ST. GEORGE — Passover is a time when Jews the world over celebrate the deliverance of their forbearers from slavery in ancient Egypt.
A retelling of the events that led to the Israelites’ deliverance is an integral part of the seder, a feast associated with the Passover that Chabad of Southern Utah is observing, along with an invitation to others.
“The celebration of Passover is happening this Wednesday evening, please come,” Rabbi Mendy Cohen, who directs the Chabad of Southern Utah, said. “You’re invited. Regardless of Jewish background or affiliation, come and join us to celebrate our freedom and celebrate who were are as a Jewish community. Join us, be with us, and we shall celebrate together.”
What is Passover?
The story and significance of Passover to Jews, as well as Christians, is related in the Torah and Old Testament. It tells of when the prophet Moses was directed by God to commend the pharaoh, the ruler of ancient Egypt, to release the Israelites from their enslavement. Failure to do this would invite a series of plagues upon Egypt.
It was the 10th plague that finally proved too much for the Egyptians and resulted in the Israelites’ release from captivity and the beginnings of the exodus chronicled in Jewish and Christian scripture.
What was the 10th plague and its significance to Passover?
“The last plague was the death of the firstborn,” Cohen said. Moses warned the Egyptians that God would send an angel of death among them that would claim the firstborn of their families if the Isrealites were not freed beforehand. However, a way was provided for the Israelites to ensure the plague “passed over” them when it arrived.
“God commended the Jewish people to take the blood of the lamb and paint it on the doorpost of the Jewish home,” Cohen said. “When the angel of death would come through Egypt, they would pass over the Jewish homes and not kill the firstborn.”
Under Jewish tradition, this event is said to have occurred around 1300 B.C.E. and has been celebrated by the Jews for over 3,500 years.
Passover today
“Although the Jewish people left Egypt and were able to be freed from their slavery – that happened many years ago,” Cohen said. “Today we’re able to celebrate our freedom on a personal level.”
Freedom, deliverance, perseverance and keeping faith against all odds are common themes during Passover and can help people believe that there is a way to overcome whatever personal burdens they may be facing at the time, Cohen said.
Sharing the unleavened bread
A focal point of Passover, which is typically observed for eight days, is the seder, Cohen said. It is where the story of the Passover is retold and the prayers and songs from a book called the “Haggadah” are recited.
Elements of the Passover feast also carry a special symbolism. Among them is the matzo (also spelled matzah or mazzah) bread. It is a flatbread Cohen described as being somewhat similar to a cracker. Also called unleavened bread, tradition holds that the Israelites fled Egypt with such haste that the bread they made had no time to rise.
“In Kabbalistic teachings, Matzo is referred to as the ‘Bread of Faith’ and the ‘Bread of Healing,’ and we will share Matzo with the community when faith, hope and healing are definitely a need,” Cohen said in a press release.
Handmade, round “shmurah” matzo, which carries a greater sense of significance than square, commercially-produced matzo, is being provided to Jewish homes across Southern Utah and the state by the Chabad, Cohen said.
Invitation
You are invited to join with Chabad for a seder feast this coming Wednesday, April 5, at 7:45 p.m.
Reservations for the event are on a first-come-first-serve basis, and those planning to attend are asked to RSVP through the Chabad website.
Additional information can be found on the event website.
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