrut.com/Passover/Kitniyot/ |access-date=April 7, 2023 |website=www.kashrut.com}}</ref> Since the 19th century, the [[Reform Judaism|Reform movement]] has permitted eating kitniyot, and in 2015 the [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative movement]] followed suit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sanchez |first=Tatiana |date=April 21, 2016 |title=Passover to include new food options this year |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/people/sdut-passover-kitniyot-jews-2016apr21-story.html |access-date=April 7, 2023 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardi Jews]] have always permitted eating kitniyot on Passover.

==== Gebrochts ====
Gebrochts ([[Yiddish language|Yiddish]]: געבראקטס, <small>[[Literal translation|lit.]] </small>'broken', also known as [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: מצה שרויה, <small>[[Romanization of Hebrew|romanized]]:</small> ''matzah shruya'', <small>[[Literal translation|lit.]] </small>'soaked matzah') refers to [[matzah]] that has absorbed liquid. Some [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic Jews]] avoid gebrochts as well, to avoid the possibility that a clump of flour that was never properly mixed with water (and thus is still susceptible to leavening) may come into contact with the liquid.<ref>[http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/keeping_up_with_passover_trenditions/ Keeping Up with Passover Trenditions by Bayla Sheva Brenner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330063056/http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/keeping_up_with_passover_trenditions/|date=March 30, 2012}} - ¶ 6: Hundreds of Passover Innovations – Oy Gebrocht!</ref>

=== Sale of leaven ===
[[File:מכירת חמץ בית הנשיא לרב הראשי הספרדי של ירושלים (2).jpg|thumb|The former [[President of Israel]] [[Reuven Rivlin]] sells the leaven of the [[Beit HaNassi]] (the official residence of the president), to [[Shlomo Amar]],  the [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel|Chief Rabbi of Israel]] and the [[Rishon LeZion (title)|Rishon LeZion]], in order that Amar will later sell it to a non-Jew.]]
{{see also|Chametz#Sale of chametz}}
[[File:Leavened foods concealed behind plastic at Jerusalem supermarket during Passover.jpg|thumb|right|''Chametz'' foods blocked from purchase during Passover in a Jerusalem supermarket|alt=A narrow supermarket aisle, under strip fluorescent lighting, with sections blocked off by white plastic sheeting]]
[[Leaven]] or ''chametz'' may be sold rather than discarded, especially in the case of relatively valuable forms such as [[liquor]] [[distillation|distilled]] from wheat, with the products being repurchased afterward. In some cases, they may never leave the house, instead being formally sold while remaining in the original owner's possession in a locked cabinet until they can be repurchased after the holiday. Modern observance may also include sealing cabinets and drawers which contain "Chametz" shut by using adhesive tape, which serves a similar purpose to a lock but also shows evidence of tampering. Although the practice of selling "Chametz" dates back many years, some Reform rabbinical authorities have come to regard it with disdain – since the supposed "new owner" never takes actual possession of the goods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://louisjacobs.org/jewish-holidays/the-laws-of-pesach/|title=The Laws of Pesach|first1=Louis|last1=Jacobs|first2=Michael|last2=Rose|date=March 23, 1983|access-date=April 10, 2017|website=Friends of Louis Jacobs|archive-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410213942/http://louisjacobs.org/jewish-holidays/the-laws-of-pesach/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The sale of ''chametz'' may also be conducted communally via a [[rabbi]], who becomes the "agent" for all the community's Jews through a halakhic procedure called a ''kinyan'' (acquisition). Each householder must put aside all the ''chametz'' he is selling into a box or cupboard, and the rabbi enters into a contract to sell all the ''chametz'' to a non-Jew (who is not obligated to celebrate the commandments) in exchange for a small [[down payment]] (''e.g.'' $1.00), with the remainder due after Passover. This sale is considered completely binding according to Halakha, and at any time during the holiday, the buyer may come to take or partake of his property. The rabbi then re-purchases the goods for less than they were sold at the end of the holiday.<ref>[http://www.torahlearningcenter.com/jhq/question169.html Pesach questions and answers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928143423/http://www.torahlearningcenter.com/jhq/question169.html |date=September 28, 2007}} by the Torah Learning Center.
Retrieved on March 31, 2018</ref>

=== Separate kosher for Passover utensils and dishes ===
[[File:Kieliszek pesachowy, MŻ 45 (3).jpg|thumb|upright|Passover glass, [[History of the Jews in 20th-century Poland#Interwar period 1918–1939|interwar period Poland]]]]
Due to the Torah injunction not to eat ''chametz'' (leaven) during Passover,<ref name="bibleverse||Exodus|12:15|HE"/> observant families typically own complete sets of serving dishes, glassware and silverware (and in some cases, even separate dishwashers and sinks) which have never come into contact with ''chametz'', for use only during Passover. Under certain circumstances, some ''chametz'' utensils can be immersed in boiling water (''[[Hagalah|hagalat keilim]]'') to purge them of any traces of ''chametz'' that may have accumulated during the year. Many [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] families thoroughly wash their year-round glassware and then use it for Passover, as the Sephardic position is that [[glass]] does not absorb enough traces of food to present a problem. Similarly, ovens may be used for Passover either by setting the self-cleaning function to the highest degree for a certain period, or by applying a [[blow torch]] to the interior until the oven glows red hot (a process called ''libun gamur'').<ref name="WSJblowtorch">{{Cite news |last= Lagnado |first= Lucette |title= As Passover Nears, These Rabbis Are Getting Out Their Blowtorches |page= A1 |newspaper= The Wall Street Journal |location= New York |date= April 18, 2011 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704628404576264751651607740 |access-date= August 8, 2017 |archive-date= August 25, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170825112734/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704628404576264751651607740 |url-status= live }}</ref>

=== Search for leaven{{anchor|Formal search for chametz}} ===
{{main|bedikat chametz}}
{{Wikisource|1=Translation:Talmud/Seder Moed/Tractate Pesachim/2a|2=Talmud's introduction to checking for chametz and defining ''or'' (literally, "light") (Tractate Pesachim 2a)}}

On the night of the fourteenth of [[Nisan]], the night before the [[Passover Seder]] (after nightfall on the evening before Passover eve), Jews do a formal search in their homes known as ''[[bedikat chametz]]'' for any possible remaining leaven (''[[chametz]]''). The [[Talmud]]ic sages instructed that a search for ''chametz'' be made in every home, place of work, or any place where ''chametz'' may have been brought during the year.<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor">{{cite book|last1=Gold|first1=Avie |last2=Zlotowitz|first2=Meir |last3=Scherman|first3=Nosson |title=The Complete ArtScroll Machzor: Pesach|date=1990–2002|publisher=Mesorah Publications, Ltd|location=Brooklyn, New York|isbn=0-89906-696-8|pages=2–3}}</ref> When the first Seder is on a Saturday night, the search is conducted on the preceding Thursday night (thirteenth of Nisan) as [[Eve of Passover on Shabbat|''chametz'' cannot be burned during Shabbat]].

