Do Jews celebrate Easter? For everyone and about everything. What not to do on Passover

For Jews, Passover is the most important day of the year. It was established back in Old Testament times in memory of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their liberation from slavery. These events not only gave freedom to the Jewish people, but also laid the foundation for the emergence of its national awareness.

That is why the Jewish Passover, called Passover, is of great importance to all Israelis, regardless of their degree of religiosity. On this day they bake Jewish Easter bread and gather as a family at the festive table, where during the meal they tell the children the story of this great holiday.

The history of the Passover holiday, which is often called, goes back to ancient times, when there was no mention of such a nation as Jews. Then the righteous man of Abraham and his wife Sarah had a son, Isaac, who later had an heir to Jacob. The latter had a dozen sons, one of whom was Joseph.

Joseph tried to live in accordance with the righteous doctrine of his father, asking his brothers to also take the right path and abandon wicked deeds. But they did not heed his meek requests, but only became even more embittered and hated Joseph. They were afraid that he would rise above them and decided to kill him, but then changed their minds and sold their righteous brother into slavery.

So Joseph ended up in Egypt. There he suffered many trials, but with God's help he overcame all hardships and eventually turned from a slave into an official close to the pharaoh himself. The ruler of Egypt greatly appreciated the clever and righteous Joseph. And when he predicted a great famine, and Pharaoh managed to make large stocks of food in time, Joseph won the love and respect of not only the ruler, but also the Egyptians.

And when a terrible famine began in all countries, the pharaoh allowed his beloved adviser to bring his father and brothers to Egypt. Joseph, who was not angry with his relatives, was very happy with his family reunion. While he was alive, the Israelites were guests of honor in Egypt and had no need.

But time passed, one generation succeeded another ... Indigenous people gradually forgot that the Jews were guests of the Egyptians, and turned them into slaves. The Jews were forced to work for their masters for more than 400 years and did not see salvation, until one day God sent them Moses, whom he ordered to demand that Pharaoh release his people. The ruler refused to let his slaves go, and then God sent nine terrible executions to Egypt, but the pharaoh did not change his mind.

After that, God told Moses that the next night the most terrible, tenth execution would come - the death of the first-born. He told the prophet to warn the Jewish families that on the eve of this deadly night they would sacrifice lambs and smear the doors of their houses with blood and fry the meat and eat them before morning. That night, the angels brought death to many Egyptian children, they did not touch only those kids who lived in houses whose doors were marked with the blood of the lambs. After these terrible events, the pharaoh allowed the Jews to leave Egypt, which put an end to their long slavery.

In memory of the "liberation" night, the Jewish Passover was established - Passover, which is rightfully considered one of the oldest festivities and began to be celebrated one and a half millennia before the period of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.

Jewish Testament traditions

The exodus from Egypt was the beginning of not only the free life of the Jewish people, but also laid the foundation for the emergence of its distinctive national awareness. Therefore, Jewish Passover has been a major Jewish holiday for over a thousand years. The name Passover is translated from Hebrew as “passing by” and means that the angel of death passed the homes of the Israelites.

The Jews celebrate Passover annually, on the 14th day of Nisan. According to the Jewish calendar, this is the first month of the biblical year, and it usually falls on March or April of the usual, “civilian” calendar. Dates of Jewish Passover, as well as Christian, are transitive.

In the Old Testament times, one of the main traditions was the sacrifice of a lamb or kid. This was done in memory of the night when the blood of the sacrificial animal saved the Jewish babies from the angel of death, punishing Egyptian families. The end to this custom was laid by Jesus Christ when, during the Last Supper, he broke the festive bread and raised a symbolic glass of wine.

Initially, in ancient times Passover - Jewish Passover - was celebrated during the week, where the first and last days were holidays and weekends. Also, throughout this entire period, it was customary to give up hard work and unpleasant duties.

Nowadays, almost all over the world, Passover is celebrated for 8 days, and in Israel - 7.

This custom is connected with the fact that during the period of the resettlement of the Jews there was still no clearly established unified calendar, and they, fearing to miss the memorable date, celebrated all the holidays for two days. And in this case, the weekend is the first two and last two days of the holiday period.

Pesach today: a festive meal and other customs

Preparation for the holiday begins well in advance.

