The Jewish holiday of Passover is celebrated in the world today. It begins at sunset on April 22 and will continue until the night of April 30.
As follows from the Bible, in order to save the Jewish people from Egyptian captivity, the Lord sent "ten plagues" on the inhabitants of Egypt. However, Pharaoh released the Jews only when his own son died during the death of the firstborn.
After some time, the ruler of Egypt changed his mind and sent troops in pursuit of the Jews. However, the Lord saved them: the waves parted before Moses and his people, and they crossed to the other shore along the bottom, and Pharaoh's army drowned the sea. In honor of the Jews gaining freedom, the holiday of Passover arose.
During Passover, it is forbidden to eat fermented foods (chametz), and they should not even be stored at home during this time. Instead of bread during Passover, they eat matzo. On the one hand, it is the "bread of poverty" that Jews ate during slavery, on the other hand, it was matzo that helped the Jewish people survive in the desert, which is why it is also called "the bread of freedom".
© Photo: Maria Novoselova/"Vestnik Kavkaza"
German Zakharyaev, President of the International Fund of Mountain Jews STMEGI, congratulated the Jewish people on the holiday. He recalled the traditions of Passover, which do not differ from those that existed in ancient times.
Zakharyaev spoke about the meal that takes place on the first evening of Passover and is called "Seder", which translates as "order".
"The Passover Seder combines the religious and national aspects of Judaism. Even non-religious Jews celebrate the Seder, because it symbolizes the liberation of Jewish slaves from Egypt and the beginning of the Jewish nation",
President of STMEGI said.
He recalled the symbolic meaning of Seder dishes: matzo, the bitter herb maror or horseradish. They serve as a symbol of the bitterness of slavery, the charoset dish of crushed and mixed nuts and apples, reminiscent of the clay for the bricks from which the Jews built Egyptian cities.
© Photo: Maria Novoselova/"Vestnik Kavkaza"
"Despite the bitterness of maror and charoset, the seder is a joyful meal. Its festivity is determined by four glasses of wine, which are drunk while reading the Haggadah, a small book telling the story of the exodus from Egypt",
German Zakharyaev said.
He also spoke about the holiday of Iyar 26, closely associated with Passover. This is the Day of Salvation and Liberation. It was on the 26th of Iyar that Victory Day fell on May 9, 1945, so the date was chosen for the holiday, which symbolizes the salvation from complete destruction as a result of the Holocaust and the creation of the Jewish state three years after the Victory.
"To everyone who celebrates Passover and for whom this holiday is important, I wish peace, prosperity, joy, good luck, hope, faith, love and courage. May grace and peace reign in your lives forever!",
President of STMEGI said.
