Jews in Israel and Worldwide prepare for Passover
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JERUSALEM (AP) — Jews around the world made last-minute preparations Wednesday ahead of the spring festival of Passover, cleaning houses, cars and offices, cooking furiously and getting ready for a week without eating leavened bread.
The holiday, which marks the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt as recounted in the Bible, begins Wednesday night with a special meal known as the seder.
Beyond being an opportunity for extended families to get together, the seder is focused on recounting the story of the exodus, especially to children, so the tradition is preserved from generation to generation.
"The history of the Jewish people begins with the exodus from Egypt," said Rabbi David Rosen, interfaith director at the American Jewish Committee.
Passover, he said, is the root of Jewish "understanding of marginalization and vulnerability, and the emphasis on sensitivity to the widow, the stranger, those who are different from you."
"You have to know oppression to know redemption," Rosen said.
The biblical story recounts that God killed the first-born of Egypt after Pharaoh refused to release the children of Israel from bondage, but "passed over" the houses of the Hebrews. That's the root of the holiday's name.
After that divine blow, Pharaoh gave in and let the Hebrews go. They were then given the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and wandered in the desert for 40 years before arriving in the Land of Israel, according to the Bible.
The tradition of eating matza, the unleavened bread identified with Passover, comes from the Bible's account that the Jews left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. It is also considered the bread of the poor, meant to remind Jews of their ancestors' hardships. Leavened bread is banned and burned ceremonially before the holiday starts.
4/8 7:01 AM ET ClipsFC - Wanda
The holiday, which marks the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt as recounted in the Bible, begins Wednesday night with a special meal known as the seder.
Beyond being an opportunity for extended families to get together, the seder is focused on recounting the story of the exodus, especially to children, so the tradition is preserved from generation to generation.
"The history of the Jewish people begins with the exodus from Egypt," said Rabbi David Rosen, interfaith director at the American Jewish Committee.
Passover, he said, is the root of Jewish "understanding of marginalization and vulnerability, and the emphasis on sensitivity to the widow, the stranger, those who are different from you."
"You have to know oppression to know redemption," Rosen said.
The biblical story recounts that God killed the first-born of Egypt after Pharaoh refused to release the children of Israel from bondage, but "passed over" the houses of the Hebrews. That's the root of the holiday's name.
After that divine blow, Pharaoh gave in and let the Hebrews go. They were then given the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and wandered in the desert for 40 years before arriving in the Land of Israel, according to the Bible.
The tradition of eating matza, the unleavened bread identified with Passover, comes from the Bible's account that the Jews left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. It is also considered the bread of the poor, meant to remind Jews of their ancestors' hardships. Leavened bread is banned and burned ceremonially before the holiday starts.
4/8 7:01 AM ET ClipsFC - Wanda
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