The Jews gather throughout the house all the kvass products that are burned before Passover, since during the whole holiday period they are forbidden to eat flour products from fermented dough and you can only eat unleavened bread.
Also on the morning before the holiday, Jewish first-born men hold a symbolic fast. They offer this sacrifice in memory of the miraculous salvation of Jewish babies during the deadly night preceding the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

According to the Jewish calendar, the change of dates does not occur at midnight, but at the time of sunset, so the Jews begin to celebrate Passover in the evening. A special role is played here by Seder - a special meal for which the whole family must gather, starting with the oldest members of the clan and ending with the kids.

The main attribute of the festive dinner is Jewish, which is baked in the form of cakes and is called "matzo". This dish is prepared in memory of the exodus from Egypt, when the Jews did not have time to wait for the dough to ferment, and they baked unleavened bread, which during the journey saved them from hunger.

In addition to matzo, on a festive dish there must be such dishes.

Products	What do they symbolize
Meat on bone or chicken wing	Symbolize the lamb sacrificed.
Boiled chicken egg.	It represents the indestructible strength of the spirit of the Jewish people, which only grows stronger from the ordeals.
Maror (a kind of bitter horseradish).	Served on the table in memory of the bitter life of the Jews during the period of slavery;
Haroset.	This is a sweet homogeneous mass of pureed fruits, nuts, cinnamon and wine. It symbolizes the clay from which Jews made bricks during the period of slavery.
Salt water in a wide bowl.	According to various interpretations, it symbolizes the tears of the Israelites shed during the torment in Egypt, or personifies the memory of the waters of the Red Sea, which at first parted, letting the Jews pass, and then closed, burying the Egyptian soldiers chased after them.

During the Passover meal, the Jews must eat all these dishes. At the same time, during dinner, the younger family member asks the senior four questions about the events of the memorable "liberation" night, and the head of the family answers them.

Despite similar names, Jewish and Christian Passover are in essence two completely different holidays and are even celebrated at different times. Jews on this day remember the liberation of their people from slavery and the birth of the Jewish nation, and among Orthodox Christians, Easter is an exclusively religious holiday in honor of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.

On Friday evening, March 30, the Jews will begin to celebrate Easter, which in their religion is called Passover.

Unlike other religions, Jews celebrate Passover for seven to eight days (depending on the place of stay of a particular family, - ed.). Every year, the holiday is celebrated from the evening of the 14th day of the spring month of Nisan according to the Jewish calendar. This year, this period falls from March 30 to April 7.

Passover is one of the most ancient and significant holidays in Jewish culture. At this time, it is customary to gather at the table with the whole family, have a meal, talk about the history of their people and remember the most significant events. It is important that every Jew celebrates the holiday, regardless of financial capabilities and status in society.

history of the holiday

In the religious tradition, Passover is dedicated to the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery - for 400 years, Jews have been enslaved by the Egyptians. To liberate the God-chosen people, the Lord sent 10 executions to the Egyptians (the conversion of Nile water into blood, the appearance of a myriad of toads, irresistible hordes of lice, wild animals, mortality of cattle, ulcers, the death of crops from hail and locusts, continuous three-day darkness and the death of the first-born). And only after the tenth pharaoh set the Jews free. According to the Pentateuch, on the eve of the last of the ten executions of Egypt - the defeat of the first-born - God ordered the Jews to slaughter the lambs, fry their meat, and mark the doorposts with their blood. On the night of Nisan 14, God “passed” (the passover) of the houses of the Jews, and they were saved, in the remaining houses all the first-born died. On the same day, Moses liberated the Jewish people, leading them beyond Egypt.

“Pe-sah” is interpreted as “mouth speaking”, and this corresponds to the fact that the main commandment of this holiday is to speak, to tell about the history of the Exodus.

Holiday traditions

Preparation for the holiday begins well in advance. The main stage is cleaning the house - it is customary to throw away all foods and drinks that have been prepared by fermentation or fermentation.

The main tradition of Passover week is a festive dinner - Seder.

It is also important not to consume kvass products (beer, yeast bread, pasta and all products that have gone through the fermentation process - ed.).

In particular, it is forbidden to use:

cereals that came into contact with the liquid (wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelled);
pearl barley, corn, peas due to the fact that in them the process of fermentation can begin;
flour products (bread, rolls, pasta, cookies, cakes, etc.);
cereals made from cereals;
malt and yeast products, mustard;
alcoholic beverages (beer, cider, wheat vodka, whiskey);
pickled products with malt vinegar, fruit essence.

On the first day of the holiday week before dinner, it is customary to read a message describing the events of the Exodus from Egypt.

