Passover History

Passover is a religious festival of the Jews that commemorates their historic escape from the enslavement by the Egyptian pharaohs. It is an eight-day festival, celebrated in the early part of the spring season, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. Passover celebrates the emancipation of Jews and the birth of their own nation. Jews believe that by following the traditions and rituals of Passover, they would be able to relive and experience the true freedom that their ancestors had gained for them, after undergoing severe oppression and facing many brutalities at the hands of the Egyptian emperor. Read on to know about the history and origin of Pesach in detail.

Origin Of Passover
Passover's history can be traced to the enslavement of the Jews by the Pharaohs of Egypt, who viewed the growing Jewish population of Egypt with suspicion. As the Jewish population could not be kept under check, the Pharaoh ordered his men to throw off all the newborn Hebrew boys into the Nile River. However, Moses, as a young baby, survived the barbarity of the pharaoh. He was brought up in an Egyptian family, as his real identity was unknown to them. However, once an adult, Moses came to know who he really was and realized his responsibility towards his brethren.

Moses saw the brutal treatment being meted out to his fellow men by Egyptians and killed an Egyptian slave master in anger. Fearing that the pharaoh would now put him to death for this act, Moses made an escape over the Sinai Peninsula. He lived the life of a shepherd for 40 years, before he was endowed with supernatural powers by the God, one night. Following God's order, Moses returned to Egypt and asked the Pharaoh to free the Jews from slavery. He showed the Pharaoh a miraculous sign of warning, using the powers granted to him by God. However, the unimpressed pharaoh brought upon the people of Egypt the infamous ten plagues by God's command.

The ten plagues inflicted destruction on the Egyptians, while keeping the Jews unharmed. This made the pharaoh realize the will of God and he agreed to release the Jews. However, the pharaoh changed his mind very soon and asked the army to find the runaways. By this time, the Hebrews had already traveled for 40 days and nights and had reached the northern tip of Red Sea. As the emperor's army blocked their way, God miraculously made a safe passage for the Jews to escape, by parting the Red sea. This marked the astounding escape of Jews from Egypt and the end of their search for a homeland in Israel. Pesach seeks to celebrate this freedom and independence of the Jews.