The [[Talmud]] in [[Pesahim]] (p.&nbsp;2a) derives from the [[Torah]] that the search for ''chametz'' be conducted by the light of a candle and therefore is done at night, and although the final destruction of the ''chametz'' (usually by burning it in a small bonfire) is done on the next morning, the blessing is made at night because the search is both in preparation for and part of the commandments to remove and destroy all ''chametz'' from one's possession.<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor" />

==== Blessing for search and nullification of hametz ====
Before the search is begun there is a special [[Berakhah|blessing]]. If several people or family members assist in the search then only one person, usually the head of that family recites the blessing having in mind to include everyone present:<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor" />

:Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with his commandments and has commanded us concerning the removal of chametz.

{{langx|he|ברוך אתה י-הוה א-להינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על בעור חמץ|bāruḵ attā aḏonāy Elohēnu meleḵ hāʿolām ʾəšer qiddəšānu bəmiṣwāṯāw wəṣiwānu ʿal bəʿor ḥāmeṣ}}

The search is then usually conducted by the head of the household joined by his family including children under the supervision of their parents.

It is customary to turn off the lights and conduct the search by [[candle]]light, using a feather and a wooden spoon: candlelight effectively illuminates corners without casting shadows; the feather can dust crumbs out of their hiding places; and the wooden spoon which collects the crumbs can be burned the next day with the hametz. However, most contemporary Orthodox authorities permit using a flashlight, while some strongly encourage it due to the danger coupled with using a candle.

Because the house is assumed to have been thoroughly cleaned by the night before Passover, there is some concern that making a blessing over the search for hametz will be in vain (''bracha l'vatala'') if nothing is found. Thus, 10 morsels of bread or cereal smaller than the size of an olive are traditionally hidden throughout the house to ensure that some 'hametz will be found.

Upon conclusion of the search, with all the small pieces safely wrapped up and put in one bag or place, to be burned the next morning, the following is said:

:Any chametz or leaven that is in my possession which I have not seen and have not removed and do not know about should be annulled and become ownerless like the dust of the earth.<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor" />

==Morning of 14th of Nisan==
Note that if the 14th of Nisan is [[Shabbat]], many of the below will be celebrated on the 13th instead [[Eve of Passover on Shabbat|due to restrictions in place during Shabbat]].

===Fast of the Firstborn===
{{main|Fast of the Firstborn|siyum}}
On the day preceding the first Passover seder (or on Thursday morning preceding the seder, when the first seder falls on [[Motza'ei Shabbat]]), firstborn sons are commanded to celebrate the [[Fast of the Firstborn]] which commemorates the salvation of the Hebrew firstborns. According to Exodus 12:29, God struck down all Egyptian firstborns while the Israelites were not affected.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:29|HE}}</ref> However, it is customary for synagogues to conduct a ''[[siyum]]'' (ceremony marking the completion of a section of [[Torah learning]]) right after [[Shacharit|morning prayers]], and the [[Seudat mitzvah|celebratory meal]] that follows cancels the firstborn's obligation to fast.

===Burning and nullification of leaven===
On the morning of the 14th of [[Nisan]], any leavened products that remain in the householder's possession, along with the 10 morsels of bread from the previous night's search, are burned (''s'rayfat chametz''). The head of the household repeats the declaration of ''biyur chametz'', declaring any ''chametz'' that may not have been found to be null and void "as the dust of the earth":

:Any chametz or leaven that is in my possession which I have not seen and have not removed and do not know about should be annulled and become ownerless like the dust of the earth.

The original declaration, as recited in [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]], is:<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor" />

כל חמירא וחמיעא דאכא ברשותי דלא חמתה ודלא בערתה ודלא ידענא לה לבטל ולהוי הפקר כעפרא דארעא

Should more ''chametz'' actually be found in the house during the Passover holiday, it must be burnt as soon as possible.

Unlike ''chametz'', which can be eaten any day of the year except during Passover, kosher for Passover foods can be eaten year-round. They need not be burnt or otherwise discarded after the holiday ends.

The historic Passover sacrifice has not been brought following the Romans' [[destruction of the Second Temple]] approximately two thousand years ago, and it is therefore still not part of the modern Jewish holiday.

In the times when the Jewish Temples stood, the lamb was slaughtered and cooked on the evening of Passover and was completely consumed before the morning as described in Exodus 12:3–11.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:3–11|HE}}</ref>

===Not eating matzah from sunrise until sunset (day before Passover)===
Even matzot that are kosher for Passover cannot be eaten all day on during the daylight hours before Passover eve.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Star-K]] 
   |url=https://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/seasonal/357/the-busiest-day-of-the-year-the-laws-of-erev-pesach
   |title=The Busiest Day of the Year: Laws of Erev Pesach|date=January 8, 2022
}}</ref> Some even practice this up to 30 days before.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Orthodox Union]] (OU)
|url=https://www.ou.org/torah/halacha/hashoneh-halachos/sat_12_07_13
|title=Cutting Hair and Nails on Erev Pesach – OU Torah
|quote=We may not eat matzah the entire day erev Pesach}}</ref>

==Passover sacrifice==
{{main|Passover sacrifice}}
The main entity in Passover according to Judaism is the sacrificial lamb.<ref name="Bokser"/> During the existence of the [[Tabernacle (Judaism)|Tabernacle]] and later the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], the focus of the Passover festival was the Passover sacrifice, also known as the Paschal lamb, eaten during the Passover Seder on the 15th of Nisan. Every family large enough to completely consume a young lamb or wild goat was required to offer one for sacrifice at the Jewish Temple on the afternoon of the 14th day of Nisan,<ref>{{bibleverse||Numbers|9:11|HE}}</ref> and eat it that night, which was the 15th of Nisan.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:6|NIV}}</ref> If the family was too small to finish eating the entire offering in one sitting, an offering was made for a group of families. The sacrifice could not be offered with anything leavened,<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|23:18|HE}}</ref> and had to be roasted, without its head, feet, or inner organs being removed<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:9|HE}}</ref> and eaten together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (''[[maror]]''). One had to be careful not to break any bones from the offering,<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:46|HE}}</ref> and none of the meat could be left over by morning.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:10|HE}} {{bibleverse||Exodus|23:18|HE}}</ref>

Because of the Passover sacrifice's status as a sacred offering, the only people allowed to eat it were those who had the obligation to bring the offering. Among those who could not offer or eat the Passover lamb were an [[Apostasy in Judaism|apostate]],<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:43|HE}}</ref> a servant,<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:45|HE}}</ref> an [[brit milah|uncircumcised man]],<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:48|HE}}</ref> a person in a state of [[tumah and taharah|ritual impurity]] except when a majority of Jews are in such a state,<ref>''[[Pesahim]]'' 66b</ref> and a [[Gentile]]. The offering had to be made before a [[quorum]] of 30.<ref>''Pesahim'' 64b</ref> In the Temple, the [[Levites]] sang [[Hallel]] while the [[Kohen|priests]] performed the sacrificial service. Men and women were equally obligated regarding the offering (''Pesahim'' 91b).

