Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men observe the process of baking Matzoth in a bakery at the agricultural community of Komemyut near the southern city of Kiryat Gat on April 2, 2012. DAVID BUIMOVITCH/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: afplivefour375698.
Once the sun sinks below the horizon today, the Jewish holiday of Passover officially begins. Passover commemorates the freeing of the Israelites from slavery, as chronicled in Exodus. As the story goes, Moses asked the Pharaoh several times to free his people, but the Pharaoh wasn’t very willing to just let his entire labor force walk off the job, so to speak. So Moses called down the wrath of God in the form of several plagues. The final plague was the worst- the infamous Angel of Death which was supposed to kill every firstborn child in the land of Egypt. To protect themselves, the Israelites covered their door posts with the blood of a lamb. According to the Bible, the Angel of Death would see the blood and pass over the house. Hence the name Passover.
Also according to this story, when the Pharaoh finally let the Israelite slaves go free they didn’t have time to let their bread rise before they had to take off. So on the Passover only unleavened items are eaten. (Leaven is the stuff that makes bread rise.) In fact, part of the preparation for Passover is the burning of everything that has leaven in it.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews burn leavened items in a final preparation before the start at sundown of the Jewish Passover holiday, in Jerusalem, on April 18, 2011. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: afplivethree852808.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather at a site where leavened items are burnt in a final preparation before the start at sundown of the Jewish Passover holiday, in Jerusalem on March 29, 2010. MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: afplivethree269398.
Another, and probably the most famous, tradition of Passover is the Passover dinner or seder. This dinner has very specific food items with a great deal of symbolism behind it. (This list was taken from this website.)
- Hard boiled egg – symbol of the suffering and oppression in Egypt. Everything else in boiling water becomes soft or disintegrates. But an egg becomes hard, like the Israelites. The more it is boiled, the harder it becomes. An egg also symbolizes New Life.
- Roasted shankbone of lamb – reminds them there had to be blood sacrificed to save their lives.
- Bitter herbs – horseradish – reminds them they were servants to slavery.
- Greens – parsley, celery – symbol of coming of Spring which brings hope.
- Salt water – reminds them of the tears they cried in Egypt.
- Haroset – nut, apple, cinnamon, wine mixture which has the appearance of straw in remembrance of the mortar used to build the Treasure Cities for Pharaoh. It is symbolic of the hope of freedom that enabled their ancestors to withstand the bitterness of slavery.
- Matzah – the unleavened bread that reminds them of the haste with which they left Egypt.
The traditional Passover Seder plate at Urban Solace in North Park. The restaurant will hold a Seder on the first night of Passover on Monday March 30th starting at sundown. ZUMA Press/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: zumawireworldphotosthree078666.
Passover dinner. Consolidated News Photos/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: cnpphotos031604.
Passover is an integral holiday of the Jewish faith. And as such, this collection of Passover images should help you tell the story of Passover in a visually stunning way. There are so many aspects of this holiday to choose from that the possibilities are basically endless. Here are some more images to get those ideas flowing.
Jolene Davis, left, Phyllis Davis, Lainey Berkus, and Carol Horwitz pray Monday night April 5, 2004 after lighting candles at the start of the extended Horwitz family's Passover Seder. William Luther/ZUMA Press/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: zunique066969.
'Festival of Freedom' - Jewish people prepare their dishes for the traditional Passover holiday in Jersualem. Joerg Waizmann/Action Press/ZUMA Press/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: zunique065714.
An Ultra Orthodox Jew makes the flat, unleavend bread 'matza' in a bakery in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem on Sunday, 18 March 2007 as production continues on the unleavened bread ahead of the high Jewish holiday of Passover. NATI SHOHAT/EPA/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: epaphotosfour293802.
Passover for Ultra Orthodox Jews in Meah Shearim. Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: cecreative006367.
Passover for Ultra Orthodox Jews in Meah Shearim. Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: cecreative001282.
Orthodox men cover for prayer at the Western wall in the Old City of Jerusalem 20 April, 2003 during the Passover mass prayer Cohanim blessing ("Priestly blessing"). MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Newscom. Find it at Newscom.com: afpphotos571299.
We have more pictures of Passover back at Newscom.
Here are some other holiday blogs you might be interested in:
Beautiful Colors of Holi Festival
Pictures of the Week: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Tags: egypt, israelites, leaven, Passover, passover dinner, seder