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Read below to know how this festival came into practice and the motive behind it's celebrations
In the days before passover, the house is prepared. All traces of bread, or anything using yeast, is eaten or removed from the house, and all of the dishes, silverware, pots and pans are changed for a set that is used only for passover.
The day before passover, the house is searched for any trace of yeast products, (chumetz) and the whole family is involved in the search. Anything found is discarded, or given away to non-jewish people.
History of Passover relates back to over 3,000 years ago, when the Jews were held as slaves by the Egyptian Pharaoh, Rameses II. Moses, who looked after the cause of the Jews, asked Pharaoh several times to release them from slavery, and warned Him that he would devastate his people by plagues. Moses inflicted 10 plagues, and after all the 9 plagues, the Pharaoh agreed to release the Jews from slavery, but quickly changed his mind. (You can read about the 10 plagues by clicking here.) After the 10th plague however, he let the Jews go. The Jews left in a hurry, owing to the fickle-mindness of the Pharaoh, and could thus only take unleavened bread with them, called Matza, which is a part of celebration even today. As expected, the Pharaoh send his army after the Jews so that they could be brought back. The jews travelled for 40 days and nights, and reached Red Sea, where they saw the emperor's army advancing towards them. In despair they asked for help from Moses, who parted the waters of Red Sea for the Jews to cross. As soon as the Jews crossed, the Red Sea regained and drowned the soldiers.
Since the time of Jewish freedom from Egyptian slavery, Jews have celebrated this historical event by having a feast called the 'Seder'. The word 'Seder' means 'order' and refers to the order of historical events recalled in the Passover meal as well as the meal itself. The story of Passover is read from a book called the 'Haggadah'. While the main story of Passover is read by Jews the world over, local customs and traditions have changed over time, so that the festival has been adapted to reflect the life and routine of individual communities. This is why the festival of Passover is celebrated differently in Tunisia than in Canada.
Passover is celebrated for 8 days (7 for Reform Jews), and always begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan.
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Seder
Read below for this very special event of Passover.
Navigate thru Passover
The seder is a way for each participant to relive the Exodus as a personal spiritual event.
The seder is of a religious nature with a carefully prescribed ritual that makes the dinner quite unlike family dinners held on civil holidays. The ritual is laid out in the haggadah, a book that is followed during the seder.
The head of the family begins the ceremony by sanctifying the holiday with a benediction (Kiddish) over a cup of wine. In all, four cups of wine (arba' kosot) will be drunk at certain intervals.
After all have washed their hands, the master of the seder presents celery or another raw vegetable (karpas) dipped in vinegar or salt water to all participants.
Then a shank bone, symbolic of the Paschal lamb eaten in ancient times,
and (commonly) a hard-boiled egg, symbolic of God's loving kindness (or, according to some, a mournful reminder of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem), are removed from the seder plate, while all recite a prayer.
After a second cup of wine is poured, The youngest of the children present asks the four questions (these are in the haggadah) and the adults answer in unison:
The first question: Why does this night differ from all other nights? For on all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread; why on this night only unleavened bread?
The answer: To remind us of the Exodus when our ancestors didn't have the time to bake their bread, and baked it in the hot desert until it was hard. No time to allow the yeast to rise either, so it was flat.
The second question: On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs; why on this night only bitter herbs?
The answer: To remind us of the bitter, cruel way our ancestors were treated in slavery.
The third question: On all other nights we need not dip our herbs even once; why on this night must we dip them twice?
The answer: We dip our food into Haroset (a mixture of apples, wine and nuts) to remind us of the hard work our forebears did while building the Pharoh's buildings. *The mixture resembles mortar*
And we dip our greens (reminder of spring) into salt water, to remind us of the tears that were shed by the Jewish slaves.
The fourth question: On all other nights we eat either sitting up or reclining; why on this night do we all recline?
The answer: To be comfortable, and to remind us that once we were slaves, and now we are free.
The Sedar is in remembrance to the hardships our ancestors faced in slavery, and has been celebrated ever since they were free from the slavery.
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The 10 Plagues
Moses asked the Pharoah to release the Jewish people from slavery, Pharoah refused. In return, God sent plagues into Egypt. It was the last, and most fierce plague, the slaying of the first born, that finally made the Pharoah capitulate, and allow the Jewish people to leave Egypt. The Jews were spared from the last plague by spreading lamb's blood on their front doors, thereby identifying the house as a Jewish house, and the plague "PASSED OVER" the houses of the Jewish slaves. The ten plagues are listed below:-
Blood
Frogs
Vermin
Beasts
Cattle Disease
Boils
Hail
Locusts
Darkness
Slaying of First Born
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Jokes for Passover!
Moses was sitting in the Egyptian ghetto. Things were terrible. Pharaoh wouldn't even speak to him. The rest of the Israelites were mad at him and making the overseers even more irritable than usual, etc. He was about ready to give up.
Suddenly a booming, sonorous voice spoke from above:
"You, Moses, heed me ! I have good news, and bad news."
