Passover is a time for Jewish families to gather around the table to celebrate freedom and renewal.
Passover in 2005 will commence at sundown on Saturday evening April 23rd, 2005 and will last eight days (seven days for most Reform Jews, some Conservative Jews, and Jews in Israel), concluding on Sunday evening May 1st, 2005.
HISTORY AND MEANING OF FREEDOM IN FAITH
Passover celebrates the Jewish people's freedom from Egyptian bondage that took place approximately 3,500 years ago, as told in the first 15 chapters of the biblical Book of Exodus. Before the Jewish people were known as Jewish or Jews - names that were derived from the region of Judea in what is today southern Israel where the word 'Judea' was itself named for the Hebrew tribe of Judah when they settled there - they were known as either Israelites or Hebrews. The term "Hebrew" ("Ivri" in Hebrew) generally means "someone who passes over to the other side" and in a rabbinic sense, it is referring to the first Hebrew patriarch Abraham the Hebrew (originally named "Abram") as having stood apart or on the opposite side from both humanity and the world he lived in at that time so that God would focus and stay focussed on one person, namely Abraham. "Israelites", or the "Children of Israel" were names that collectively described the descendants of the third Hebrew patriarch Jacob who was also known as 'Israel'. Jacob was the son of the second Hebrew patriarch Isaac and the grandson of the first Hebrew patriarch Abraham. Jacob had 12 sons, each of whom represented the father and namesake of a tribe. For instance, the name of one son was Judah so his descendants were known as the 'tribe of Judah'. Collectively speaking, the descendants of the 12 sons were known as the 12 tribes of Israel or Jacob or as mentioned, "Israelites", the "Children of Israel", or "Hebrews". In the region of Judea, the Hebrews or Israelites eventually established and lived in both the Kingdom of Judah (922 B.C.E. - 587 B.C.E.) and the Kingdom of Israel (922 B.C.E. - 722 B.C.E.). After the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed in 722 B.C.E. by the Assyrians and its people deported and assimilated into the surrounding countries, only the Kingdom of Judah still stood as the surviving remnant of Hebrew culture. The Jewish people of today who have an unbroken Jewish lineage trace their ancestry back to the Jews who lived in the Kingdom of Judah. In relation to the history of Passover, the events of Passover written about in the Book of Exodus occurred at a time before the Jewish people were known as Jewish or Jews, and were referred to as either Hebrews or Israelites.
The following are the main symbolic foods of Passover.
Matzah (also: Matzoh, Matza, Matzo, Mazzah, Massah) - Unleavened Bread
Charoseth (also: Haroseth, Charoset, Haroset) - Mixture of Apples, Nuts, Sweet Red Wine, Cinnamon, and Honey, but some of these ingredients can vary.
Beitzah (also: Beitza, Baitzah, Baitza) - Roasted Hard Boiled Egg
Salt Water
Maror (also: Marror, Morror, Moror) - Bitter Herbs
Karpas - Green Vegetable
Z'roah (also: Zeroah, Zeroa) - Shankbone
THE FOLLOWING MAY NOT BE USED FOR PASSOVER:
Cornstarch
Confectioners' sugar
Baking powder
Baking soda
Yeast
Flour
Grains
Grain alcohol
KOSHER SUBSTITUTIONS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
For milk: - Use half Coffee Rich and half water.
For cream: -Use the non-dairy product Coffee Rich.
FLOUR MEASUREMENTS FOR PASSOVER:
1 cup all-purpose flour equals 1/4 cup matzah cake meal and 3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour equals 2 tablespoons matzah cake meal and 6 tablespoons potato starch.
A Kosher substitute for milk or cream:
Use 1/2 cup chicken stock mixed with 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon cornstarch for each 1/2 cup of milk or cream.
Passover Recipes