Symbols of Passover
Passover (Pesach) this year begins at sundown tonight and will continue here in the United States for the next eight nights. This is a very important religious holiday for Jews everywhere and I will cover an aspect of Passover that all will enjoy and understand, at least if you like wine that is.
Passover is traditionally seven days, it has become eight days mainly outside of Israel and other areas like the United States. It is observed by most Jews that are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or even Secular and most will try to be a traditionalist for this holiday. If Reform Judaism is practiced or if Secular, Passover food and wine do not necessarily need to be Kosher, meaning “Pure” or “Proper”, as defined under Kashrut (dietary law). This is true even for some that practice Conservative Judaism, although you will find few if any that will not at least try to have a Kosher Seder dinner.
Passover represents the freedom from slavery and the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses to the promised land. The Exodus is in the Five Books of Moses (part of the Judaism’s Torah) and is part of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. To several scholars, the Last Supper was a Seder dinner, after all Jesus was a Jew himself.
In Exodus, it states the following about the Hebrews:
”And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes … you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree.” – Exodus 12:14-17
Passover is what happened as part of Exodus. Passover comes from one stage that led to God’s pathway for the Exodus. The story goes that God inflicted 10 plaques upon the Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release the Jews from slavery, one of which was the Pharaoh’s adopted brother Moses who led the fight to help his people escape through a path chosen by God. The last plaque was that all first born Egyptians and cattle were to die. The Hebrews were instructed to mark their door posts with blood of a spring lamb and therefore the Spirit of God would bypass these homes, therefore simplistically put, Passover them. As this was successful, the Jews left in such a hurry after the Pharaoh’s release that they had no time for bread to rise, so leavened bread has become a symbol of this holiday, marked by the Matzo a favorite flatbread that is more like a cracker as it is very crunchy.
WINE, WINE, MORE WINE!
Not many people, outside of those practicing it, know about the four cups of wine tradition. This wine should be Kosher if you follow that, if not any wine will do! It represents four promises God made to the Hebrews:
Exodus (6:6-7): “Therefore, say to the children of Israel ‘I am Hashem, and I SHALL TAKE YOU OUT from under the burdens of Egypt; I SHALL RESCUE YOU from their service; I SHALL REDEEM YOU with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I SHALL TAKE YOU TO ME for a people and I shall be a G-d to you….”
These versus have become known as the Four Expressions of Redemption and represent Freedom, Deliverance, Redemption, and Release. The four cups of wine therefore represents a symbolic act defining the joy and fulfillment of these promises. The cups of wine are to drink after certain rituals are performed at Seder dinner, such as after the telling of the Exodus and other things. There is also a ceremonial cup poured, called the Cup of Elijah, for the Prophet Elijah. This cup just sits there to welcome him to come into their homes, some traditionalists actually open their doors in gesture of this. There is now a sixth cup, in some homes, filled with water called Miriam’s Cup and represents an acknowledgment of Moses sister, Miriam. It is said that her Well saved the Hebrews from dying of thirst in the desert.
As I have mentioned in another article on Hanukkah, Israeli wine is making a lot of headway in becoming world class. They are taking it seriously and many wineries are being born that will hopefully put them on the map. Regardless, any wine will do and we should all raise a glass (or four) to what this holiday represents. You can follow the above link for more information and links on Kosher food and Israeli wine.
If you are Jewish or not and want to take the non traditional route, call some of your local restaurants. Many, mainly in more cosmopolitan cities, have special Seder dinners on their menu and you can just sit back and relax with your four glasses of wine — just be sure to take a taxi!
Happy Passover and Le’Chayim (to life)!
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