On the festive table, it is necessary to put new dishes, which are carefully washed before. There should also be a special dish - kear - on which the following treats are laid out:

zroa - fried lamb drumstick, or chicken leg - a ritual symbol of sacrifice;
beitsa - a boiled egg - a symbol of sorrow for the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem;
karpas - parsley - a symbol of the meager diet of Jews in Egypt.

Also, chopped apples and dates are served in the seder, which symbolize the clay from which the Jews made bricks during the time of slavery, and horseradish with lettuce - a symbol of bitterness and suffering in slavery.

In no case should we forget about matzo - a fresh cake that is baked before the holiday.

A special attribute of a seder is a bowl of salt water. In this symbolic way, Jews honor the memory of women who shed tears after learning about the order to kill all the first-born.

Also, during the gala dinner, every adult Jew should drink four cups of wine, which means God's promises to the Jewish people. Children and patients drink grape juice.

It is worth noting that the first and last day of the holiday in Israel is a weekend, these days it is forbidden to work. On the last day of Passover, a “water separation” ceremony is held in the synagogues in memory of the fact that the Lord drained the waters of the Red Sea so that the Jews could cross it, and then brought down waves on the enemies.

Passover and Easter: what is the difference

The bright Easter holiday is dedicated to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, while Passover is dedicated to the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Seder, aka Easter dinner, was called the Last Supper in the Christian tradition. That is, both holidays are closely related both, eventually, and in a theological interpretation.

According to the gospel, Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem when the ancient Jews were just preparing to celebrate Passover. Thus, all the events of Holy Week occurred just during the celebration of Passover.

In addition, as a rule, Orthodox Easter is tied to the Gospel events and occurs one week after Passover.

Jews around the world are about to start celebrating the oldest and most important Jewish holiday - Passover, which is associated with one of the most important events in the history of the Jewish people - the Exodus from Egypt and the deliverance from slavery. Which means that before the Orthodox Easteras they say, a stone's throw - after all these two holidays are closely connected.

When the Jewish Passover is celebrated in 2016

According to the ancient Jewish calendar, the holiday is celebrated from Nisan 14 to Nisan 21. In 2016, Passover will begin with the sunset on Friday, April 22, and will last eight days - Until Saturday evening, April 30. The most important events of the holiday fall on evening of April 22.

In honor of which Passover is celebrated

Jews celebrate Passover in honor of deliverance from Egyptian slavery, gaining freedom and, in fact, the birth of a nation. “Pesach is the most famous Jewish holiday, the holiday of the birth of our people,” explains the chief rabbi of St. Petersburg. Menachem Mendl Pevzner. “Our sages say that we Jews must always feel as though it was we who left Egypt.” (We note right away that the word "Egypt" does not mean a specific modern country, we are talking about ancient Egypt - the land of the Pharaohs, and if wider - this is the conditional name of the place of slavery).

"Translated from Hebrew, Passover means" to jump over. " The Jewish people “jumped” from a state of slavery to a state of freedom, ”recalls the chief rabbi of St. Petersburg.

About the events of the Exodus and the role Moses (Moshe) much has been written in the salvation of the Jews. We only recall that the wandering of the Jews in the desert lasted more than forty years, and Moses himself, alas, did not see the very promised land into which he led his people.

Passover attributes and rituals

The main attributes of Passover: matzo (dry bread from unleavened dough), which the Jews ate during the Exodus, bitter greens in memory of the bitterness of slavery and wine - a sign of divine blessing.

Passover always follows strictly established canons, which are described in Easter Agade - a collection of prayers, blessings, commentaries on the Torah and songs related to the theme of the Exodus and the ritual of the holiday.

The most important part of the holiday is the first Passover seder (“seder” in Hebrew means order, ritual). Reading the Easter Haggadah in the first Seder (in 2016 this is the evening of April 22) is an indispensable part of the holiday. Each action performed before Passover and during the holiday has a deep meaning and very ancient roots, all these rituals have survived to our days almost unchanged.

Holiday Commandments

The main commandment of Passover - must be on the table matzo (bread and in general “leavened”, or “chametz”, these days are strictly prohibited) and bitter greens (maror). Bitter greens are in memory of the bitterness of Egyptian captivity, and matzo is the “bread” of freedom of the ancient Jews, who were in such a hurry to leave hated Egypt that they did not even wait until the dough was raised.

