Background for Passover

Passover (Pesah) is an ancient Jewish festival which celebrates the Exodus of the Hebrew people from slavery and oppression in Egypt. The name Passover is taken from the Exodus story found in the Hebrew scriptures in the Book of Exodus: "During the tenth and final plague inflicted on Pharaoh to break his will, God passed over the Jews and struck down only the Egyptian firstborn. It was that night that the pharaoh finally agreed to let the Jewish people go. Ever since then, Jews gather together on that night to commemorate and contemplate the meaning of freedom.

The central meaning of Pesah is liberation-- from slavery to freedom--and so is called the "season of our liberation." But Pesah has an- other name--the holiday of spring celebrating the liberation of the earth from the grip of winter. Therefore, the holiday of liberation is the holiday of spring with the themes of hope and rebirth. Pesah proclaims the possibilities of liberation and renewal, reminding us that freedom is as intrinsic to human nature as blossoming trees is to the natural world.

After the destruction of the Temple, Pesah became a home festival, its observance kept alive through the generations even under great oppression and persecution. The last supper shared by Jesus and his disciples was a Passover Seder (ritual meal). When appropriate, either at Passover and/or Easter, tie the Jewish and Christian scriptures together recognizing the source of the Christian mass and communion service with the Jewish Seder. In contemporary Judaism, Passover is sometimes celebrated in community Seders.

Many Unitarian Universalist churches (and many Christian churches) now observe Passover with a Seder. Through participation in an age-old tradition, we connect with our Jewish heritage. Although there ate Jews who believe it really happened as it is written in Exodus, there are others who believe that some parts of the story are true and some are not. There are some Jews who say they cannot believe in a God who would kill the first-born child of every Egyptian family or break the laws of nature to save certain people. But no matter what the many beliefs ate about the story, this is a celebration which speaks to all who value freedom.

Pesah acknowledges the universal human yearning for freedom and expresses compassion for all the people in the world who are not free. The Seder is a time of hope and gratitude celebrated with family and friends. It is a time for each person to rededicate themselves to the cause of liberty and justice.