Today, in the absence of the Temple, when no sacrifices are offered or eaten, the [[mitzvah]] of the sacrifice is memorialized in the ''Seder Korban Pesach'', a set of scriptural and Rabbinic passages dealing with the Passover sacrifice, customarily recited after the ''[[Mincha]]'' (afternoon prayer) service on the 14th of Nisan,<ref name=Kitov>{{cite book|first=Eliyahu|last=Kitov|title=The Book of Our Heritage: The Jewish Year and Its Days of Significance|publisher=Feldheim|year=1997|page=562}}</ref> and in the form of the ''[[zeroa]]'', a symbolic food placed on the [[Passover Seder Plate]] (but not eaten), which is usually a roasted [[humerus|shankbone]] (or a chicken wing or neck). The eating of the [[afikoman]] substitutes for the eating of the sacrifice at the end of the Seder meal ([[Pesachim|Mishnah Pesachim]] 119a). Many [[Sephardic Jews]] have the custom of eating lamb or goat meat during the Seder in memory of the sacrifice.

==Matzah==
{{main|Matzah}}
[[Image:Machine-made Shmura Matzo.jpg|thumb|250px|Machine-made ''shmura matza'']]

A symbol of the Passover holiday is [[matzah]], an unleavened flatbread made solely from flour and water which is continually worked from mixing through baking, so that it is not allowed to rise. Matzo may be made by machine or by hand. The Torah contains an instruction to eat matzah, specifically, on the first night of Passover and to eat only unleavened bread (in practice, matzah) during the entire week of Passover.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|12:18|HE}}</ref> Consequently, the eating of matzah figures prominently in the [[Passover Seder]]. There are several explanations for this.

The Torah says that it is because the Hebrews left Egypt with such haste that there was no time to allow baked bread to rise; thus flat, unleavened bread, matzah, is a reminder of the rapid departure of the Exodus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=107&o=60495 |title=Thought For Food: An Overview of the Seder |work=AskMoses.com – Judaism, Ask a Rabbi – Live |access-date=September 29, 2006 |archive-date=May 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521142536/http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=107&o=60495%2F |url-status=live }}</ref> Other scholars teach that in the time of the Exodus, matzah was commonly baked to travel because it preserved well and was light to carry (making it similar to [[hardtack]]), suggesting that matzah was baked intentionally for the long journey ahead.

Matzo has also been called ''Lechem Oni'' (Hebrew: "bread of poverty"). There is an attendant explanation that matzah serves as a symbol to remind Jews what it is like to be a poor slave and to promote humility, appreciate freedom, and avoid the inflated ego symbolized by more luxurious leavened bread.<ref>[http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=107&o=450 What is the kabbalistic view on chametz?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203202015/http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=107&o=450 |date=February 3, 2008 }} by Rabbi Yossi Marcus</ref>

[[File:Shmura Matzo2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hand-made ''shmura matzah'']]

''Shmura matzah'' ("watched" or "guarded" matzah), is the bread of preference for the Passover Seder in Orthodox Jewish communities. Shmura matzah is made from wheat that is guarded from contamination by leaven from the time of summer harvest<ref name=Pomerantz>{{cite news|first=Batsheva|last=Pomerantz|title=Making matzo: A time-honored tradition|date=April 22, 2005|work=Jewish News of Greater Phoenix|url=http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/050422/matzo.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114082457/http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/050422/matzo.shtml|archive-date=January 14, 2013}}</ref> to its baking into matzot five to ten months later.

In the weeks before Passover, matzot are prepared for holiday consumption. In many Orthodox Jewish communities, men traditionally [[Chavurah|gather in groups]] to bake handmade matzah for use at the Seder, the dough being rolled by hand, resulting in a large and round matzah. Groups also work together in machine-made matzah factories, which produce the typically square-shaped matzah sold in stores.

The baking of matzah is labour-intensive,<ref name=Pomerantz/> as less than 18 minutes is permitted between the mixing of flour and water to the conclusion of baking and removal from the oven. Consequently, only a small number of matzot can be baked at one time, and the group members are enjoined to work the dough constantly so that it is not allowed to ferment and rise. A special cutting tool is run over the dough just before baking to prick any bubbles which might make the matza puff up;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=42416 | url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402170657/http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=42416 |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |title=Making Matzah the Old-Fashioned Way |publisher=The Jewish Federations of North America |access-date=April 17, 2014}}</ref> this creates the familiar dotted holes in the matzah.

After the matzot come out of the oven, the entire work area is scrubbed down and swept to make sure that no pieces of old, potentially leavened dough remain, as any stray pieces are now hametz and can contaminate the next batch of matzah.

Some machine-made matzot are completed within five minutes of being kneaded.<ref name=Pomerantz/>

==Passover seder==
[[File:Sedertable.jpg|thumb|250px|Table set for the Passover Seder]]
{{Main|Passover Seder}}
It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover (first two nights in [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] communities outside [[Israel]]) for a special dinner called a [[Passover seder|seder]] ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|סדר}} ''seder'' – derived from the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word for "order" or "arrangement", referring to the very specific order of the ritual). The table is set with the finest china and silverware to reflect the importance of the meal. During this meal, the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the [[Haggadah]]. A total of four cups of wine are consumed during the recitation of the Haggadah. The seder is divided by the haggadah into the following 15 parts:

