Pesach (Passover)

Pesach is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, and it is called in the Torah by several names: the Festival of Matzot — after the commandment to eat matzah and the prohibition of leaven; the Spring Festival — because it falls in the spring season, when the omer offering was brought and the grain harvest began; the Festival of Freedom and the Festival of Redemption — because on it Israel was redeemed from bondage.

The festival marks the climax of the redemption from Egypt. After two hundred and ten years of servitude, God sent ten plagues upon Egypt, and in the final plague — the death of the firstborn — all the firstborn of Egypt were condemned to die, while the houses of Israel were spared, for God passed over them. From this the festival draws its name — Pesach, meaning to pass over. On that night, Israel left Egypt in haste, and their dough did not have time to rise, and therefore they were commanded to eat matzah.

The first day of the festival (in the diaspora, the first and second) are full festival days, on which labor is prohibited. The intermediate days are Chol HaMoed, on which certain labors are permitted. The last day of the festival commemorates, according to the Sages, the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea — the moment when Israel crossed through the sea on dry ground and was saved from the pursuing Egyptian army.

The central mitzvot of the festival are: telling the story of the Exodus (the commandment to tell your child), eating matzah, the prohibition of leaven in eating, benefit, and possession, and reading the Haggadah at the Seder. The Seder night is a night of education and transmission — parents tell their children about the Exodus, thereby passing the memory from generation to generation. When the Temple stood, pilgrims would ascend to Jerusalem and offer the Paschal sacrifice, which was eaten on the Seder night in a group.

• Bedikat Chametz — on the night of the 14th of Nisan, one searches the entire house for leaven by candlelight, and recites the blessing for removing leaven.
• Bi'ur Chametz — on the morning of the 14th of Nisan, one burns the leaven that was found, and nullifies any leaven that may remain (bitul chametz).
• Selling chametz — selling the remaining leaven to a non-Jew before the festival, through a rabbinic enactment.
• Fast of the Firstborn — firstborns customarily fast on the eve of Pesach in memory of the sparing of the firstborn in the plague of the firstborn, and it is customary to lighten the fast by completing a Talmudic tractate (siyum).
• The Seder night — a ceremonial meal held on one or two nights (in the diaspora), comprising fifteen steps: Kadesh, Urchatz, Karpas, Yachatz, Maggid, Rachtzah, Motzi, Matzah, Maror, Korech, Shulchan Orech, Tzafun, Barech, Hallel, Nirtzah.
• Four cups — drinking four cups of wine during the Seder, corresponding to the four expressions of redemption: I will bring out, I will deliver, I will redeem, I will take.
• Eating matzah — throughout the seven days of the festival, and on the Seder night there is a biblical obligation to eat matzah (enriched matzah does not fulfill this obligation).
• Eating bitter herbs — eating bitter vegetables (horseradish, lettuce, etc.) in memory of the bitterness of the bondage in Egypt.
• Charoset — a mixture of ground fruits and wine, recalling the mortar in which Israel labored in Egypt, eaten with the bitter herbs.
• Afikoman — a half-piece of matzah saved for the end of the Seder, which children customarily hide to encourage them to stay awake until the end. Nothing is eaten after the afikoman.
• Seventh of Pesach — the last day of the festival, commemorating the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea. Some stay up all night studying, and read about the miracle from the Torah.

Pesach is a biblical festival, and the prohibitions of labor apply on the first and last days (and in the diaspora, also the first two and last two). The remaining days are Chol HaMoed. The prohibition of leaven is biblical, and it includes three prohibitions: eating, deriving benefit, and possession (it shall not be seen or found). The punishment for eating leaven on Pesach is karet. The home must be checked for leaven before the festival (bedikat chametz on the night of the 14th of Nisan) and it must be removed (bi'ur chametz on the morning of the 14th). One who cannot remove all the leaven in one's possession sells it to a non-Jew through a rabbinic enactment (selling chametz). The commandment to eat matzah on the Seder night is biblical, and one must eat at least an olive's worth of matzah. The commandment to eat bitter herbs on the Seder night is rabbinic (since there is no Paschal sacrifice today). In our times, certain labors are permitted on Chol HaMoed, especially those needed for the festival.

In Pesach prayers, the prayer for dew (Tefillat Tal) is added on the first day of the festival, and a special liturgy is used. The full Hallel is recited on all days of the festival (on Chol HaMoed — half Hallel), and the festival portions are read from the Torah. On the Seder night, the Passover Haggadah is read, a special book containing the story of the Exodus, Psalms, and piyyutim (such as Dayenu and Chad Gadya). On the seventh day of Pesach, the Song of the Sea (Shirat Miriam) is read. On the Shabbat of Chol HaMoed, the Song of Songs is read, and on the last day of the festival (in the diaspora, on the eighth), Yizkor is recited. On the afternoon of festival days, Shir HaMaalot is recited in place of Ashrei.