Passover Essay

<u>Passover: A Brief History and Explanation Main Songs</u>

Passover is one of the three main holidays in the Jewish religion. It celebrates our freedom from slavery in Egypt and also marks the beginning of the harvest season in Israel. In Hebrew, roughly translated, Passover is Pesach. The name of this holiday makes a lot of sense, seeing that the last of the ten plagues thrown upon the Egyptian Pharaoh and his subjects was the Angel of Death. The Angel of Death <i>passed over</i> the homes of the Jews, then called Hebrews, and smote the Egyptians. The Angel <i>passed over</i> the homes of the Hebrews because they had listened to Moses, the prophet, and spread the blood of animals on their doors.

Celebrating Passover is done with the Passover Seder, in which the story of Passover is read from the Passover prayer book, the Haggadah, prayers chanted, food, and with music. Music plays a strong part in the Jewish religion. Songs, in many families, are taught early on in a child’s life. Songs are sung in Hebrew, the language spoken in Israel and taught to Jews that choose to learn, English, or both. One song commonly sung at the Passover Seder is Dahyenu- It Would Have Been Enough For Us. The song tells of many favors that G-d gave to the Hebrews, the last being their journey to Israel, the promised land.

Another song, Mah Nishtanah, is sung by the youngest family member able to at the Seder, usually a grandchild. Mah Nistanah- Why is it Different?- is a tune sung while the grandchild asks the Four Questions, usually in Hebrew. In English, the four questions asked by the child are these: On all other nights, we may eat chametz and matzah, chametz and matzah. Why on this night, on this night, only matzah? On all other nights, we eat many vegetables, many vegetables. Why on this night, on this night, maror?
On all other nights, we do not dip even once. Why on this night, do we dip twice? On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, either sitting or reclining. Why on this night, on this night, do we all recline?
These two songs are very important parts of the Passover Seder. On other holidays, different songs are sung, different tunes, different prayers chanted, different meals prepared. Each holiday is unique, and each family celebrates the holiday with their own variations.

Information from my mind and experiences and also http://www.happypassover.net/index.html