# ''Qāḏēš'' {{lang|he|קָדֵשׁ}} – recital of the [[Kiddush]] and drinking of the first cup of wine
# ''Urḥaṣ'' {{lang|he|ורחץ}} {{lit|"and wash"}} – the [[handwashing in Judaism|washing of the hands]] – without blessing
# ''Karpas'' {{lang|he|כרפס}} – dipping of the ''[[karpas]]'' in salt water
# ''Yaḥaṣ'' {{lang|he|יחץ}} – breaking the middle matzah; the larger piece becomes the ''[[afikoman]]'' which is eaten later during the ritual of ''Ṣafun''
# ''Maggiḏ'' {{lang|he|מגיד}} – retelling the Passover story, including the recital of "[[the four questions]]" and drinking of the second cup of wine
# ''Raḥṣā'' {{lang|he|רחצה}} – second washing of the hands – with blessing
# ''Moṣi'' {{lang|he|מוציא}} – traditional blessing before eating [[bread]] products
# ''Maṣā'' {{lang|he|מצה}} – blessing before eating matzah
# ''Maror'' {{lang|he|מרור}} – eating of the [[maror]]
# ''Korēḵ'' {{lang|he|כורך}} – eating of a sandwich made of matzah and maror
# ''Shulḥān ʿorēḵ'' {{lang|he|שולחן עורך}} – lit. "set table" – the serving of the holiday meal
# ''Ṣafun'' {{lang|he|צפון}} – eating of the ''[[afikoman]]''
# ''Bareich/ Barēkh'' {{lang|he|ברך}} – [[Birkat Hamazon|blessing after the meal]] and drinking of the third cup of wine
# ''[[Hallel]]'' {{lang|he|הלל}} – recital of the Hallel, traditionally recited on festivals; drinking of the fourth cup of wine
# ''Nirṣā'' {{lang|he|נירצה}} – conclusion

These 15 parts parallel the 15 steps in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] on which the [[Levite]]s stood during Temple services, and which were memorialized in the 15 [[Book of Psalms|Psalms]] (#120–134) known as ''Shir HaMa'a lot'' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|שיר המעלות}} ''shiyr ha-ma'alôth'', "[[Song of Ascents|Songs of Ascent]]").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kolhator.org.il/shir_hamaalot.php |title=Shir Ha Ma'a lot |publisher=Kolhator.org.il |access-date=April 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315200601/http://www.kolhator.org.il/shir_hamaalot.php |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The seder is replete with questions, answers, and unusual practices (e.g. the recital of [[Kiddush]] which is not immediately followed by the blessing over bread, which is the traditional procedure for all other holiday meals) to arouse the interest and curiosity of the children at the table. The children are also rewarded with nuts and candies when they ask questions and participate in the discussion of the Exodus and its aftermath. Likewise, they are encouraged to search for the ''[[afikoman]]'', the piece of matzah which is the last thing eaten at the seder. Audience participation and interaction is the rule, and many families' seders last long into the night with animated discussions and singing. The seder concludes with additional songs of praise and faith printed in the Haggadah, including ''[[Chad Gadya]]'' ("One Little Kid" or "One Little Goat").

===Maror===
[[File:3TypesMaror.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Types of maror: grated [[horseradish]], [[romaine lettuce]], whole horseradish root]]
[[Maror]] (bitter herbs) symbolizes the bitterness of slavery in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. The following verse from the [[Torah]] underscores that symbolism: "And they embittered ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: וימררו ''ve-yimareru'') their lives with hard labor, with mortar and with bricks and with all manner of labor in the field; any labor that they made them do was with hard labor" ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 1:14).

[[File:SederPlate.jpg|thumb|250px|Silver seder plate]]

===Four cups of wine===
There is a Rabbinic requirement that four cups of wine are to be drunk during the seder meal. This applies to both men and women. The Mishnah says (Pes. 10:1) that even the poorest man in Israel must drink. Each cup is connected to a different part of the seder: the first cup is for Kiddush, the second cup is connected with the recounting of [[the Exodus]], the drinking of the third cup concludes [[Birkat Hamazon]] and the fourth cup is associated with Hallel. A fifth cup of wine is poured near the end of the seder for the prophet [[Elijah]], a symbol of the future redemption, which is left un-touched.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elijah's cup |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Elijahs-cup |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=Britannica}}</ref>

===The four questions and participation of children===
{{See also|The four questions}}
Children have a very important role in the Passover seder. Traditionally the youngest child is prompted to ask questions about the Passover seder, beginning with the words, ''Mah Nishtana HaLeila HaZeh'' (Why is this night different from all other nights?). The questions encourage the gathering to discuss the significance of the symbols in the meal. The questions asked by the child are:

:Why is this night different from all other nights?
:On all other nights, we eat either unleavened or leavened bread, but tonight we eat only unleavened bread?
:On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables, but tonight, we eat only bitter herbs?
:On all other nights, we do not dip [our food] even once, but tonight we dip twice?
:On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, but tonight we only recline?

Often the leader of the seder and the other adults at the meal will use prompted responses from the Haggadah, which states, "The more one talks about [[The Exodus|the Exodus from Egypt]], the more praiseworthy he is." Many readings, prayers, and stories are used to recount the story of the Exodus. Many households add their own commentary and interpretation and often the story of the Jews is related to the theme of liberation and its implications worldwide.

===Afikoman===
[[File:Haggadah 15th cent.jpg|thumb|200px|14th century Haggadah]]
The ''[[afikoman]]'' – an integral part of the Seder itself – is used to engage the interest and excitement of the children at the table. During the fourth part of the Seder, called ''Yachatz'', the leader breaks the middle piece of matzah into two. He sets aside the larger portion as the ''afikoman''. Many families use the ''afikoman'' as a device for keeping the children awake and alert throughout the Seder proceedings by hiding the ''afikoman'' and offering a prize for its return.<ref name=Pomerantz/> Alternatively, the children are allowed to "steal" the ''afikoman'' and demand a reward for its return. In either case, the ''afikoman'' must be consumed during the twelfth part of the Seder, ''Tzafun''.

===Concluding songs===
After the Hallel, the fourth glass of wine is drunk, and participants recite a prayer that ends in "[[Next year in Jerusalem]]!". This is followed by several lyric prayers that expound upon God's mercy and kindness, and give thanks for the survival of the Jewish people through a history of exile and hardship. "[[Echad Mi Yodea]]" ("Who Knows One?") is a playful song, testing the general knowledge of the children (and the adults). Some of these songs, such as "[[Chad Gadya]]" are allegorical.

