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Definition:
The celebration of Passover, celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan (March/April), is a
Jewish spring holiday which commemorates the events in the book of
Exodus,
when the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt.
According to the Biblical account, God sent ten plagues to Egypt in order to convince the Pharaoh to release the Hebrews from slavery (after each plague, the Pharaoh relented, but God is recorded as having "hardened his heart" so that God could send another plague the next day). The tenth and final plague was the worst - each first born son of every person and animal was to die in a single night.
Innocent Egyptians were left to suffer the lost of their sons, but the Hebrews were given special instructions by God so that they could avoid such a fate. Each family was to sacrifice a lamb and spread its blood on their doorposts. This was to cause the "angel of death" to "pass over" their homes.
The celebration lasts for eight days (or seven days in Israel), during which people refrain from eating leavened foods, although a special ritual meal (seder) is eaten. The point of avoiding leavened foods is that, for the night when the first born would be killed, the Hebrews were told to make "meals in haste" because there would not be time to make leavened bread. The Passover Festival is, then, a commemoration of this event and of their deliverance from slavery by God.
Also Known As: pesah, pesach, hag hamatzot
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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