Pesah (Passover)
e l e v e n  o b j e c t s

The spring festival begins on the 15th day of Nisan, and lasts seven days in Israel and among Reform Jews, and for eight days in the Diaspora. It is so named because in Exodus 34:25, God “passed over” or protected the houses of the children of Israel. Pesah is the name of the paschal lamb that was offered as a sacrifice on the eve of the feast in the time of the Temple. According to tradition, the Passover rites were divinely ordained as a reminder of God’s deliverance of His people from Egyptian bondage. Historically, these rites are derived from an agricultural feast that was held during the period of the Kings of Israel and from a pastoral feast of unleavened bread. Clear records exist describing the rites, but among Jews the paschal lamb offered as a sacrifice came to an end after the destruction of the Second Temple. The other practices have continued, along with additional references to the events throughout Jewish history. Most notable is the recitation of “had gadyah,” an allegorical song. (Follow this link to read the had gadyah.)

            The cat represents Babylon, which destroyed the First Temple in the sixth century B.C.E. The dog is Persia, which overthrew Babylon; the stick is Greece, which vanquished Persia; the fire is Rome, conqueror of Greece; the water represents the Barbarian invaders who overwhelmed Rome; the ox is the Moslem hoards who absorbed most of the Middle East; and the slaughterer is the crusading armies of Europe that overthrew the Moslem power. It is believed that in the end Divine Power will bring the Age of Peace.  
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            Before the coming of Passover, the home must be properly cleaned and prepared. The kitchen cupboards are to be emptied, regular dish sets put away, all surfaces cleaned and all bread products given away. Lastly a ritual search for bread crumbs is made, with the findings burned before the holiday can commence. To accomplish the ritual cleaning, a feather is used to “sweep” the crumbs into a wooden spoon for disposal. In the Ethiopian Jewish communities, new pottery is crafted for Passover each year and old dishes are smashed.

            The history of the Jewish people is retold during the seder, a special home ceremony based on the injunction to parents that they must tell their children of the deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 13:8). The seder table is set with several special artifacts. They include a haggadah (the book that provides instruction and prayers for the seder); a matzah holder either in three layers or with three pockets representing the Kohen, the Levites, and Israel; a plate to hold the symbols of the seder (roasted egg, the lamb bone, a dish of salt water, maror or bitter herbs, and the haroset or mortar for the brick-making in Egypt). Also on the table is an extra cup for the Prophet Elijah filled with wine, a pillow for the leader of the seder to lean upon (as a symbol of a free man), and a bowl of water and towel for the ceremonial washing of the hands before the meal. According to tradition, all cooking and eating utensils must be used only for the Passover period. Two sets are required to separate meat from dairy and provide that no leavened bread product has touched these utensils. Matzah must be eaten on the first night of Passover and is to be substituted for bread throughout the eight days of the festival.