==Hallel==
During Passover, the recitation of ''[[Hallel]]'' a collection of [[Psalms]] praising and thanking God, is an integral part of the daily prayer service. On the initial day(s) of Passover, it is recited in its entirety, similar to the practice observed on [[Shavuot]] and throughout [[Sukkot|Succot]]. However, for the subsequent days of the Passover holiday, only half of the Hallel is recited. This traditional practice is widely observed by adherents of the Jewish faith as a way of expressing gratitude and celebrating the significance of Passover, while maintaining variations in the recitation of Hallel based on specific days within the festival.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.ou.org/judaism-101/glossary/hallel-praise-g-d/
	|publisher=[[Orthodox Union]] (OU) |access-date=October 31, 2022|title=Hallel – "Praise of G-d" }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianfocus.com/products/2714/anthems-for-a-dying-lamb|title=Anthems for a Dying Lamb|first=Philip S.|last=Ross|website=Christian Focus|pages=5–10|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920160906/https://www.christianfocus.com/products/2714/anthems-for-a-dying-lamb|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Counting of the Omer==
{{Main|Counting of the Omer}}
Beginning on the second night of Passover, the 16th day of Nisan,<ref>[[Karaite Jews]] begin the count on the Sunday within the holiday week. This leads to Shavuot for the Karaites always falling on a Sunday.</ref> Jews begin the practice of the [[Counting of the Omer]], a nightly reminder of the approach of the holiday of [[Shavuot]] 50 days hence. Each night after the [[Maariv|evening prayer service]], men and women recite a special blessing and then enumerate the day of the Omer. On the first night, for example, they say, "Today is the first day in (or, to) the Omer"; on the second night, "Today is the second day in the Omer." The counting also involves weeks; thus, the seventh day is commemorated, "Today is the seventh day, which is one week in the Omer." The eighth day is marked, "Today is the eighth day, which is one week and one day in the Omer," etc.<ref>{{cite book|title=Understanding Jewish Holidays and Customs: Historical and Contemporary|first=Sol|last=Scharfstein|pages=36–37|year=1999|publisher=Ktav Publishing House |isbn=0881256269}}</ref>

When the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple stood in Jerusalem]], a sheaf of new-cut barley was presented before the altar on the second day of Unleavened Bread (Passover). [[Josephus]] writes:<blockquote>
On the second day of unleavened bread, that is to say the sixteenth, our people partake of the crops which they have reaped and which have not been touched till then, and esteeming it right first to do homage to God, to whom they owe the abundance of these gifts, they offer to him the first-fruits of the barley in the following way. After parching and crushing the little sheaf of ears and purifying the barley for grinding, they bring to the altar an [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/issaron issaron] for God, and, having flung a handful thereof on the altar, they leave the rest for the use of the priests. Thereafter all are permitted, publicly or individually, to begin harvest.<ref name=Barley>Josephus, Antiquities 3.250–251, in Josephus IV Jewish Antiquities Books I–IV, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1930, pp.&nbsp;437–439.</ref></blockquote> Since the destruction of the Temple, this offering is brought in word rather than deed.

One explanation for the Counting of the Omer is that it shows the connection between Passover and Shavuot. The physical freedom that the Hebrews achieved at the Exodus from Egypt was only the beginning of a process that climaxed with the spiritual freedom they gained at the giving of the Torah at [[Biblical Mount Sinai|Mount Sinai]]. Another explanation is that the newborn nation which emerged after the Exodus needed time to learn their new responsibilities vis-a-vis Torah and [[mitzvot]] before accepting God's law. The distinction between the Omer offering – a measure of barley, typically animal fodder – and the Shavuot offering – two loaves of wheat bread, human food – symbolizes the transition process.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=In Search of the Omer|first=Ellen|last=Cohn|title=Ecology and the Jewish Spirit: Where Nature and the Sacred Meet|editor-first=Ellen|editor-last=Bernstein|page=164|year=2000|publisher=Jewish Lights |isbn=1580230822|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d8qvQcZeAv4C&pg=PA164|access-date=April 10, 2017|archive-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410231434/https://books.google.com/books?id=d8qvQcZeAv4C&pg=PA164|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Chol HaMoed: The intermediate days of Passover==
In [[Israel]], Passover lasts for seven days with the first and last days being major [[Jewish holidays]]. In [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] communities, no work is performed on those days, with most of the rules relating to the observances of [[Shabbat]] being applied.<ref name="chabad1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1000452/jewish/Chol-Hamoed.htm |title=Chol Hamoed – the "Intermediate" Festival Days – Sukkot & Simchat Torah |access-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406195150/https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1000452/jewish/Chol-Hamoed.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Outside Israel, in [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] communities, the holiday lasts for eight days with the first two days and last two days being major holidays. In the intermediate days necessary work can be performed. [[Reform Judaism]] observes Passover over seven days, with the first and last days being major holidays.

Like the holiday of [[Sukkot]], the intermediary days of Passover are known as [[Chol HaMoed]] (festival weekdays) and are imbued with a semi-festive status. It is a time for family outings and picnic lunches of matzah, hardboiled eggs, fruits and vegetables, and Passover treats such as [[macaroon]]s and homemade candies.<ref name="chabad1"/>

Passover cake recipes call for [[potato starch]] or Passover cake flour made from finely granulated matzah instead of regular flour, and a large amount of eggs to achieve fluffiness. Cookie recipes use [[matzah farfel]] (broken bits of matzah) or ground nuts as the base. For families with [[Eastern Europe]]an backgrounds, [[borsht]], a soup made with [[beet]]s, is a Passover tradition.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Perfect Borscht|url=https://forward.com/food/134439/the-perfect-borscht/|access-date=February 25, 2021|website=The Forward|date=January 5, 2011 |archive-date=April 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406195147/https://forward.com/food/134439/the-perfect-borscht/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Wonder Pot cake.jpg|150px|thumb|A Passover brownie cake baked in a [[Wonder Pot]]]]
While kosher for Passover packaged goods are available in stores, some families opt to cook everything from scratch during Passover week. In [[Israel]], families that do not [[kashrut|kasher]] their ovens can bake cakes, casseroles, and even meat<ref>"Roast in the Wonder Pot", ''The Kosher For Pesach Cookbook'' (1978). Jerusalem: Yeshivat Aish HaTorah Women's Organization, p.&nbsp;58.</ref> on the [[kitchen stove|stovetop]] in a [[Wonder Pot]], an Israeli invention consisting of three parts: an [[aluminium]] pot shaped like a [[Bundt cake|Bundt pan]], a hooded cover perforated with venting holes, and a thick, round, metal disc with a center hole which is placed between the Wonder Pot and the flame to disperse heat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://israelity.com/tag/the-wonder-pot/ |title=Nostalgia Sunday |last=Neiman |first=Rachel |access-date=April 1, 2010 |date=June 15, 2008 |publisher=21c Israelity blog |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427032748/http://israelity.com/tag/the-wonder-pot/ |archive-date=April 27, 2011 }}</ref>

==Seventh day of Passover==
{{lang|he-Latn|Shvi'i shel Pesach}} ({{lang|he|שביעי של פסח}}, 'seventh [day] of Passover') is another full [[Jewish holiday]], with special prayer services and festive meals. Outside the [[Israel]], in the [[Jewish diaspora]], {{lang|he-Latn|Shvi'i shel Pesach}} is celebrated on both the seventh and eighth days of Passover.<ref>The eighth day is known as ''Acharon shel Pesach'', "last [day] of Passover".</ref> This holiday commemorates the day the [[Israelites|Children of Israel]] reached the [[Red Sea]] and witnessed both the miraculous "Splitting of the Sea" ([[Passage of the Red Sea]]), the drowning of all the Egyptian chariots, horses and soldiers that pursued them. According to the [[Midrash]], only the [[Pharaoh]] was spared to give testimony to the miracle that occurred.

