Pesach Seder (Envato)
While most people have heard of the holiday of Passover (Pesach) and the Passover Seder, we get many inquiries about the holiday and its customs. Many people have Jewish friends and have attended a Passover Seder but some don’t know anything about it. You may have noticed that section in the supermarket that pops up each year around February and is filled with Kosher for Passover products, usually in neighborhoods with a large Jewish population. Most Jews around the world celebrate some type of Passover Seder. There are numerous customs associated with the Pesach holiday, Kosher for Passover food and the Seder in particular. These customs date back hundreds of years, depending on the origin of the Jewish community. This blog post will cover the basics of the Passover holiday.
While most people have heard of the holiday of Passover (Pesach) and the Passover Seder, we get many inquiries about the holiday and its customs. Many people have Jewish friends and have attended a Passover Seder but some don’t know anything about it. You may have noticed that section in the supermarket that pops up each year around February and is filled with Kosher for Passover products, usually in neighborhoods with a large Jewish population. Most Jews around the world celebrate some type of Passover Seder. There are numerous customs associated with the Pesach holiday, Kosher for Passover food and the Seder in particular. These customs date back hundreds of years, depending on the origin of the Jewish community. This blog post will cover the basics of the Passover holiday.
When is Passover 2023?
According to the Jewish calendar, which is a Lunar Calendar, the holiday of Passover begins on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan. In Israel it ends on the 21st of Nisan and outside of Israel on the 22nd of Nisan. The holiday is always on the same dates of the Hebrew calendar but falls out on different dates on the Gregorian or secular calendar each year. The holiday always falls in the spring season. Another name for the holiday of Passover is “chag ha’aviv” or the "Spring Holiday". Pesach is usually in April and occasionally it falls at the end of March.
Passover 2023 begins on Wednesday night, April 5th and ends on Thursday night, April 13th.
Passover 2023 begins on Wednesday night, April 5th and ends on Thursday night, April 13th.
The holiday begins on the same date regardless of where one lives but the length of the holiday and how many Seders one has depends on location. We now have a fixed calendar but in the times of the Temple, the new moon was declared by witnesses each month. Then word was sent to those living in “galut” - the Diaspora. It was difficult to get news of the new month to Jews in the Diaspora in a timely manner. There was never more than a two day discrepancy so Jews in the Diaspora celebrated two days to cover both possibilities. There is a rabbinic ruling implemented 2,000 years ago that Jews in the Diaspora continue to celebrate two-day holidays for Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. This second day of the holiday at the beginning and the end is called “yom tov sheni shel galuyot.”
When is Seder according to “minhag yoshvei Yisrael” or for those living in Israel? Those who live in Israel have one Seder on the first night of the holiday. They then have one day where no work is permitted followed by five days of “chol hamoed”, days where work is permitted. The seventh and last day of the holiday is a day similar to the first day where no work is permitted.
When is the Seder according to “minhag galuyot” or those living outside of Israel? Those living outside of Israel celebrate two Seders. One on the first night of the holiday and a second one on the second night. This is followed by four days of “chol hamoed” and two days at the end of Pesach where no work is permitted. The holiday of Pesach is eight days outside of Israel with two days at the beginning of the holiday and two days at the end of the holiday where no work is permitted.
When is Pesach in the Coming Years:
When is Pesach in the Coming Years:
- 2023: April 5-13
- 2024: April 22-30
- 2025: April 12-20
- 2026: April 1-9
How do Jews celebrate Passover?
The holiday of Passover commemorates the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. Pesach celebrates all the miracles that occurred during the Exodus. Products made with leavening agents, also called "chametz" (such as bread) are not eaten on Passover. This is a reminder of their flight from Egypt, when they left in a hurry and their dough didn’t have time to rise. Matzah and special Kosher for Passover products are eaten on the holiday.
Clean the House
Think spring cleaning on steroids. The kitchen gets a thorough cleaning to get rid of any chametz (such as breadcrumbs and cereal). The oven and stovetop get a special cleaning. It’s not just the kitchen that needs to be cleaned. Families with young children and older children (who eat in their bedroom even though they know they’re not allowed but that’s another subject) clean all the rooms of the house for Pesach. They check all the closets and under the furniture for any food and crumbs. Everyone has their own customs for what they need to clean and how to clean.
