Pesaj

Pesaj, also known as Passover, is a major Jewish festival commemorating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as described in the Torah. The name Pesaj comes from the Hebrew pesah, meaning “to pass over,” referencing the divine protection of the Israelite households during the tenth plague.

Pesaj begins on the 15th of Nissan in the Hebrew calendar and lasts seven days in Israel and in many Jewish communities worldwide. In traditional diaspora practice, an eighth day is observed by some groups. The central ritual is the Seder, a guided family meal that retells the Exodus through the Haggadah, symbolic foods, prayers, and songs. The Four Questions are often asked at the Seder, and the holiday includes the search for chametz (bedikah) and its burning (biur) before the festival.

Observances include abstaining from chametz—leavened bread and other products—and eating matzah, unleavened bread, to recall the Israelites’ haste in departing Egypt. Many communities also avoid kitniyot (rice, corn, legumes) during Pesaj, though practice varies. The Seder plate typically contains a roasted bone (zeroa), a hard-boiled egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), charoset, and karpas (vegetable), with a second bitter herb sometimes included as chazeret.

In addition to the Seder, Pesaj features prayers and readings in synagogue, festive meals, and family customs. The festival emphasizes themes of freedom, redemption, and Jewish identity, combining ritual, education, and communal memory.