Written by Elisa Tobelem for WBII
As we have now entered the Jewish month of Nissan, Jews all over the world prepare themselves to celebrate the spring festival of Passover, or “Pesach”. Now, if we had to ask people what they know about Passover, many would likely refer to the extremely long meal, also known as the Seder, where no one is allowed to eat anything besides a piece of celery for the first hour and a half and where Jewish families come together from all over to engage in what can only be classified as Kardashian-level drama (does a lamb recipe really warrant this?). Others may refer to the weeklong obligation to forego all wheat – goodbye bread and pasta – and our efforts to convince ourselves matzah is a suitable replacement (matzah pizza anyone?) when it is, in fact, a dry cracker. When it comes to the Passover story, we often hear about the ten plagues; frogs falling from the sky and the splitting of the sea; I find that my yearly rewatch of the ‘Prince of Egypt’ really helps me grasp those key details (perhaps not quite historically accurate, but a cinematic masterpiece nonetheless).
All of these things are relevant. However, beyond these details, Passover is known as one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar. Jews love to celebrate, but amidst these occasions, there are three standouts; Sukkot (The Festival of Tabernacles); Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (The Festival of Weeks). These are known as the ‘Shalosh Regalim’ or the ‘Pilgrimage Festivals’; they were named as such for two reasons: firstly, and perhaps more obviously, because Jews were expected to perform a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to honour them. Secondly, these three festivals coincide with three important harvest times in Israel – Sukkot marks the end of the fruit harvest (last harvest before winter); Pesach with the barley harvest (early spring harvest – new planting season) and Shavuot with the wheat harvest (late spring harvest). As such, they all act as critical benchmarks across the Jewish year for both historical and agricultural reasons.
Passover: The Origin, Backstory and General Timeline
Passover specifically, is fundamentally about celebrating the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. For many years after Joseph arrived in Egypt, the Hebrews were able to live peacefully with the Egyptians. However, the Torah tells us this all changed when Joseph died (a whole other story, go back and watch the last few episodes) and a new Pharaoh came to power; one who didn’t know the Hebrews and thus saw them as a threat. As such, to exert control over the growing Hebrew population, this new leader enslaved us, and we would spend the next two hundred and ten years living in slavery. During this time, the Hebrew nation saw much strife and pain; aside from forced labour; Hebrew women were raped and eventually, the Egyptians began killing off baby boys in an attempt to contain the growth of the Hebrew population.
Unfortunately, this dark period lasted for generations – up until, the Torah says, “G-d heard the cries of the Hebrews and sent them a saviour” – this saviour being Moses. The Passover story, therefore, technically begins at the time of Moses’ birth, as with G-d’s guidance, he is the one to lead us to liberation, but in reality, the exodus from Egypt didn’t take place till 80 years later. When Moses is born – to save him from the fate faced by other Jewish baby boys – his mother Yocheved sends him down the River Nile in a basket where he is eventually found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and is raised in the palace (Again, the Prince of Egypt really clears up any confusion here). Moses grows up as an Egyptian, but deeply struggles with the pain felt by the Hebrews, and he is eventually forced to flee Egypt when he kills an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew.
It is whilst he is in “exile” that he will meet his wife Tzipporah, and more importantly, that G-d will appear to him in the form of a burning bush. G-d instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand that he “Let My people go”, and whilst Moses originally contests this, he eventually returns to Egypt with his family.
Unsurprisingly, Pharoah is like “thanks, but no thanks”, and to punish Moses for even suggesting this, he increases the burden on the Hebrews. Moses, feeling guilty, turns to G-d and asks, “why is this happening?”, to which G-d reveals not only that he has big plans for Pharaoh and that the Hebrews will be freed, but moreover, that He will name the Hebrews as His chosen people and bring them to the Land He promised to the Patriarchs and ancestors. As such, Passover is a critical turning point in our journey towards the Promised Land; the land, coincidentally, that people try to argue isn’t ours today.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Where were we? Ah yes, the big plans, also known as, the 10 plagues. Which were:
1) Water turning to Blood
2) Swarms of Frogs
3) Lice infesting all men and beasts
4) Hordes of wild animals invade Egypt
5) Pests kill domestic animals/ cattle
6) Painful boils for the Egyptians
7) Fire and Ice combine from the Sky
8) Swarms of Locusts
9) Darkness
It is important to note, before we get to the final plague, that after each plague, Moses attempted to reason with Pharaoh. Each time, Pharaoh remained hardened – making promises of their freedom but reneging on these just as quickly. No matter the strife of his own people and the Power of G-d evident in each plague, Pharaoh would not budge.