[[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] [[Rebbe]]s traditionally hold a ''[[Tish (Hasidic celebration)|tish]]'' on the night of {{lang|he-Latn|Shvi'i shel Pesach}} and place a cup or bowl of water on the table before them. They use this opportunity to speak about the Splitting of the Sea to their disciples, and sing songs of praise to God.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date= |title=The Eve of Shvi'i shel Pesach |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3153122/jewish/The-Eve-of-Shvii-shel-Pesach.htm |website=Chabad}}</ref>

==Second Passover==
The "Second Passover" ([[Pesach Sheni]]) on the 14th of Iyar in the [[Hebrew calendar]] is mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]]'s [[Book of Numbers]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers|9:6–13}}</ref> as a make-up day for people who were unable to offer the pesach sacrifice at the appropriate time due to [[Tumah and taharah|ritual impurity]] or distance from [[Jerusalem]]. Just as on the first Pesach night, breaking bones from the second Paschal offering or leaving meat over until morning is prohibited.<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers|9:12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.halakhah.com/rst/pesach.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-date=February 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206004220/http://www.halakhah.com/rst/pesach.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Today, Pesach Sheni on the 14th of Iyar has the status of a very minor holiday (so much so that many of the Jewish people have never even heard of it, and it essentially does not exist outside of [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and traditional [[Conservative Judaism]]). There are not really any special prayers or observances that are considered Jewish law. The only change in the liturgy is that in some communities ''[[Tachanun]]'', a penitential prayer omitted on holidays, is not said. There is a custom, though not Jewish law, to eat just one piece of matzah on that night.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://torah.org/learning/yomtov-omer-5755-vol1no21/|title=YomTov, Vol. I, # 21 – Pesach Sheni, The "Second" Pesach|website=Torah.org|date=March 2016|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806122007/https://torah.org/learning/yomtov-omer-5755-vol1no21/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Notable events on Passover ==
'''Biblical'''
# Abel offered the lamb which was accepted<ref>{{Cite web |title=Torch: Torah Weekly |url=https://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=650 |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=www.torchweb.org}}</ref>
# The war of [[Abraham]] and the four kings when he went to rescue [[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ginzberg |first=Louis |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1493 |title=The Legends of the Jews – Volume 1 |date=1998 |language=English |translator-last=Szold |translator-first=Henrietta}}</ref>
# The Covenant Between the Parts (1743 BCE): God forged a special covenant with Abraham. Genesis 15:13–18<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Passover |url=https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?tdate=4/23/2024}}</ref>
# Abraham receives three visitors and prepares a meal for them. He receives the promise that [[Sarah]] will have a child next year.<ref name=":2" />
# The two angels go to Lot's house and spend the night with Lot. The next morning Sodom is destroyed.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Abraham's Passover {{!}} Read {{!}} Messiah Online {{!}} FFOZ |url=https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/god-fearers-abrahams-passover |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=ffoz.org}}</ref>
# [[Isaac]] was born on the first day of Passover.<ref name=":1" /> The Akedah happened on the same day as well, years later.<ref>https://www.sefaria.org/Shemot_Rabbah.15.11?lang=en</ref>
# Issac asking [[Esau]] to prepare a meal for him so he can bless him.<ref name=":1" />
# Jacob wrestles with an angel and his name is changed to Israel. Genesis 32:25–29<ref name=":3" />
# Moses at the burning bush. One year before the exodus, God speaks to Moses from the burning bush to go and deliver Israel.<ref name=":3" />
# The Exodus. The children of Israel were protected by the blood of the lamb during the plague of the death of the firstborn. They were miraculously healed that night and walked out of Egypt in the morning. God gave them favour with their neighbors and they asked and received precious articles which was used to build the tabernacle.<ref name=":3" />
# [[Gideon]]'s victory over [[Midian]] and the barley cake dream<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Ginzberg |first=Louis |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2882 |title=The Legends of the Jews – Volume 4 |date=2001 |language=English |translator-last=Radin |translator-first=Paul |translator-last2=Szold |translator-first2=Henrietta}}</ref>
# King [[Hezekiah]] was healed and the [[Assyrian siege of Jerusalem|Assyrian army defeated by an angel]], killing 185,000 soldiers<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-17 |title=Pesach and the Miraculous End of the Assyrian Siege of Yerushalayim By Rabbi Chaim Jachter |url=https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/pesach-and-the-miraculous-end-of-the-assyrian-siege-of-yerushalayim-by-rabbi-chaim-jachter |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Kol Torah |language=en-US}}</ref>
# Queen Vashti is executed by King Achashverosh paving the way for Esther to become queen.<ref name=":3" />
# [[Esther]]'s fast was proclaimed during the Passover. [[Haman]] erected the gallows for [[Mordecai]] on the first night of the Passover. The same night, King [[Ahasuerus]] could not sleep and that resulted in the downfall of Haman.<ref name=":0" />
# Daniel spends a night in the Lion's Den<ref name=":3" />
# King [[Belshazzar]] of Babylon made use of the vessels of the temple and was subsequently judged by the handwriting on the wall.<ref name=":0" />

'''Modern Day''
# 1979 – Uganda – Judaism was banned by [[Idi Amin]] in 1971. On Wednesday, 11 April 1979, corresponding to 14 Nisan 5739, Passover Night the new Government, composed of [[Uganda–Tanzania War|Ugandan rebels and Tanzanian troops]], declared freedom of worship. And Passover was commemorated.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sizomu |first=Gershom |date=April 12, 2014 |title=A miracle in Uganda |url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-miracle-in-uganda-2/ |work=Times of Israel}}</ref>

