Happy Passover from Netglimse.com Date of Celebration: sunset of April 8 - sunset of April 15/16, 2009

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Passover Wallpapers   Greetings   History   Jewish Holidays   Meaning   Traditional Passover Foods   Passover celebrates the historic Exodus of the Jewish people. Passover (transliterated as Pesach or Pesah), also called Chag HaMatzot - Festival of Matzot, is a Jewish holiday which is celebrated in the northern spring. It begins on the 15th day of Nisan (on the Hebrew calendar), which falls between March 15-April 30. Passover commemorates the Exodus and freedom of the Israelites from ancient Egypt. As described in the Book of Exodus, Passover marks the "birth" of the Jewish nation, as the Jews' ancestors were freed from being slaves of Pharaoh and allowed to become servants of God instead. Together with Sukkot ("Tabernacles") and Shavuot ("Pentecost"), Passover is one of the three pilgrim festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire Jewish populace made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, at the time when the Temple in Jerusalem was standing. Passover is the day, that stands for happiness and liberation, is celebrated with friends, families and loved ones, by spreading the cheer and the blessings. In Israel, Passover is a 7-day holiday, with the first and last days celebrated as a full festival (involving abstention from work, special prayer services and holiday meals). In the Jewish diaspora outside Israel, the holiday is traditionally celebrated for 8 days, with the first two days and last two days celebrated as full festivals. The intervening days are known as Chol HaMoed (festival weekdays). The primary symbol of Passover is the matzo, a flat, unleavened "bread" which recalls the hurriedly-baked bread that the Israelites ate after their hasty departure from Egypt. According to Halakha, matzo may be made from flour derived from five types of grain: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye. The dough for matzo is made when flour is added to water only, which has not been allowed to rise for more than 18�22 minutes prior to baking. Many Jews observe the positive Torah commandment of eating matzo on the first night of Passover at the Passover Seder, as well as the Torah prohibition against eating or owning Chametz which includes any leavened products � such as bread, cake, cookies, beer, whisky or pasta (or anything whose dough has been mixed with a leavening agent or which has been left to rise more than 18 minutes) � for the duration of the holiday. Matzoh is the traditional unleavened bread that is eaten during Passover, which dates back to when the Hebrew Slaves were free to leave Egypt. According to the legend, the Hebrew Women did not have time to bake the bread in the oven and the sun baked the dough on their backs. It turned out flat, but tasty. It is called Matzoh and available in the supermarket in the Kosher Food Aisle. Related Links Craft Library: Passover Ideas Lesson Plan - PASSOVER Passover Funology Passover Humor If you are interested in exchanging links please email at contact@netglimse.com