As such, the Hebrews and any new believers even amongst the Egyptians, were given an instruction: that they sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on the doorframe. Why? Because then came the last plague:
10) The killing of firstborn boys in Egypt
The smearing of the blood on the doorframe, therefore, was an outward sign that the household had faith and acknowledged G-d’s power, and as such, this let G-d know to pass over these homes when He passed through Egypt. Hence, the name ‘Passover’.
Exodus
Given the scale of the tragedy from this plague, Pharaoh swiftly changes his mind, almost begging the Hebrews to leave the land. In order to avoid the possibility of Pharaoh going back on his word, the Hebrews leave Egypt hastily, leaving no time for their doughs to rise, and they are forced to take the unleavened provisions (the only time in history Jews travelled light). From here we derive the eating of Matzah during Passover – the more general rule is that we may not eat anything that has risen for more than 18 minutes. As the Hebrews are departing from Egypt and reaching the Red Sea, Pharaoh chases after them, trapping them. G-d commands Moses to raise his staff over the water and the sea splits, allowing the Hebrews to pass, but closing in time to engulf the Egyptian army.
Principal Themes
1. Renewal
Although the Jewish New Year officially takes place in autumn, at Rosh Hashanah, many consider that the month of Nissan, and more specifically Pesach, are the beginning of the year in the Jewish Calendar. Why? Well, first, as mentioned earlier, Pesach marks the start of the early spring harvest, and as we know, spring is associated with “rebirth” and creation, as flowers and plants begin to bloom again; animals end their hibernation period (as do I, if I’m honest) and the new season signals the start of lighter and brighter times. For many, this is therefore the perfect time for fresh starts; the cleaning that must take place in Jewish households prior to Pesach reflects this. Yes, on the one hand, it is primarily to ensure that there is no forbidden “hametz” (wheat; yeast; other non-kosher for Passover products in the house), but moreover, it ensures that the house is cleared of clutter, unwanted items and clean for the new season. It is interesting to note here therefore that, although Passover is a specifically Jewish holiday, the preparation process for Pesach is in fact universal. In contemporary settings, we see many people preach the idea of “spring cleaning” and lucky for Jews, it is pre-set in our calendar.
2. Liberation
Tied to this theme of renewal is the theme of liberation. Naturally, one of the most important parts of the Pesach story is our freedom from slavery in Egypt and an end to the visceral struggle the nation endured. However, there is much more to this theme than a literal understanding. Many believe that Pesach also marks a period in which to rid oneself of their spiritual shackles – much like we clean our homes of “hametz”, we must partake in equally important internal “hametz-cleansing”. What are the things which hold us back? Is it our self-doubt; our pride; our lack of faith or trust? In order to thrive, create and benefit from new opportunities in the upcoming seasons, we must tackle these internal obstacles – much like the Hebrew nation had to let go of their identity as an enslaved, struggling people in order to be mentally ready to receive the Torah at Mt Sinai. Matzah is our modern-day manner of reminding us of this journey from slavery to freedom – of distinguishing the festival from our everyday. Once again, we see that Passover reaps a universal lesson – essential for Jews and Non-Jews alike – in order to grow, we must let go of the things which hinder us – our self-limiting beliefs, our grudges, our past failures. They may be a part of who we are, but they do not have to define us. It’s crazy, isn’t it? There are people who spend thousands of dollars in therapy to hear just that and all that we need is to celebrate Pesach. Who’d have thought it?
3. Faith
As many of the Jewish festivals are, Pesach is a story of faith. However, more than any other, Pesach is about retaining faith. Though everyone is different, for most, it is easy to have faith in the good times; as I sit in the sun with a glass of rose (ideal springtime activity), and in our daily lives when (thank G-d) health, wealth and family seem secure and settled. And B”H, as we are in the month of Nissan and celebrate Pesach, all we can wish for are miracles and blessings for ourselves, those we love and our people. We often hear, “G-d is good, G-d is great” and yes, indeed, G-d IS good – it is incredibly important to recognise our blessings, always. But even more crucial perhaps, and as difficult as it may be, we must as fervently acknowledge this in the darker times. The times when even getting out of bed is a struggle, when we are lost or feel ignored, those are the times when we must have the most faith. Whilst the Jewish story is repeatedly about finding the strength to have faith amidst the darkness, Pesach is the quintessential example. 210 years of slavery? Of anguish? Of generations praying to be freed from their torment? There were likely countless opportunities along the way to lose faith – and undoubtedly some must have. But what Pesach shows us more than anything else is that G-d is THERE, G-d is listening. Though the time frame seems immense, when the time came for the Hebrews to be free, G-d’s presence was undoubtable; not only did we see the 10 plagues and our liberation, but he then deemed us His chosen nation, gave us the Ten Commandments and eventually led us to the Promised Land. I do not claim to be an expert in any way in our religious history or even in faith – we all go through our own journey – but if there is one thing I can attest to, it is that a life imbued with belief and faith in G-d, is an infinitely better life lived than one without. Whilst no one in this world has the knowledge nor authority to say why exactly terrible things may happen, having faith means there will always be light at the end of the tunnel, even beyond our comprehension or imaginable scope. As cheesy as it may sound then, I pray that we all stay strong, that we all find our light – as individuals, as a nation.