==Traditional foods==
[[File:Matzah brei serving.jpg|250px|right|thumb|[[Matzah brei]] (fried matzah and egg), a popular Passover dish]]
Because the house is free of leaven (''chametz'') for eight days, the Jewish household typically eats different foods during the week of Passover. Some include:

'''Ashkenazi foods'''
* ''[[Matzah brei]]'' – [[Matzah|Matzo]] softened in milk or water and fried with egg and fat; served either savory or sweet
* Matzo [[kugel]] – A kugel made with matzah instead of noodles
* ''[[Charoset]]'' – A sweet mixture of fruit, fresh, dried or both; nuts; spices; honey; and sometimes wine. The charoset is a symbol of the mortar the Israelites used for building while enslaved in Egypt (See [[Passover seder]])
* ''[[Chrain]]'' – Horseradish and beet relish
* [[Gefilte fish]] – Poached fish patties or fish balls made from a mixture of ground, de-boned fish, mostly [[carp]] or [[pike (fish)|pike]]
* [[Chicken soup]] with [[matzah ball]]s (''kneydlach'') – Chicken soup served with matzah-meal dumplings
* Passover noodles – Noodles prepared from potato flour and eggs, served in soup. Batter is fried like thin crepes, which are stacked, rolled up and sliced into ribbons.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/grandma-hanna-s-lokshen-are-a-perfect-passover-dish-1.5345691|title=Grandma Hanna's Lokshen Are a Perfect Passover Dish|date=April 6, 2017|newspaper=Haaretz|access-date=April 9, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220153507/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/grandma-hanna-s-lokshen-are-a-perfect-passover-dish-1.5345691|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Sephardi foods'''
* ''Kafteikas di prasa'' – Fried balls made of leeks, meat, and matzah meal
* [[Lamb and mutton|Lamb]] or [[chicken as food|chicken]] leg – A symbol of God's strong hand and the sacrifice
* ''Mina'' ([[pastel (food)|pastel]] di pesach) – a meat or spinach pie made with matzot
* Sephardi ''[[Charoset]]'' is usually made of [[Common fig|figs]], [[raisin]]s and [[Date palm|dates]]. [[History of the Jews in Egypt|Egyptian Jews]] use dates, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and sweet wine, while [[History of the Jews in Greece|Greek]] and [[History of the Jews in Turkey|Turkish Jews]] use apples, dates, chopped almonds, and wine. [[Italian Jews]] add chestnuts. [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraqi Jews]] make charoset from a mixture of dates and nuts.
* Spring green vegetables – [[artichoke]], [[fava beans]], [[pea]]s

== Related celebrations, sermons, liturgy, and song in other religions ==
* That slaves can go free, and that the future can be better than the present, has inspired a number of religious sermons, prayers, and songs&nbsp;– including [[Spiritual (music)|spirituals]] (what used to be called "Negro Spirituals"), within the African-American community. [[Philip R. Alstat]], known for his fiery rhetoric and powerful oratory skills, [[Philip R. Alstat#Sermons and articles|wrote and spoke in 1939]] about the power of the Passover story during the rise of Nazi persecution and terror:<ref>[[Canadian Jewish Review|''The Canadian Jewish Chronicle'']], March 31, 1939</ref>

