Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is also known as the ''holiday of freedom,'' because it commemorates the Jewish Exodus from Egypt following 210 years of slavery. Passover is regarded as the official ''birth'' of the Jewish nation, and its lessons of struggle and identity continue to form the basis of Jewish consciousness 3,300 years after the event.

The Exodus was essentially an account of Moses' prodding Pharaoh to ''let my people go -- in order that we may serve the Almighty.'' It took a lot of convincing -- Ten Plagues in all -- but eventually the Jews walked out of Egypt in broad daylight. Seven days later, the Red Sea split, drowning the Egyptian army. Then, 50 days after the Exodus, the entire Jewish nation stood at Mount Sinai to experience divine revelation and receive the Torah.

Passover is an eight-day holiday (in Israel, seven days). It is marked by the eating of matzah, unleavened bread, and by the celebration of an elaborate Seder on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night only).

The Seder is designed to give each Jew the experience of ''going from slavery unto freedom.'' The seder includes telling the Exodus story as recorded in the Haggadah, eating of ''slavery symbols'' like bitter herbs (Marror), recounting the Ten Plagues, and drinking four cups of wine -- which correspond to the four stages of redemption as recorded in the Biblical book of Exodus. The Seder is highlighted by eating matzah as part of a festive meal.

The name ''Passover'' derives from the fact that during the final plague, God passed through the land and smote every firstborn Egyptian -- but made sure to ''pass over'' the Jewish houses.

ALL ABOUT MATZAH

During the entire week of Passover, Jews are forbidden to eat or possess any chametz -- leavened grain. For this reason, we dispose of (or sell) all our bread, cookies, pasta, beer, etc. -- and purchase only products that are labeled ''kosher for Passover.'' To avoid any problems of residual chametz, Jews also have special sets of dishes and pots for Passover.

Matzah is the main staple of the Passover week. The Bible gives two reasons for eating matzah. The most commonly-known is that on the morning of the Exodus, the Jews were so rushed in getting out of Egypt that the bread didn't have time to rise -- hence they ate it unleavened.

In addition, the Bible (Exodus 12:8) states that the Jews also ate matzah the night before the Exodus -- at that first Passover Seder. That is because chametz is puffed up and represents arrogance; matzah is simple and humble. To come close to the Almighty, which is the ultimate pleasure in life, one must remove his own personal arrogance. Thus we remove chametz from our homes, and likewise work on the character trait of humility.

On the evening before Passover, there is a careful search of the home for chametz. It is done by candle light and is a memorable experience for the whole family. Any remaining chametz is either burned the next morning (in a ceremony called Sray'fat Chametz), or is sold to a non-Jew for the week of Passover. The sale must be serious and legally-binding, and therefore should be done only through the assistance of a qualified rabbi. Any food that is sold must be put in a closed cabinet and taped shut.

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Article from http://aish.com, the website of Aish HaTorah.

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