In addition to matzo, the following obligatory Passover attributes lie on a special Easter dish:

Zeroa - a baked piece of meat with bone, in memory of the Easter sacrificial lamb.
Beytsa - A cool egg, also symbolizing a holiday sacrifice.
Maror - The already mentioned bitter greens, in memory of the bitterness of Egyptian slavery.
Haroset - a sweet mixture of grated apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon, in memory of the clay from which the Jewish slaves built the Egyptian pyramids.
Karpas - edible greens (or boiled potatoes) as a symbol of spring, fertility and a new free life. During the seder, Karpas is dipped in salt water, which stands on the table as a sign of tears, shed by Jews in Egyptian slavery.
Hazeret - grated horseradish, which during seder is added to matzoh plates folded in the form of a “sandwich”, arranged with maror.

Also, in fulfillment of the covenants of the holiday, each participant in the Easter seder must drink at least four glasses of wine, which can be replaced with grape juice.

Passover has many interesting rituals, both traditional and quite modern, secular. In Israel, this is a time of vacations and vacations, since work on almost all Passover days is prohibited, either in full or in part.

How Passover is related to Christian Easter

The Passover holiday is so famous also because it is closely connected with the most important Christian holiday, which is even called similarly - Easter.

The holidays are closely connected with the calendar: according to the Gospel, Jesus entered the Jerusalem with the disciples when the ancient Jews were just about to celebrate Passover (so the Christian Last Supper is the very first Passover seder). Moreover, if Catholic Easter is often earlier than Passover, then Orthodox, as a rule (although not always), very accurately reproduces the Hebrew calendar.

Holidays are connected symbolically: Christian Easter is dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, and during the Christian Easter service they read biblical texts dedicated to the Exodus of Jews from Egypt. In addition, in the Christian doctrine, the sacrifice of the Passover lamb is seen as a type of the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus for the atonement of human sins.

So, even during Passover - on Monday, April 25, the Holy Week begins for Orthodox Christians - weeks of religious torment, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And on May 1 another Easter will surely come - the Resurrection of Christ.

Passover or Passover is one of the most important events in Jewish culture. The holiday is dedicated to the most important event of biblical history - the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, which is considered the beginning of the history of the Jewish people.

In Israel, a holiday lasts a week, and beyond it - eight days.

The date of the holiday in the Gregorian calendar is calculated separately each year. In 2019, the Passover holiday begins on April 19 with the sunset.

Passover

Jewish Passover is more ancient than Christian, and has a completely different meaning. Jews celebrated this day long before the birth of Christ - from the 13th century BC, when Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt.

The story began from the time of Jacob, who moved with his family to Egypt. At first they lived richly, but years went by, generations were replaced, Egyptian pharaohs began to oppress and oppress the strangers. Gradually, Jews turned from guests into slaves of the Egyptians.

The Lord, desiring to save the Jews, sent Moses and revealed a number of miracles that made possible the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian captivity. Despite the punishment of God, the pharaoh did not agree to free the slaves. For this, God punished the pharaoh and all of Egypt with 10 terrible punishments, including the death of cattle and crops, Egyptian darkness, terrible diseases.

But the 10th execution was the worst of them - all the first-born of the Egyptian people were killed in one night. To protect his people, the Lord told Moses that every Jewish family, in the evening before the execution, slaughtered a lamb, and the front door marked it with blood, then pestilence would bypass their house.

And on the night of Nisan 14, the Most High passed by the houses with notes. "Passover" in Hebrew means "pass by." After that, Moses was able to lead the Jews from Egyptian land.

Since then, Easter has been celebrated by the Israelis as the day of deliverance - the Exodus from Egyptian slavery and the salvation from the death of all Jewish first-born.

The essence of the holiday

The entire system of Judaism is based on the memory of the Exodus and on subsequent events related to the acquisition of the Promised Land and the construction of its own independent state.

The celebration of Passover in biblical times was accompanied by a pilgrimage to the Temple, sacrifices and a feast with the feast of the Passover lamb.

Historians believe that two ancient festivals of pastoralists and farmers merged together in Passover. And in the biblical period, he became associated with the liberation from Egyptian slavery.

Therefore, the holiday has several names - the first "Passover", this day marks the salvation of Jewish children from death.

The second name - Hag a Matsot (matzah festival), recalls that during the oppression of the Jews in Egypt, they ate mostly ordinary unleavened bread, matzah, as there was no money and time for the rest.

The third name is Hag a Aviv (festival of spring), which means that Passover is also a festival of the revival of nature. The fourth name - Hag a Herut (festival of freedom), means the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

In the Jewish prayer book (siddur) Passover is called "the time of our freedom." The Torah calls it “the feast of unleavened bread”, since the main feature of Passover is the commandment to eat unleavened bread (matzo) and the strictest ban not only on eating but also on having leaven in your house (chametz).

