Passover
Is a holiday that
celebrates the escape of the Israelites from Egypt in approximately 1225
B.C.E. The narrative of this adventure is told in the Biblical book of
Exodus. The Israelites had moved down into Egypt as long as 400 years earlier, according
to the Bible. But some scholars suggest that the actual time span was
probably closer to 200 years or less, based upon the Biblical genealogies from
Joseph (who brought his own family into Egypt) to Aaron (who, with Moses, led
the people out of Egypt).
The Israelites came
down to Egypt during a time when a famine was raging in the Biblical Near
East. Egypt had stockpiled food during the seven years of plenty that had
preceded the famine. Joseph, one of the younger sons of the patriarch
Jacob (who was also known as Israel) had predicted the years of plenty and the
years of famine. As a result, he had a high position in the court of the
Pharaoh. The Pharaoh welcomed Joseph's family and settled them in the
delta region of Goshen, where they prospered.
For many generations,
the Israelites enjoyed the protection of the Pharaohs, who valued their work as
shepherds. However, a Pharaoh eventually came to power that feared the
Israelites. According to the Book of Exodus, this Pharaoh tried to destroy
the Israelite population by ordering all male Israelite infants to be killed at
birth. He also required the Israelites to work on large-scale building
projects without pay and under terrible working conditions. The
Israelites saw themselves as slaves.
The book of Exodus
tells us that God ordered Moses, a young Israelite man who had been raised in
the palace of the Pharaoh as a son of Pharaoh's daughter, to lead the
Israelites out of Egypt with the help of his brother Aaron. However, in order
to do so, it was necessary for the Pharaoh to agree to the emigration of the
Israelite population. Moses said to Pharaoh, "Let my people
go." To which Pharaoh replied, "No."
A battle of wills
ensued between the will of the God of the Israelites and the will of the
Pharaoh, who was worshipped as a deity by the Egyptians. Ten plagues were
visited upon the Egyptians, the last of which was the death of the first born
of each family. God told the Israelites to slaughter a lamb as a paschal
sacrifice and put the blood of the sacrifice on the doorposts of their homes so
that the Angel of Death would pass over them on the night of the tenth plague.
After this night of
terror, Pharaoh said that the Israelites could leave Egypt. Fearful that
the Pharaoh would change his mind (which he subsequently did), the Israelites
left as quickly as possible. Because of this, their bread did not have
time to rise.
They fled and found
themselves standing at the shore of the Red Sea with the Pharaoh's chariots
close behind in pursuit. God parted the sea for them, and they walked
across on dry land. When the chariots tried to follow, the iron wheels
stuck in the soft sand, the waters closed over them, and they drowned.
Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron led the women in dancing and singing in
praise to God, who had performed this miracle on their behalf.
God told the
Israelites that they should celebrate their liberation from slavery in Egypt
each year with a seven-day festival during which they should eat only
unleavened bread. Two days of this holiday were set aside as special days
during which no work was to be done. The first night of the holiday was
to be special and was to include the eating of the Paschal sacrifice (of the
lamb), bitter herbs, and unleavened bread, and the telling of the story of the
Exodus from Egypt.
Since very ancient
times, Jews all over the world have assembled with family and friends on the
night of the 15th of Nisan to celebrate the redemption of the Israelites from
slavery in Egypt.
