Passover Seder
The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar (i.e., at the start of the 15th; a Hebrew day begins at sunset). The day falls in late March or in April of the Gregorian calendar; Passover lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days outside Israel. Jews traditionally observe one seder if in Israel and two (one on each of the first two nights) if in the Jewish diaspora. The Seder is a ritual involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, taken from the Book of Exodus (''Shemot'') in the Jewish Torah. The Seder itself is based on the Hebrew Bible, Biblical verse 613 Mitzvot, commanding Jews to retell the story of the The Exodus, Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what Tetragr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The people of the Kingdom of Israel and the ethnic and religious group known as the Jewish people that descended from them have been subjected to a number of forced migrations in their history" and Hebrews of historical History of ancient Israel and Judah, Israel and Judah. Jewish ethnicity, nationhood, and religion are strongly interrelated, "Historically, the religious and ethnic dimensions of Jewish identity have been closely interwoven. In fact, so closely bound are they, that the traditional Jewish lexicon hardly distinguishes between the two concepts. Jewish religious practice, by definition, was observed exclusively by the Jewish people, and notions of Jewish peoplehood, nation, and community were suffused with faith in the Jewish God, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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613 Mitzvot
The Jewish tradition that there are 613 commandments ( he, תרי״ג מצוות, taryag mitzvot) or mitzvot in the Torah (also known as the Law of Moses) is first recorded in the 3rd century AD, when Rabbi Simlai mentioned it in a sermon that is recorded in Talmud Makkot 23b. The 613 commandments include "positive commandments", to perform an act (), and "negative commandments", to abstain from certain acts (). The negative commandments number 365, which coincides with the number of days in the solar year, and the positive commandments number 248, a number ascribed to the number of bones and main organs in the human body. Although the number 613 is mentioned in the Talmud, its real significance increased in later medieval rabbinic literature, including many works listing or arranged by the . The most famous of these was an enumeration of the 613 commandments by Maimonides. Many of the cannot be currently observed, following the destruction of the Second Temple, though they sti ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Maror
''Maror'' ( he, מָרוֹר ''mārôr'') refers to the bitter herbs eaten at the Passover Seder in keeping with the biblical commandment "with bitter herbs they shall eat it." (Exodus 12:8). Biblical source In some listings of the 613 commandments, such as the '' Minchat Chinuch'', the biblical obligation to consume ''maror'' is included within the commandment to consume the meat of the sacrificial Paschal offering.''Minchat Chinuch'' 6:14 ''u'v'mitzvah'' Ever since the Paschal offering ceased to exist with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the obligation to consume ''maror'' on the first night of Passover has been rabbinical in nature. The only two biblical references to the ''maror'' are the verse quoted above (Exodus 12:8) in which it is mentioned in reference to the offering, and in Numbers 9:11 where "They are to eat the lamb, together with the unleavened bread and bitter herbs". This is in contradistinction to the obligation to consume ''matzo'' on ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Matzo
Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which '' chametz'' (leaven and five grains that, per Jewish Law, are self-leavening) is forbidden. As the Torah recounts, God commanded the Israelites (modernly, Jews and Samaritans) to eat only unleavened bread during the seven day Passover festival. Matzah can be either soft like a pita loaf or crispy. Only the crispy variety is produced commercially because soft matzah has a very short shelf life. Matzah meal is crispy matzah that has been ground to a flour-like consistency. Matzah meal is used to make matzah balls, the principal ingredient of matzah ball soup. Sephardic Jews typically cook with matzah itself rather than matzah meal. Matzah that is kosher for Passover is limited in Ashkenazi tradition to plain matzah made from flour and water. The flour may be w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Four Questions
Ma Nishtana ( he, מה נשתנה) are the first two words in a phrase meaning "Why is tonight different from all other nights?" The phrase appears at the beginning of each line of The Four Questions, traditionally asked via song by the youngest capable child attending Passover Seder. The questions are included in the haggadah as part of the Maggid (מגיד) section. Origins The questions originate in the Mishna, Pesachim 10:4, but are quoted differently in the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. The Jerusalem Talmud only records three questions; why foods are dipped twice as opposed to once, why matzah is eaten, and why the meat sacrifice eaten is exclusively roasted. (The last question is a reference to the paschal sacrifice which was fire-roasted). The Babylonian Talmud quotes four questions; why matzah is eaten, why maror is eaten, why meat that is eaten is exclusively roasted, and why food is dipped twice. The version in the Jerusalem Talmud is also the one most commonly fou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Afikoman