<!---other images above are more about passover than [[File:Pesaha at Payyappilly's.jpg|thumb|Pesaha appam (unleavened bread) and Pesaha milk prepared for [[Maundy Thursday]] by [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[Kerala]], [[India]].]] -->
* [[Saint Thomas Christians|Saint Thomas Syrian Christians]] observe [[Maundy Thursday]] as ''Pesaha'', a Malayalam word derived from the Aramaic or Hebrew word for Passover (Pasha, Pesach or Pesah) The tradition of consuming ''[[Pesaha Appam]]'' after the church service is observed by the entire community under the leadership of the head of the family.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nasrani.net/2007/03/25/passover-among-nasrani-syrian-christians-of-kerala |title=NSC Network – Passover |date=March 25, 2007 |publisher=Nasrani.net |access-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-date=June 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608083007/http://nasrani.net/2007/03/25/passover-among-nasrani-syrian-christians-of-kerala |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Weil">Weil, S. (1982) "Symmetry between Christians and Jews in India: The Cananite Christians and Cochin Jews in Kerala". in ''Contributions to Indian Sociology'', 16.</ref>
* The [[Samaritanism|Samaritan religion]] celebrates its own, similar [[Passover (Samaritan holiday)|Passover holiday]], based on the [[Samaritan Pentateuch]].<ref>{{cite web |date=April 19, 2019 |title=The very ancient Passover of one of the smallest religions in the world |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/04/samaritan-passover |access-date=June 8, 2020 |website=Culture |language=en |archive-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712214251/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/04/samaritan-passover |url-status=dead}}</ref> Passover is also celebrated in [[Karaite Judaism]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kramer |first=Faith |date=March 30, 2012 |title=Karaites celebrate Passover strictly from Torah |url=https://jweekly.com/2012/03/30/karaites-celebrate-passover-strictly-from-torah/ |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=J. |language=en-US}}</ref> which rejects the [[Oral Torah]] that characterizes mainstream [[Rabbinic Judaism]], as well as other [[groups claiming affiliation with Israelites]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Karaites and Karaism |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9211-karaites-and-karaism |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=www.JewishEncyclopedia.com}}</ref>
* [[Christianity]] celebrates [[Easter]] (not to be confused with the pre-Christian Saxon festival from which it derives its English name).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Er-QZeW12tUC |title=The Jewish Pesach and the Origins of the Christian Easter |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |first1=Clemens |last1=Leonhard |year=2012 |access-date=June 14, 2018 |isbn=978-3-11-092781-8 |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217061630/https://books.google.com/books?id=Er-QZeW12tUC |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PB-zfFmR0I0C&q=%22Pascha%22+name&pg=PA21|title=The Antenicene Pascha: A Rhetorical History |author=Karl Gerlach |publisher=Peeters Publishers|quote=Long before this controversy, Ex 12 as a story of origins and its ritual expression had been firmly fixed in the Christian imagination.. Ex 12 is thus one of the few reliable guides for tracing the synergism among ritual, text, and kerygma before the Council of Nicaea.|page=21|year=1998 |isbn=978-9042905702 |access-date=October 19, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228004322/https://books.google.com/books?id=PB-zfFmR0I0C&q=%22Pascha%22+name&pg=PA21|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=84USbbs1jfUC&q=Passover+Lamb+Lamb+of+God&pg=PA117|title=The Destroyer and the Lamb: The Relationship Between Angelomorphic and Lamb Christology in the Book of Revelation|publisher=Mohr Siebeck |author=Matthias Reinhard Hoffmann|quote=1.2.2. ''Christ as the Passover Lamb from Exodus'' A number of features throughout Revelation seem to correspond to Exodus 12: The connection of Lamb and Passover, a salvific effect of the Lamb's blood and the punishment of God's (and His people's) opponents from Exodus 12 may possibly be reflected within the settings of the Apocalypse. The concept of Christ as a Passover lamb is generally not unknown in NT or early Christian literature, as can for instance be seen in 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Peter 1:19 or Justin Martyr's writing (''Dial''. 111:3). In the Gospel of John, especially, this connection between Christ and Passover is made very explicit.|isbn=3-16-148778-8|page=117|year=2005|access-date=October 19, 2020|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108230624/https://books.google.com/books?id=84USbbs1jfUC&q=Passover+Lamb+Lamb+of+God&pg=PA117|url-status=live}}</ref> The coincidence of Jesus' crucifixion with the Jewish Passover led some early Christians to make a [[False etymology|false etymological association]] between Hebrew ''Pesach'' and Greek ''pascho'' ("suffer").<ref>Reece, Steve, "Passover as 'Passion': A Folk Etymology in Luke 22:15", Biblica (Peeters Publishers, Leuven, Belgium) 100 (2019) 601–610.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 8, 2011 |title=The Meaning of Passover {{!}} Chosen People Ministries |url=http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/index.php/holidays-and-festivals/190-the-meaning-of-passover |access-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708150613/http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/index.php/holidays-and-festivals/190-the-meaning-of-passover |archive-date=July 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2010 |title=God's Holy Day Plan > United Church of God |url=http://www.ucg.org/litlibrary/holydays.htm |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619131353/http://www.ucg.org/litlibrary/holydays.htm |archive-date=June 19, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Because [[Computus|Easter's date in the calendar]] is related to lunar phases, Easter often falls on the same week as Passover but this is not necessarily the case; for example, the first full moon after the equinox might happen during the month of [[Adar]].
* In [[Islam]], [[Ashura]] commemorates [[Moses]]'s escape from Egypt through two days of fasting on 10th [[Muharram]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Fasting in Muharram |url=https://pennyappeal.org/news/fasting-muharram#:~:text=Al%2DTirmidhi%20mentions%20that%20Ibn,his%20moral%20beliefs%20against%20Yazid. |website=Penny Appeal |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2016 |title=Ashura: A cross-cultural holiday rooted in Abrahamic religions |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2016/10/22/ashura-a-cross-cultural-holiday-rooted-in-abrahamic-religions |access-date=February 18, 2023 |website=Daily Sabah}}</ref>
* The 2014-published ''The Legislative Themes of Centralization: From Mandate to Demise'' ties Passover to [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic]] rite, unrelated to [[the Exodus]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Jeffrey G. |last=Audirsch |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQaQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|title=The Legislative Themes of Centralization: From Mandate to Demise |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |year=2014 |page=108|isbn=978-1-62032-038-9 |access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403034602/https://books.google.com/books?id=yQaQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Bernard M. |last=Levinson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U-GJFShHwzsC&pg=PA57 |title=Deuteronomy and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1997 |pages=57–58 |isbn=978-0-19-535457-7 |access-date=April 23, 2016 |archive-date=April 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403035045/https://books.google.com/books?id=U-GJFShHwzsC&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Tamara |last=Prosic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVCvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|title=The Development and Symbolism of Passover |publisher=A&C Black |year=2004 |pages=23–27 |isbn=978-0-567-28789-2|access-date=April 23, 2016 |archive-date=April 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403035020/https://books.google.com/books?id=BVCvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Environmental links ==
Some see in Passover an important ecological lesson important to the contemporary situation with different ecological threats like [[climate change]]. For example, Rabbi [[Yonatan Neril]], founder and executive director of the [[Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development]], compares the impact of climate change to the [[Plagues of Egypt]] and the refusal of modern society to change its way of thinking to the refusal of the [[Pharaoh]] to free the Jewish slaves.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Döhler |first1=Dominik |title=What Passover teaches us about the environmental crisis |url=https://www.zavit.org.il/intl/en/uncategorized/what-passover-teaches-us-about-the-environmental-crisis/ |website=Zavit Science&Environment in Israel |access-date=April 5, 2023}}</ref> Scientists discovered evidence for climatic change at the end of the rule of [[Ramesses II]], which could potentially impact the flow of the Nile, leading to [[Algal bloom|red algae bloom]].  This could explain what is described as the ten plagues. According to Neril: "The Egyptians were very happy to have a free source of labor in the form of Israelite slaves. When God said this needs to stop, they were reluctant to change…Fossil fuels, in the past 150 years, have replaced slave labor as the key driver of human society. There's a Pharaoh within us that wants to continue to do something that's not right."<ref>{{cite news |last1=B. Waxman  |first1=Olivia  |title=Did the 10 Plagues of Egypt Really Happen? Here Are 3 Theories |url=https://time.com/5561441/passover-10-plagues-real-history/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |agency=Times |date=April 13, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=N. Ehrenkranz |first1=Joel |last2=A. Sampson |first2=Deborah |title=Origin of the Old Testament Plagues: Explications and Implications |journal=Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine |date=July 2008 |volume=81 |issue=1 |pages=31–42 |pmid=18604309 |pmc=2442724 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Judaism}}
* ''[[The Exodus Decoded]]''
* [[Gebrochts]]
* [[Jewish greetings]]
* [[Kitniyot]]
* [[Ashura]]
* [[Easter]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Passover}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905}}
* [http://www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/passover/ Passover Resources – ReformJudaism.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081011124755/http://www.passover.net/ Guide to Passover – chabad.org]
* [http://ph.yhb.org.il/en/category/pesah/ 'Peninei Halakha' Jewish Law – Yhb.org.il ]
* [http://www.aish.com/h/pes/mm/48972121.html Aish.com Passover Primer]
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11933-passover Jewish Encyclopedia: Passover]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100304151058/http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/pesach/passover.php Akhlah: The Jewish Children's Learning Network]
* [http://www.yeshiva.co/collection/default.aspx/Pesach All about Pesach]
* [http://jewishholidaysonline.com/pesach Secular dates for passover]
* [https://2time.info/countdowns/holidays/passover/ Passover Countdown Timer]. How many days to the next Passover.
* {{New York Times topic|new_id=subject/passover}}
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Passover |volume=20 |pages=888–890}}

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[[Category:Passover| ]]
[[Category:Hallel]]
[[Category:Jewish festivals]]
[[Category:Moses]]
[[Category:Nisan observances]]