This is the very food that the Jews did not have time to stock up when they left Egypt. Also avoid those foods that may ferment. Malt liquors, beer and other alcoholic drinks based on yeast are prohibited.

Laws related to Passover are formulated in the Talmudic treatise Psahim.

Traditions

Before the holidays, according to tradition, a general cleaning is arranged in the house. Dwellings are cleaned not only from dirt, but also from non-kosher food on Passover, called chametz. This is the name of all kvass products that have gone through the fermentation process - from drinks to bakery products.

To destroy the entire chametz and even its traces in the house, every corner in the children's bedrooms is cleaned, where the child could bring bread, all dishes are washed with hot water and so on.

In the evening before Passover, according to tradition, the head of the house will go around all the rooms with a candle, a pen and a spoon in his hands in a symbolic search for a man. And everything that they discover should be destroyed the next morning in the presence of the whole family.

Matzo, unleavened wheat flour bread that the Jews ate in Egypt, and during the exodus from there, is the only bread permitted in Passover. It is allowed to use flour from one of five cereals: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelled.

The whole baking process from the moment of adding water to the flour should not exceed 18 minutes, since matzo is a reminder that the Jews, having finally received the permission of the pharaoh to leave the country, left Egypt in such a hurry that they had to bake bread from the ascend the test.

Seder

Of particular importance is the gala dinner - the seder (order), which is held on the first evening of the holiday, and in the diaspora countries - on the first two evenings. The whole family usually gathers for a gala dinner; the table is set after sunset, after returning from the synagogue.

Not only close relatives are invited to dinner, but also single, poor Jews, as well as those who were left alone during the holiday.

During the seder, blessings established by the rules are pronounced, prayers are read and psalms are sung. The best dishes and silver, candles, kosher wine, three large pieces of matzoh are put on the table.

In time, the Seder in a certain sequence reads the story of the Exodus (usually according to the book of Agad) and tastes special symbolic dishes: matzah, in fulfillment of the commandment of the Torah; bitter greens - maror (lettuce, basil and horseradish) and chazeret (grated greens), symbolizing the bitterness of Egyptian slavery.

During the meal, the greens are dipped in salt water, symbolizing the tears shed by the Jews in Egyptian slavery, and the sea that they crossed during the Exodus.

A mixture of grated apples, dates, nuts and wine is also served at the festive meal - a charoset, the color of which resembles clay, from which the Jews made bricks, while in Egyptian slavery.

All food is laid out on kear - a special dish that is used only for seder meal. Three symbolic dishes that don’t eat are also placed on kear: zroa - a fried piece of lamb with a bone, in memory of the Easter sacrifice in the Jerusalem temple, a stinger - a cool egg, as a memory of temple services, and karpas - a piece of any spring vegetable (Jews, living in Europe, replace it with boiled potatoes).

Cooked foods are laid out on a dish in a certain way. Three whole matzohs, covered with a napkin, are placed in front of the leading seder. In front of each meal, they place the Haggadah - a book containing a legend about the Exodus from Egypt and all the prayers and blessings necessary for the seder.

The main dishes for the Easter meal are chicken soup with matzo dumplings, gefilte fish (stuffed fish) and baked meat.

During the seder, each Jew must go through five mandatory stages (mitzvot): eat matzah, drink four cups of wine, eat maror (usually between two pieces of matzah), read the Haggadah, sing (or read) laudatory psalms.

Four glasses of red wine symbolize the four promises given by the Most High to the people of Israel: "And I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians ..."; "And I will deliver you ..."; "And I will save you ..."; "And I will accept you ..."

According to tradition, it is customary to fill a fifth, special, glass and leave it for the prophet Elijah (Elijah), who will return to the earth on Passover to announce the onset of "the day of the Lord, great and terrible." This glass is not drunk, but left on the festive table. The Prophet Elijah is considered the forerunner of the Messiah (Messiah), with the advent of which all Jews will return to Eretz Yisrael.

The first and last days of the holidays are considered non-working for Jews. The rest of the week is called "holiday weekdays." On the first day of Passover, all types of work are forbidden. A solemn service is held in the synagogue.

In the next five days, a priest blessing ceremony will be held at the Kotel in Jerusalem, in which only descendants of the Levitical priestly family take part.

The last, seventh day of Passover, celebrates the passage of the Jews of the Red Sea. When Moses and the Jews, persecuted by the Egyptian army, reached the seashore, they had nowhere to go, since they had no ships. Then Moses asked the Almighty for salvation, and a path appeared to the Jewish people, straight across the sea.