4. Survival
Anyone who knows anything about Jewish history will know that survival against all odds is an underlying and cornerstone theme of Judaism. We see it at Hannukah, when the a tiny group called the Maccabees defeated the Greeks; we see it at Purim, when the collective Jewish effort foiled Haman’s plan to kill us all – despite him being the most trusted advisor of the King at the time. And of course, we see it in the Pesach story when the Hebrews survived not only centuries of slavery; but were spared from harm from the plagues and were rid of all obstacles in their exodus from Egypt. I mean the skies and the sea literally opened up – talk about unlikely, right? Some may say it should have been the primary theme discussed, but it isn’t, because a) it ties in significantly with our story today and this is my paper so I can do as I like, and b) whilst surviving those who would extinguish us is a repeated achievement for Jews, I believe survival is not a grand enough term to define our history.
What do I mean by this?
Yes, over the course of our story, we see many examples of suffering, struggle and hardship. We have undeniably been faced with several enemies who wish for our extinction, and unfortunately, as has been proven to us over the last year and a half, there are still those fervently working towards this goal. Hearing this, people are often very eager to shut us down, belittle our journey as a people and dismiss these facts in our history as victimisation. What people often miss when they make this case, and what we as a nation must always remember, is that: whilst we do refer significantly to our suffering and our fight to survive, we often do so as a reminder that if our track record has proven anything, it is that we will never take a fight lying down. Our enemies should know that we will always come out of the battle as a light – stronger and united.
Passover may be the culmination of 210 years of slavery in Egypt, but the real story lies in our journey to freedom and the G-d and miracles which led us there. Whilst Jews may be accused of victimisation, the reality is that our power lies in our ability to turn a story of struggle into a win to remember. Our festivals are ALL without exception about happiness and celebration. The term “survival” then, cannot encompass this. I am firmly of the stance that whilst our history may be rooted in struggle and survival, our people are defined by our victories; our joy and our strength to thrive through all circumstances.
This brings us to where we are today; there are a number of reasons for which the Passover story holds incredible meaning, if not more, for the current climate we face.
As we saw earlier, the first instinct of Pharaoh after Joseph dies is to enslave the Hebrews; whether it is out of fear; out of a desire to keep control; out of pride or all of these, much like we see today, the choice is violence and oppression. No matter that Hebrews and Egyptians lived together harmoniously for many years – the Hebrews must be contained.
Furthermore, much like Hamas is willing to implement their terrorist agenda and remain steadfast in their intentions at all costs – including the lives of their own people – Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews leave Egypt after EVERY plague. No matter the hardship of his own people and what they were facing – Pharaoh decided his pride and ego were more important than their survival.
Finally, Passover marks a key milestone in our journey towards our Promised Land. People today may do their best to deny our right to Israel – but Pesach is a formal, yearly reminder that our story was just beginning when we left Egypt; our religion (as we know it today) and our homeland were waiting for us, we simply had to trust in G-d’s timing.
What has transpired since October 7th often feels like a nightmare you never wake up from; we have seen levels of animosity, hatred and denial that many believed would never be a part of our story again. Even as I write this, I struggle to find the right words to encompass the depth of tragedy that took place that day – and I think to myself, how? How do I end this piece with all the faith, joy and creative spirit Pesach deserves, knowing that we still await the release of our people and that for so many, life will never be the same again. So, here are my two cents – perhaps this is our Egypt; taken literally, the struggles are vastly different. But just like those 210 years of slavery, this past year and a half has been marked by indescribable pain and sadness. Amidst the darkness, however, we have seen pillars of light emerging through and for our nation: the sudden unity of a people previously divided; the strength and bravery of those in our homeland; the faith and tenacity of our hostages and their families; the young and bright individuals on university campuses; the likely and unlikely allies; the collective prayers of the Jewish nation. We must recognise these instances for what they are – miracles in our time. However difficult this time has been – and it undoubtedly has – G-d continues to prove to us daily that He is there; that He has not forgotten us. As we enter this new cycle and move to celebrate this magnificent festival, I pray for many things – I pray for a release of our remaining hostages; for an end to the conflict, the surrender of our enemies, and I pray that as a people, we will continue to unite in our faith in Him, His plan and His Timing.
Wishing everyone a Pesach Kasher ve Sameach, and a beautiful new season to all!
