Tag: Passover

Passover (this year 2020) is from sundown on April 8, 2020, to sundown on Thursday, April 16. The date of Passover changes each year because the date is set not by the Gregorian calendar, but by the lunar-based Hebrew calendar. It always occurs during the Hebrew month of Nisan. Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. The holiday originated in the Torah, where the word Pesach refers to the ancient Passover sacrifice (known as the Paschal Lamb); it is also said to refer to the idea that God “passed over” (Pesach) the houses of the Jews during the 10th plague on the Egyptians, the slaying of the firstborn. The holiday is ultimately a celebration of freedom, and the story of the exodus from Egypt is a powerful metaphor that is appreciated not only by Jews but by people of other faiths as well. Passover is observed for seven days in Israel and eight days in the Diaspora. The main event of the Passover holiday is the seder (literally, “order”), a festive meal in which the Haggadah (the book of exodus and related writings) is recited in a set order. During the entire duration of the holiday, it is forbidden to eat leavened food products (such as bread, pasta, etc.).