Moses was staggered. The voice continued:
"You, Moses, will lead the People of Israel from bondage. If Pharaoh refuses to release your bonds, I will smite Egypt with a rain of frogs"
"You, Moses, will lead the People of Israel to the Promised Land. If Pharaoh blocks your way, I will smite Egypt with a plague of Locust."
"You, Moses, will lead the People of Israel to freedom and safety. If Pharaoh's army pursues you, I will part the waters of the Red Sea to open your path to the Promised Land."
Moses was stunned. He stammered, "That's.... that's fantastic. I can't believe it! --- But what's the bad news?"
"You, Moses, must write the Environmental Impact Statement."
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An orthodox Rabbi dies and goes to heaven. As he's approaching the
gates, he hears a band of singing and dancing angels approach, and
begins to get excited. The lead angel approaches the Rabbi and asks
if he would mind stepping aside for a moment. Shocked, the Rabbi does so.
The angels march out of the gates and encircle a man who has also
approached the gates. The man is an Egged bus driver [Egged,
pronounced like egg-head without the h, is the Israeli tour bus
company.] The joyous parade of angels carry the bus driver in ahead
of the Rabbi.
When the parade is gone, an angel returns to the Rabbi and says, "You
can come in now." The angel begins to lead the Rabbi inside alone.
The Rabbi, somewhat confused, says, "I'm not one to make waves or
anything, but I need to know something. I think I've been a good
Rabbi. I've worked hard all my life. Why is it that the Egged bus
driver gets led in by a band of angels ahead of me?"
The angel says, "Well, frankly, Rabbi, whenever you preached, people
slept. But whenever he drove, people prayed."
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A little boy once returned home from Hebrew school and his father asked, "what did you learn today?"
He answered, "The Rabbi told us how Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt."
"How?"
The boy said "Moses was a big strong man and he beat Pharaoh up. Then while he was down, he got all the people together and ran towards the sea. When he got there, he has the Corps of Engineers build a huge pontoon bridge. Once they got on the other side, they blew up the bridge while the Egyptians were trying to cross."
The father was shocked. "Is that what the Rabbi taught you?"
The boy replied, "No. But you'd never believe the story he DID tell us!"
As Moses and the children of Israel were crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel began to complain to Moses of how thirsty they were after walking so far. Unfortunately, they were not able to drink from the walls of water on either side of them, as they were made up of salt-water.
Then, a fish from that wall of water told Moses that he and his family heard the complaints of the people, but that they through their own gills could remove the salt from the water and force it out of their mouths like a fresh water fountain for the Israelites to drink from as they walked by.
Moses accepted this kindly fish's offer. But before the fish and his family began to help, they told Moses they had a demand. They and their descendants had to be always present at the seder meal that would be established to commemorate the Exodus, since they had a part in the story. When Moses agreed to this, he gave them their name which remains how they are known to this very day, for he said to them, "Go Filter Fish!"
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Bernie, a young Jewish boy, decided he wanted to be an aeronautical engineer and build airplanes. Over the years he studied hard, went to the best schools, and finally got his degree. It didn't take long before he gained a reputation as the finest aeronautical engineer in all the land, so he decided to start his own company to build jets.
His company was such a hit that the President of the United States called Bernie into his office. "Bernie," the president said, "the President of Israel wants to commission your company to build an advanced jet fighter for his country. You have our approval--go out and design him the best jet fighter ever made."
Needless to say, Bernie was tremendously excited at this prospect. The entire resources of his company went into building the most advanced jet fighter in history. Everything looked terrific on paper, but when they held the first test flight of the new jet, disaster struck. The wings couldn't take the strain--they broke clean off of the fuselage! (The test pilot parachuted to safety, thank G-d.) Bernie was devastated; his company redesigned the jet fighter, but the same thing happened at the next test flight--the wings broke off again.
Beside himself with worry, Bernie went to his Schul to pray...to ask G-d where he had gone wrong. The rabbi saw Bernie's sadness, and naturally asked him what the matter was. Bernie decided to pour his heart out to the rabbi.
After hearing the problem with the jet fighter, the rabbi put his arm on Bernie's shoulder and told him, "Listen, I know how to solve your problem. All you have to do is drill a row of holes directly above and below where the wing meets the fuselage. If you do this, I absolutely guarantee the wings won't fall off."
Bernie just smiled and thanked the rabbi for his advice...but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had nothing to lose. Maybe the rabbi had some holy insight. So Bernie did exactly what the rabbi told him to do. On the next design of the jet fighter, they drilled a row of holes directly above and below where the wings met the fuselage. And...it worked!! The next test flight went perfectly!
Brimming with joy, Bernie went to the Schul to tell the rabbi that his advice had worked. "Naturally," said the rabbi, "I never doubted it would."
"But Rabbi, how did you know that drilling the holes would prevent the wings from falling off?"
"Bernie," the rabbi intoned, "I'm an old man. I've lived for many, many years and I've celebrated Passover many, many times. And in all those years, not once--NOT ONCE--has the matzo broken on the perforation.
