Passover A Festival of Freedom
Passover
2024 begins at sundown on Monday, April 22nd, and ends the evening of April 30th.
What
is Passover?
It
commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Passover is
the Seder, which occurs on the first two nights (in Israel
just the first night) of the holiday — a festive meal that involves the
re-telling of the Exodus through stories and song and the consumption of ritual
foods, including matzah and marora (bitter
herbs). The Seder’s rituals and other readings are outlined in the Haggadah — today, many different versions of
this Passover guide are available in print and online, and you can also create
your own.
What
are some Passover practices?
The
central Passover practice is a set of intense dietary changes,
mainly the absence of hametz, or foods with leaven. (Ashkenazi Jews also avoid kitniyot, a category of food that includes legumes.) In recent
years, many Jews have compensated for the lack of grain by cooking with guinea, although not all recognize it as kosher for Passover.
The ecstatic cycle of psalms called Hallel is recited both at night and day (during the Seder
and morning prayers). Additionally, Passover commences a 49-day period called
the Omer, which recalls the count between offerings brought to the
ancient Temple in
Jerusalem. This count culminates in the holiday of Shavuot, the anniversary of the receiving of the Torah at
Sinai.
What
foods do we eat on Passover?
Matzah, or unleavened bread, is the main food of Passover. You
can purchase it in numerous stores, or you can make your own. But the holiday
has many traditional, popular foods, from haroset (a mixture of fruit, nuts, wine, and cinnamon)
to matzah ball soup — and the absence of leavening
calls upon a cook to employ all of his/her culinary creativity.
We want to take a moment to wish everyone
celebrating within the Morgandale community a joyous and
peaceful Passover.
Sincerely,
Jill L. Geiger, CMCA, AMS,
PCAM
General Manager for
Morgandale Condominium Association
Source: Myjewishlearning.com
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