A Passover 101 Lesson

Tonight, at sunset, Jews celebrate Passover (think: Charlton Heston and the Ten Commandments).  The tenth plague that GOD beset on the Egyptians was the slaughter of the first-born.  The Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb and therefore 'passed over' by the plague.  Passover is a seven-day festival celebrating our liberation from slavery.  Exodus 13:8 instructs us to share this story with our children.  What better way than at a dinner table?

The Passover Seder is a feast on the first night with seven symbolic foods, a little wine, readings from the Haggadah (an ancient writing that tells the story of the exodus) and some song.  The seven foods include:  two bitter herbs (horseradish and romaine lettuce) to symbolize the bitterness and harsh life of a slave; charoset (sweet, brown mixture of honey, ground nuts and cinnamon) to represent the mortar used by the slaves to build; vegetable (usually celery or parsley) dipped in salt water to symbolize the pain the slaves felt (salt water = tears); a lamb shankbone that represents the sacrificial lamb; a hard boiled egg is a symbol of mourning (eggs are the first thing served after a Jewish funeral); and 3 pieces of Matzah or unleavened bread (the Jews didn't have time to bake before Moses led them out).

Of course there is a ritual associated with all this.  And prayer.  But the main point is to never forget.  Many of the customs surrounding the dinner were designed to get the children to ask questions, why is tonite different than all other nites?  Why do we only eat unleavened bread?  Why are we reclined while eating?

There is also the major house cleaning that goes on -- usually for days -- before Passover.  The goal is to remove every last morsel of chametz.  Chametz is something made from the five grains and then mixed with water and allowed to ferment, like bread.  There is some controversy about exactly what these five grains are but varieties of wheat and barley are accepted by many.  But as with religion in general, everyone has an interpretation.  Interestingly, the Torah provides a very high level of punishment for even OWNING chametz during Passover -- spiritual excision.  Hence the aggressive house cleaning to remove EVERY morsel.

(Since this is my blog, I get to share opinions about things without justification, like this)  I feel that many of the Jewish Laws -- like not eating pork, or removing ALL chametz in the Spring -- were a method for the Rabbis of old to motivate healthy lifestyles amongst people.  What better way to protect people from poorly cooked pig?  Or get them to 'Spring Clean'? 

And now I have done my mitvah (a religious duty outlined in the Torah) as well as posted here three days in a row!!  Hopefully you learned something today.