Passover
Major Jewish holiday commemorating the Exodus from Egypt.
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Scribe: Yôsēf ben Dāwīd mil-Leypnîq Yosef ben David, of Leipnik Joseph ben David · Public domain
Passover (also known as Pasch, Pesach, or, in Yiddish, Peysekh) is a major Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
In the Book of Exodus
The story, as told in the Book of Exodus, begins with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. God commanded Moses to tell each Israelite family to slaughter a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood. That night, God brought the tenth plague upon Egypt, striking down all firstborns.
However, when God saw the blood on the Israelites’ doorframes, He “passed over” their homes, sparing them. This event is part of the larger Exodus narrative: after Pharaoh repeatedly refused God’s demand to free the Israelites, God sent ten plagues. Only after the tenth did Pharaoh allow them to leave.
The four questions and participation of children
The Passover story is retold during the Seder by reading the Magid section of the Haggadah, a standardized ritual book. This fulfills the biblical command to tell one’s child, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” During the holiday, Jews are forbidden from owning or eating leavened foods.
Date and duration
Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which is considered the first month of the Hebrew year. The Jewish calendar is adjusted so that 15 Nisan always falls on a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. Because the Hebrew day starts at sunset, the holiday begins at sundown the evening before. For example, in 2027, 15 Nisan falls on Thursday, April 22, so Passover starts at sundown on Wednesday, April 21.
Etymology
The Hebrew term for Passover, Pesach, is first mentioned in the Torah’s account of the Exodus. Its exact meaning is debated. The common interpretation—that it means “He passed over,” referring to God skipping the Hebrew homes—comes from the Septuagint translation. The Targum Onkelos, however, translates it using a root meaning “to have pity.” Cognate languages offer related but distinct meanings, such as “make soft” (Akkadian), “harvest” (Egyptian), or “separate” (Arabic).
Pesach can also refer to the lamb or goat designated as the Passover sacrifice. Four days before the Exodus, the Israelites were told to set aside a lamb and inspect it daily for blemishes. On the afternoon of 14 Nisan, they were to slaughter it and use its blood to mark their doorposts. Before midnight on 15 Nisan, they were to eat the roasted lamb.
The English term “Passover” first appears in William Tyndale’s Bible translation and later in the King James Version. It is a literal translation of the Hebrew.
Scholars widely believe that Passover’s origins predate the biblical Exodus. One theory suggests it evolved from the merger of two earlier rituals: a pastoral apotropaic rite and an agricultural harvest festival. The apotropaic rite involved daubing a slaughtered sheep’s blood on doorposts to keep demonic forces out.
This was later combined with a Canaanite spring festival of unleavened bread tied to the barley harvest. As the Exodus story grew, the original meanings were lost, resulting in the biblical Passover. Some scholars, such as John Van Seters, Judah Segal, and Tamara Prošić, disagree with this two-festival hypothesis.
Lore & Background
According to the Book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood. That night, God brought the tenth plague upon Egypt, smiting all firstborn, but passed over the homes of the Israelites. The story is part of the broader Exodus narrative, in which the Israelites, enslaved by Pharaoh, are freed after Pharaoh refuses God's demand and God sends ten plagues. Scholars widely believe that the origins of Passover predate the biblical Exodus, with theories suggesting it evolved from earlier semi-nomadic or pre-Israelite rituals and was later transformed through religious and cultic traditions.
The holiday is recounted at the Passover Seder by reading the Magid section of the Haggadah, a standardized ritual book containing the Exodus story. Jews are forbidden from possessing or eating leavened foods (chametz) during the holiday. Passover starts on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which is adjusted to align with the solar calendar so that it always falls on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The Hebrew day starts and ends at sunset, so the holiday begins at sunset the day before.
The Exodus Narrative and the Tenth Plague
The foundational story of Passover centers on the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt under Pharaoh's rule. According to the Book of Exodus, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and directed him to confront the Pharaoh and demand the release of the enslaved people. When Pharaoh refused, God unleashed a sequence of ten devastating plagues upon Egypt. The final and most catastrophic of these was the death of every firstborn, from Pharaoh's own heir seated on his throne to the child of a slave girl grinding grain, and even the firstborn of livestock.
