Why was particular meat used in the passover

Ashkenazi Jews, those whose ancestors settled along the Rhine River and in Northern France and eventually spread into Eastern Europe and Russia typically do not eat lamb at Passover. Traditional lamb offerings were intended only for Temple sacrifice and since the Temple was destroyed, there is now no place for that sacrifice. Sephardic jews, those whose ancestors settled in the Iberian peninsula prior to the Spanish Inquisition, often do eat lamb at Passover.

According to Rabbi Torchio, "The Sephardic community interprets this differently as they are re-enacting that last evening before the Jews left Egypt, and are literally ingesting the narrative of the Exodus from Egypt toward becoming a nation. By Mahita Gajanan.

Related Stories. Already a print subscriber? Go here to link your subscription. The holiday is often celebrated for eight days seven in Israel , and incorporates themes of springtime, a Jewish homeland, family, remembrance of Jewish history, social justice and freedom — including recognizing those who are still being oppressed today. All of these aspects are discussed, if not symbolically represented, during the Passover seder.

Whether or not the Exodus actually happened remains unclear , and it continues to be a mystery that still confounds biblical scholars and archeologists alike.

Elon Gilad, who writes about history and language, told Haaretz that Passover traditions are actually the result of merging of two ancient festivals celebrating spring, one of nomadic origin and one from villages. Passover takes place in early spring during the Hebrew calendar month of Nissan, as prescribed in the book of Exodus. Because the Hebrew calendar does not match up with the Gregorian calendar, the date of Passover along with other Jewish holidays changes every year.

In , Passover will take place from sundown on April 8 to sundown on April In contemporary Passover celebrations, relevant political or social justice themes have been incorporated into the seder.

And while there are myriad Haggadot to choose from to fit nearly all religious, age-specific, political or even satirical needs , the retelling of the Exodus is a key fixture in a Haggadah, along with the reading of the 10 plagues, the asking of the four questions, and explaining various Passover rituals, some of which date back 2, years, according to My Jewish Learning.

In the very basic Passover storyline , the Pharaoh is fearful that there will be too many Jews living in Egypt so he institutes slavery and demands that male Jewish babies be killed. After killing a slave master, Moses flees into the desert, and encounters a burning bush of God revealing himself to Moses.

God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and lead the Jews out of slavery. No matter how you spell it, matzah is the quintessential Passover food. When the Israelites learned that the pharaoh had agreed to let them leave Egypt, they did not have time to bake bread for their journey. Lest Pharaoh change his mind which he did , they quickly made unleavened dough and baked it on their backs in the sun.

Also called the Bread of Affliction, Lechem Oni in Hebrew , matzah symbolizes the hardship of slavery and the Jewish people's hasty transition to freedom. During the Seder meal, a plate of at least three covered matzahs is set next to the Seder plate. The matzah is partaken from ritually three separate times during the Seder. In addition to enjoying matzah at the Seder meal, Jewish people eat this unleavened bread throughout the 8-day holiday. Traditionally, Jews are prohibited from eating any leavened product including pasta, cereal, wheat crackers and of course bread during the week of Passover.

Instead, they enjoy sandwiches made on matzah and cakes baked from matzah meal. While you could make your own matzah at home with special Passover flour and water, most buy their matzah at the supermarket.

Making matzah requires exact precision. In order to be considered "kosher" for Passover, matzah must be made in 18 minutes or less from mixing to kneading to baking. Karpas Karpas is one of the six Passover foods on the Seder plate. It is a green leafy vegetable, usually parsley, used to symbolize the initial flourishing of the Israelites in Egypt. According to the Book of Genesis, Joseph and his family moved from the biblical land of Ca'anan down to Egypt during a drought.