Intense cleaning for Pesach
Before Pesach, a week or a day depending on your personality, you have to “turn over” your kitchen for Pesach. There are special dishes, cutlery, pots, pans and appliances that are only used for the week of Pesach each year. The kitchen items used year round are put away for Pesach. Some people cover their countertops although nowadays most people just pour boiling water over their countertops to clean them for Pesach.
The Seder and Haggadah
The holiday begins on the first night with the Seder. Most Jews around the world celebrate the holiday of Pesach with the Seder. The Seder is very family oriented, often celebrated with extended family. The traditional Seder consists of matzah, 4 cups of wine and a seder plate. The Seder plate has special foods on it to symbolize the slavery and Exodus from Egypt. The Seder plate consists of the shankbone, egg, bitter herbs, lettuce, charoset and a vegetable. These foods are eaten during the storytelling part of the Seder and before the dinner meal is served.
At the Seder, the Haggadah is followed. The Haggadah is the book that sets the order for the Pesach Seder, how the story is told, when to drink the four cups of wine, what special foods from the Seder plate to eat and when to eat the meal. Although they might be reading from the same book, every Seder can look very different. The Haggadah serves as a guidebook for the Seder, telling the story and serving as a guide for the ritual of partaking of the food items on the Seder plate. There are many different Haggadahs that have been published over the years. There are more than 3,000 versions of the Haggadah: many kids friendly Haggadahs, themed Haggadahs (think Harry Potter and Marvel), Haggadahs with different commentaries and Haggadahs in different languages and various customs.
Guide to Pesach traditions
The Haggadah details the history of the Jewish people beginning with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and continues with the Jews going down to Egypt. It then recounts the years of slavery and the miracles of the ten plagues brought upon the Egyptians and eventually the splitting of the Red Sea. There are tunes that accompany some of the text and those who grew up in different parts of the world may share the same tunes to the songs of the Seder. After the story is told and the symbolic foods on the Seder plate are eaten, it’s time for dinner. After dinner, there is more singing and the Seder ends with the words, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
The Haggadah details the history of the Jewish people beginning with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and continues with the Jews going down to Egypt. It then recounts the years of slavery and the miracles of the ten plagues brought upon the Egyptians and eventually the splitting of the Red Sea. There are tunes that accompany some of the text and those who grew up in different parts of the world may share the same tunes to the songs of the Seder. After the story is told and the symbolic foods on the Seder plate are eaten, it’s time for dinner. After dinner, there is more singing and the Seder ends with the words, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
What do People do for Passover Vacation?
The first two days of the holiday and last two days of the holiday (only 1st day and last day in Israel) are similar to the Sabbath where all work is forbidden. The days in between are called “chol hamoed” which are like the weekdays of the festival. These days are perfect for family outings. It’s the spring season so the weather is usually very nice. Many people take off for the holiday of Passover and children are on vacation from school. It’s a great time for a trip to the local zoo, museums and parks.
Why do People go away for Pesach?
As I mentioned earlier, Passover is a labor intensive holiday. The entire house has to be cleaned. Food or kitchen utensils, pots, pans etc. that are use all year round cannot be used on Passover. All the year-round kitchen supplies must be put away and the Passover kitchen items from storage must be unpacked. There is a lot of shopping required since you can’t use the food items that you already have in the house. Everything must be purchased new and all food items must be labeled “kosher for Passover”. That’s all before you even start cooking for the seder as well as all the meals for your family and guests. Are you tired yet?
Pesach vacations on the beach
The prep work for the Passover holiday can be exhausting. The schools are on vacation and many people take off from work so it’s a great time to go away. Years ago, New Yorkers started going to hotels in the Catskills. Then people started going to Miami and Israel. Before long, an entire industry built up around Pesach vacations. There are Passover Programs all over the world. People can go to Pesach hotels in the US, Europe, Mexico, South Africa, Dubai, Panama, Morocco and South America. Every year, there are new programs in new and exotic locations. This has become quite the trend for Pesach vacation. People use their Passover vacation as an opportunity to travel to foreign countries and do some sightseeing. Many programs are all inclusive, offering gourmet food, programming for adults and children and evening entertainment. Some programs are at resorts with spas, pools and so many activities that you never have to leave the resort. These programs can be costly but there is a range so that it’s possible to find a program to fit your vacation budget.
This is a very basic guide to the holiday of Passover and Pesach vacations. There are many laws associated with Pesach that were not covered in this blog. See here for a more in depth study about the holiday of Passover.