Passover celebrates the biblical account of the Israelites’ redemption and escape from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. Holiday rituals include a dramatic retelling of the Exodus story and traditional foods.
It brings friends and family together to celebrate the lessons of the story, the blessing of freedom, and the reminder that since we were once slaves and were freed, it is our responsibility to work for freedom of all people, everywhere.
The word “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word Pesarch which means “passed over,” referring to the 10th plague that killed the Egyptian firstborn, but miraculously “passed over” the houses of the Israelites.
The story begins with Joseph, son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery and arrived in Egypt a poor and powerless servant. Joseph’s wisdom and ability to interpret dreams soon brought him power and status and he became the Egyptian king’s trusted advisor. His entire family joined him in Egypt, where they prospered and multiplied for many generations.
A new king (Pharaoh) took harsher action, declaring that all sons born to Israelite women should be killed at birth. The courageous Israelite midwives, Shifrah and Puah, defied this decree, but the infant boys were still in danger.
When an Israelite woman, Yocheved, had a baby boy, she feared for his life. She placed him in a basket and set him floating in the Nile River near where people bathed. As Yochever’s daughter, Miriam, watched from a distance, Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river and found the baby in the basket. She took him, named him Moses, and raised him as her own.
As he grew, Moses became aware of the plight of his people. One day, he saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating on an Israelite slave, and Moses killed the taskmaster. While tending to his flock, Moses came upon a sight — a bush that was burning but not consumed. God spoke to Moses, telling him that he and his brother, Aaron, would free the Israelites from slavery.
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and demanded that he free the Jews. He refused, but an abundance of water drowned Pharaoh and his soldiers and the Israelites sang songs of praise to God for their deliverance.
Mel Damski: mel@laconnercommunitynews.org. Mel is a general assignment reporter and writes “If I ran the zoo,” an award-winning column that has graced the pages of three La Conner community weeklies.