Before this final strike, God instructed Moses to command the Israelites to slaughter a lamb, apply its blood to their doorframes and lintels, and consume the animal that night. When the destroyer passed through Egypt, it would see the blood and spare those households. This act of divine protection—God passing over the marked homes—gave the holiday its name and cemented the liberation narrative as the core of Jewish identity.
Etymology and the Mystery of Pesach
The Hebrew word pesach has generated considerable scholarly debate about its precise semantic range. The most familiar interpretation—that it means "He passed over," referencing God skipping the Israelite homes during the final plague—derives from the Septuagint's Greek rendering of Exodus 12:23.
However, the Targum Onkelos, an Aramaic translation rooted in Jewish Babylonian tradition, renders the term as "he had pity," drawing from a Hebrew root meaning to show compassion. Cognate languages add further interpretive layers: Akkadian passahu conveys "make soft, soothe, placate," while Arabic fsh means "separate." The English word "Passover" first appears in William Tyndale's Bible translation and was carried forward into the King James Version as a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew. The verb pāsaḥ is first encountered in the Torah's Exodus account, and its exact meaning continues to be discussed among linguists and biblical scholars.
Pre-Biblical Roots and Scholarly Theories
Modern scholars widely hold that Passover's origins stretch well before the biblical Exodus narrative. The prevailing hypothesis proposes that the holiday emerged from the convergence of two distinct ancient practices in the Land of Israel: a pastoral apotropaic ritual and a spring agricultural festival. The apotropaic component involved a clan-internal rite in which the blood of a slaughtered sheep was daubed with ezov onto lintels and doorposts to ward off demonic forces from the household. Separately, a Canaanite spring ceremony celebrated the barley harvest through the consumption of unleavened bread.
Once the Priestly Code was established, the Exodus story was woven into this combined observance, gradually obscuring the original dual symbolism. Some scholars note parallels with the Akitu spring festival of ancient Mesopotamia, which also honored barley sowing. However, scholars John Van Seters, Judah Segal, and Tamara Prošić challenge the two-festivals merger hypothesis, arguing for alternative explanations of Passover's development.
Ritual Observance, the Seder, and Calendar Timing
Passover begins on the 15th of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew year, and is classified among the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. Because the Hebrew day begins at sunset, the holiday technically commences at sundown the evening before the calendar date. The Jewish calendar is adjusted to align with the solar cycle so that 15 Nisan always falls on a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday; for instance, in 2027 it coincides with Thursday, April 22, meaning the holiday begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 21.
The central ritual gathering is the Passover Seder, guided by the Haggadah, a standardized liturgical text. Its Magid section narrates the Exodus in fulfillment of the biblical command to tell one's child, "It is because of that which the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt." During the holiday, Jews are prohibited from possessing or consuming leavened foods, known as chametz. The original observance also required setting aside an unblemished lamb four days before the Exodus, inspecting it daily, slaughtering it on the 14th of Nisan, and eating it before midnight on the 15th.
Reader's Guide
Passover is a foundational Jewish holiday that commemorates the central event of the Exodus, the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Its significance lies in its role as a pilgrimage festival and its annual reenactment through the Seder, where the story is retold using the Haggadah. The holiday's name derives from the biblical account of God 'passing over' the homes of the Israelites during the tenth plague. The observance includes strict prohibitions against leavened foods, symbolizing the haste of the departure from Egypt.
Scholars debate the holiday's origins, with many believing it merged an earlier apotropaic ritual—involving the blood of a slaughtered lamb to ward off demons—with a Canaanite agricultural spring festival of unleavened bread connected to the barley harvest. The biblical regulations require the Passover sacrifice (a lamb or goat) to be roasted and eaten with matzah and bitter herbs. Over time, the sacrifice was centralized at the Tabernacle and later in Jerusalem. The holiday's legacy endures as a powerful symbol of freedom and divine intervention, observed by Jews worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Passover known for?
Its central observances include abstaining from leavened foods (chametz) and eating matzah together with bitter herbs (maror). It is classified as one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals in the Jewish liturgical calendar.
When does Passover begin and how long does it last?
Passover starts on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. The full observance lasts seven days, encompassing the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Passover (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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