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Passover Cheese Pie (Serves 6)
Ingredients :
1/4 lb. Butter; Softened
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 Medium Eggs
2 tsp. Potato Starch
3/4 cup Matzo or Cake Meal
Cheese Pie Filling:
1 lb. Dry Cottage Cheese or Farmer's Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Up to 2 Tbs. Lemon Juice and Sugar to Taste
Fresh Strawberries, Sour Cream or Yogurt (Optional)
Preparation :
In a medium mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, potato starch and cake meal, then add to butter and sugar mixture. Thoroughly combine all ingredients and spread half of batter onto the bottom of a 9" x 13" greased baking dish. Combine all cheese pie filling ingredients together and pour over dough, spread evenly. Places reserved half of batter on top, in a crisscross pattern if desired. Bake in pre-heated 350-F degree oven for 1-hour. Serve with strawberries and sour cream or yogurt.
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Matzo Farfel Kugel (Serves 4 to 6)
Ingredients :
4 cups Matzo Farfel
4 Eggs; Well Beaten
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Oil
3 Tart Apples; Peeled, Cored and Diced
1/2 cup Raisins
Juice of 2 Oranges (About 3/4 cup)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
Preparation :
Place Farfel in a bowl and cover with cold water for 1 minute, then drain. In a separate bowl, add sugar and oil to well beaten eggs and thoroughly combine by mixing or beating. Add salt and orange juice and blend mixture thoroughly. Add diced apples, raisins and cinnamon to the mixture and blend. Pour over Farfel and stir to combine. Pour entire mixture into a 9-inch by 13-inch greased baking dish. Bake in a pre-heated 350-F degree oven for 1-hour and serve warm.
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MATZO BALLS
Ingredients :
2 tablespoons chicken fat
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup matzos meal
1 cup boiling water
pepper to taste
Preparation :
Pour boiling water over meal, stir until absorbed, add fat, then egg and seasoning. Mix well and chill for one hour or longer. Make balls the size of a walnut, greasing palms of hands or moistening with cold water occasionally if sticky. Drop into boiling soup 15 minutes before serving.
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Another Matzah Balls or Knaidlach:
Ingredients :
2 tbsp. chicken fat or oil,
2 eggs,
1/2 cup of matzah meal,
1 tsp. of salt,
2 tbsp. of water or chicken soup.
Preparation :
Mix the chicken fat with the eggs. Combine the matzah meal with the salt blending thoroughly. Add the water and gently stir it then leave alone for 20 minutes. Get a cup of coffee or tea, and relax with your favourite magazine or newspaper. Or even better, call your children and ask them how they are, and what's new? Next, mold the matzah meal into small round balls. The size is up to you. Some like small ones, some like bigger ones. It's pretty much like men's tastes in breast sizes!!! Jerry Seinfeld likes "buxom" women. No comment from me. I'm just glad to eat the delicious matzah balls whatever size. Where were we? Oh, yeah. Matzah balls. Take them and add them to simmering home-made chicken soup. Let them simmer in there for 20-30 minutes to absorb all the flavor of the soup, and then serve. Makes 8-10 balls. Not bad. I wonder if George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees can borrow some of this for his ball team.
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Chocolate-Apricot Passover Torte
Ingredients :
1-1/3 cups butter
1-1/2 cups plus
1/3 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup Cocoa
5 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ground blanched almonds
3 tablespoons matzo cake meal
1/2 cup apricot preserves
CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING (recipe below)
Whole almonds (optional)
Preparation :
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line bottoms of two 9-inch round baking pans with parchment or wax paper.
2. In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add 1-1/2 cups sugar and cocoa; stir until well blended. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
3. In large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add cocoa mixture, beating until blended. Stir in water and vanilla. Stir together ground almonds and cake meal; stir about half of mixture into chocolate batter. In small bowl, beat egg whites until foamy; gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold remaining almond mixture into beaten whites. Gradually add egg white mixture to chocolate batter, folding gently until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes (cake will settle slightly). Remove from pans to wire racks; peel off paper. Cool completely.
5. Place 1 layer on serving plate. Heat apricot preserves; strain. Discard fruit. Spread melted preserves over top of layer. Top with remaining layer.
6. Prepare CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING; spread over top and sides of torte. Refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with whole almonds, if desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover torte. 12 servings. CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING In medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Cocoa. Add 1 cup (1/2 pt.) whipping cream and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until stiff. About 2 cups frosting.
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Matzo Brie
The following serves 3-4 people:
Break up 4 sheets plain matzo into a large bowl. (Pieces should be small, but the matzo should not be in crumbs. Pieces should range from the size of a large corn flake to a small snack cracker.) Boil the kettle. Pour boiling water over the matzo until it is saturated, but there should not be any water hanging around in the bowl (if there is, just pour it out.) Add two eggs and salt and pepper to taste.
Add a thin layer of vegtable oil (you can also use butter for better taste) to a heavy medium-sized skillet. Heat until medium-hot. Pour matzo mixture into skillet and spread around like a thick omelet. Brown for 4-5 minutes; then turn. Brown other side for a few minutes.
Top with sour cream or fruit preserves and enjoy.
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