Passover, one of Judaism’s most significant holidays, which commemorates the Hebrews’ liberation from enslavement in Egypt and the “passing over” of God’s forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, on the eve of the Exodus. Passover begins with the 15th and ends with either the 21st (in Israel and among Reform Jews) or the 22nd day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar (March or April in the Gregorian calendar). On these seven (or eight) days, all leaven, whether in bread or other mixture, is prohibited, and only unleavened bread, called matzo, may be eaten. The matzo symbolizes both the Hebrews’ suffering while in bondage and the haste with which they left Egypt in the course of the Exodus. Passover is often celebrated with great pomp and ceremony, especially on the first night, when families hold a special meal called the seder.
