In this article, we will look into Passover customs, and will answer the question what does Jewish Passover have to do with Easter?
Passover Customs 2022
The main custom of the Jewish Passover is a gathering of the extended family and close friends to read from the Haggadah – the story of the Exodus from Egypt, how Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt with the help of the ten plagues that fell upon the Egyptians – blood, frogs, lice, etc. The Haggadah includes hymns and songs, some of which you may be familiar with such as “Had Gadya” and “One is our God”.
On Passover eve, at the Passover Seder (Passover Order) we read the stories and eat from the Passover Plate which includes matzah, hard-boiled eggs, maror (bitter herbs), and celery, charoset, and horseradish. Each food symbolizes the hardships the Israelites went through when they were slaves in Egypt as well as the Exodus itself- for example, maror since it is a bitter herb symbolizes the feeling of the children of Israel and the Charoset reminds us of the clay with which the Hebrew slaves built the cities of Egypt.
An important custom on the Jewish Passover and one that is loved by the children is the division of the Afikoman. We cut the matzah in half, eat half of it, and hide the other half. The child who finds it can ask for any gift they wish for and we hope that this year it can be bought for them.
What is special about Passover in the State of Israel is that in most supermarkets and food stores you will find much of the food covered. In Israel, there is a chametz law, according to which it is forbidden to sell chametz on Passover. What is chametz? By and large, it is any flour that has been allowed to rise. For the 7 days of Passover we are obligated to eat only non-leavened foods, so the custom is to eat matzah, even if it is not tasty. In Israel, there are rabbis who determine what one is allowed to eat and what one is not allowed to eat on Passover. Food that is kosher for Passover will have it printed on the product. Similarly, restaurants have regular kosher certificates and kosher certificates for Passover. Many times these dishes will be made from wheat flour or potato flour so do not be surprised if you come across kosher for Passover bread rolls.
Is Passover a Jewish Easter?
You may be familiar with the Christian Easter, with all the rabbits and Easter eggs. However, there is a faint connection between the holidays. The Christian Passover – Jewish Easter symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after our, Jewish original Passover.
While the Jewish Passover is celebrated in memory of the Exodus and the liberation of the children of Israel from slavery. According to Christian custom, the Last Supper took place on the night of the Passover Seder (Passover eve) and the resurrection of the dead also took place on Passover, hence the name. Other than that there is no connection between the two holidays. Christian children may have rabbits and eggs but Jewish children also enjoy gam