This day is celebrated in a joyful atmosphere, with singing and dancing. At midnight in the synagogues and in religious educational institutions, the ceremony of "separation of the sea waters."

The eighth day of Passover is celebrated only in the diaspora regions, where the first two days and the final two days are festive.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources.

The celebration of the historical exodus of the Jews from Egypt annually begins on the 14th of the month of Nisan according to the Jewish lunar calendar.

In Israel, a holiday lasts a week, and beyond it - eight days.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem prepare for Passover

The date of the holiday in the Gregorian calendar is calculated separately each year. In 2018, the Passover holiday begins on March 31 with the sunset.

Passover

And on the night of Nisan 14, the Most High passed by the houses with notes. "Passover" in Hebrew means "pass by." After that, Moses was able to lead the Jews from Egyptian land.

Since then, Easter has been celebrated by the Israelis as the day of deliverance - the Exodus from Egyptian slavery and the salvation from the death of all Jewish first-born.

The essence of the holiday

The entire system of Judaism is based on the memory of the Exodus and on subsequent events related to the acquisition of the Promised Land and the construction of its own independent state.

The celebration of Passover in biblical times was accompanied by a pilgrimage to the Temple, sacrifices and a feast with the feast of the Passover lamb.

Historians believe that two ancient festivals of pastoralists and farmers merged together in Passover. And in the biblical period, he became associated with the liberation from Egyptian slavery.

Therefore, the holiday has several names - the first "Passover", on this day the salvation of Jewish children from death is celebrated.

This is the very food that the Jews did not have time to stock up when they left Egypt. Also avoid those foods that may ferment. Malt liqueurs, beer and other alcoholic drinks based on yeast are prohibited. Laws related to Passover are formulated in the Talmudic treatise “Psahim”.

Traditions

To destroy the entire chametz and even its traces in the house, every corner in the children's bedrooms is cleaned, where the child could bring bread, all dishes are washed with hot water and so on.

Seder

Not only close relatives are invited to dinner, but also single, poor Jews, as well as those who were left alone during the holiday.

Matzo for Jewish believers

Matzo for Jewish believers

In time, the Seder in a certain sequence reads the story of the Exodus (usually according to the book of Agad) and tastes special symbolic dishes: matzo, in fulfillment of the commandment of the Torah; bitter greens - maror (lettuce, basil and horseradish) and chazeret (grated greens), symbolizing the bitterness of Egyptian slavery. During the meal, greens are dipped in salt water, symbolizing the tears shed by Jews in Egyptian slavery, and the sea that they crossed during Exodus time.

A mixture of grated apples, dates, nuts and wine is also served at the festive meal - a charoset, the color of which resembles clay, from which the Jews made bricks, while in Egyptian slavery.

The main dishes for the Easter meal are chicken soup with matzo dumplings, gefilte fish (stuffed fish) and baked meat.

In time for Seder, each Jew must go through five obligatory stages (mitzvot): eat matzah, drink four cups of wine, eat maror (usually between two pieces of matzah), read the Haggadah, sing (or read) laudatory psalms.

Four glasses of red wine symbolize the four promises given by the Most High to the people of Israel: "And I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians ..."; “And I will deliver you ...”; “And I will save you ...”; "And I will accept you ..."

According to tradition, it is customary to fill the fifth, special, glass and leave it for the prophet Elijah (Elijah), who will return to the earth on the eve of Passover to announce the onset of "the day of the Lord, great and terrible." This glass is not drunk, but left on the festive table. The Prophet Elijah is considered the forerunner of the Messiah (Messiah), with the advent of which all Jews will return to Eretz Yisrael.

It is customary to hide a piece of matzoh (afikoman) in time to seder in order to captivate children with his searches. The found afikoman is eaten at the end of the meal. The meal ends with a greeting: “Next year - in Jerusalem!” The first and last days of the holidays are considered non-working for Jews. The rest of the week is called "holiday weekdays." On the first day of Passover, all types of work are forbidden. A solemn service is held in the synagogue.

In the next five days, a priest blessing ceremony will be held at the Kotel in Jerusalem, in which only descendants of the Levitical priestly family take part.

This day is celebrated in a joyful atmosphere, with singing and dancing. At midnight in the synagogues and in religious educational institutions, a ceremony of "separation of sea waters."

The eighth day of Passover is celebrated only in the diaspora regions, where the first two days and the final two days are festive.