Afikoman (Mishnaic Hebrew: אֲפִיקִימוֹן ''ʾăpîqîmôn'';So spelled and vocalized in de Rossi 138 (Parma A) and Kaufmann A50; also spelled in the Cambridge manuscript and by the "Rabbi Jehoseph" cited by Adeni. Modern pronunciation: אֲפִיקוֹמָן ''ʾăpîqômān'') based on Greek ''epikomon'' πὶ κῶμονor ''epikomion'' πικώμιον meaning "that which comes after" or "dessert"), a word originally having the connotation of "refreshments eaten after the meal", is now almost strictly associated with the half-piece of ''matzo'' which is broken in two during the early stages of the Passover Seder and set aside to be eaten as a dessert after the meal. Based on the Mishnah in Pesahim 119b, the ''afikoman'' is a substitute for the Passover sacrifice, which was the last thing eaten at the Passover meal during the eras of the First and Second Temples and during the period of the Tabernacle. The Talmud states that it is forbidden to have any other f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Karpas
Karpas ( he, כַּרְפַּס) is one of the traditional rituals in the Passover Seder. It refers to the vegetable, usually parsley or celery, that is dipped in liquid (usually salt water) and eaten. Other customs are to use raw onion, or boiled potato. Some say the word comes from the Greek ''karpos'' ( el, καρπός) meaning a fresh raw vegetable. It is more likely though that it is related to the Persian "karafs" meaning celery (Persian: کرفس). The standard pronunciation karpas may be a corruption which developed due to a misidentification between this and a similar word found in Esther 1:6 which means fine linen, originally though it was pronounced "karafs". The karpas is traditionally placed on the seder plate on the left side, below the roasted egg. The liquid is usually salt-water or wine vinegar. The idea behind the salt water is to symbolize the salty tears that the Jews shed in their slavery in Egypt. One reason given for dipping a vegetable into saltwater is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kiddush
Kiddush (; he, קידוש ), literally, "sanctification", is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Additionally, the word refers to a small repast held on Shabbat or festival mornings after the prayer services and before the meal. Significance The Torah refers to two requirements concerning Shabbat – to "keep it" and to "remember it" (''shamor'' and ''zakhor''). Jewish law therefore requires that Shabbat be observed in two respects. One must "keep it" by refraining from thirty-nine forbidden activities, and one must "remember it" by making special arrangements for the day, and specifically through the ''kiddush'' ceremony. Reciting ''kiddush'' before the meal on the eve of Shabbat and Jewish holidays is thus a commandment from the Torah (as it is explained by the Oral Torah). Reciting ''kiddush'' before the morning meal on Shabbat and holidays is a requirement of rabbinic origin. Kiddush is not usually recited at the th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Matza
Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' (leaven and five grains that, per Jewish Law, are self-leavening) is forbidden. As the Torah recounts, God commanded the Israelites (modernly, Jews and Samaritans) to eat only unleavened bread during the seven day Passover festival. Matzah can be either soft like a pita loaf or crispy. Only the crispy variety is produced commercially because soft matzah has a very short shelf life. Matzah meal is crispy matzah that has been ground to a flour-like consistency. Matzah meal is used to make matzah balls, the principal ingredient of matzah ball soup. Sephardic Jews typically cook with matzah itself rather than matzah meal. Matzah that is kosher for Passover is limited in Ashkenazi tradition to plain matzah made from flour and water. The flour may be who ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Passover Songs
Passover songs are songs from the seder, the festive meal associated with the Jewish festival of Passover. Songs before the meal Songs before the meal include: * The Seder (Kadesh Urchatz): a table of contents of the seder ceremony, naming the 15 sections of the seder. * Kiddush: The Kiddush is traditionally sung to a special melody used only on the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. * Ma Nishtana: The Four Questions are traditionally asked by the youngest child at the table who is able. * Avadim Hayinu: A single sentence stating, "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt—now we are free." * Baruch Hamakom: A song praising God, both in general and for giving the Torah to the Jewish People. * Vehi Sheamda: In every generation arises those who would destroy us, but the holy one saves us from their hands. * Dayenu: It would have been enough for us. * Al Achat: A follow-up to Dayenu saying "How much more so we should be grateful to God" that all of the items of Dayenu were done for us. * B'tzeit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews. The term ''Talmud'' normally refers to the collection of writings named specifically the Babylonian Talmud (), although there is also an earlier collection known as the Jerusalem Talmud (). It may also traditionally be called (), a Hebrew abbreviation of , or the "six orders" of the Mishnah. The Talmud has two components: the Mishnah (, 200 CE), a written compendium of the Oral Torah; and the Gemara (, 500 CE), an elucidation of the Mishnah and related Tannaitic writings that often ventures onto other subjects and expounds broadly on the Hebrew Bible. The term "Talmud" may refer to eith ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tannaitic
''Tannaim'' ( Amoraic Hebrew: תנאים , singular , ''Tanna'' "repeaters", "teachers") were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the ''Tannaim'', also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 210 years. It came after the period of the ''Zugot'' ("pairs"), and was immediately followed by the period of the '' Amoraim'' ("interpreters"). The root ''tanna'' () is the Talmudic Aramaic equivalent for the Hebrew root ''shanah'' (), which also is the root-word of ''Mishnah''. The verb ''shanah'' () literally means "to repeat hat one was taught and is used to mean "to learn". The Mishnaic period is commonly divided up into five periods according to generations. There are approximately 120 known ''Tannaim''. The ''Tannaim'' lived in several areas of the Land of Israel. The spiritual center of Judaism at that time was Jerusalem, but after the destruction of the city and the Second Temple, Yohanan ben Zakkai ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |