Passover

Chag HaMatzot, Chag HaBikkurim, & Shemirat HaOmer

The Festival of Unleavened Bread - Chag ha’Matzot

matzaMatzah is a central symbol of Passover. The first matzah is eaten at the Seder and is the staple ‘bread’ during the next seven days, when no leavened products are eaten, in accord with Exodus 13:3-8, “Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place; no leavened bread shall be eaten. This day you are to go forth, in the month of Aviv. And when the Lord brings you into the land …which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; …and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory.” …

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Time of our Freedom – Zman Cheruteinu

HaggadahEngPassover is, as it were, the “firstborn” of the biblical festivals. God set it in place when He proclaimed at the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt: “You shall therefore keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year” (Exodus 13:10). As a first, Passover also sets a precedent for the purpose of the mo’edim, the set times of the Festival Cycle. Arnold Eisen describes this basic purpose well in saying that they are a remembrance that we are between redemptions.  “We are commanded to recall the past, in order to remember the present – to see it clearly, to know it fully, in all its possibilities – in the light of our future full redemption.” These appointments with God offer unique opportunities that enable us to look back on God’s mighty deeds, to live in His light in the present, and to look forward in faith.  Together with remembrance, rebirth and hope are also key elements of Passover. It is always celebrated in the spring when fresh new life is bursting forth after the gray confines of the winter.  Passover offers the possibility and hope of renewal, of growth and positive change. …

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