passover
A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM AND THE FUTURE
Passover is the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday! So you’d better get the terms straight… Passover is the name of the eight-day holiday. The Seder is like a fantastic dinner party, with delicious food and thought-provoking conversation (not to mention plenty of singing and wine). The haggadah is the guidebook, kind of like a script, for the Seder.
when is passover?
EIGHT DAYS OF MATZAH
Passover starts at sunset Saturday, April 12, 2025 and ends at sunset Sunday, April 20, 2025. Yeah, that seems like a lot of time to us too. Traditionally there are two Seders, one on the first night and one on the second. The rest of the eight days is when you stay away from bread and close to matzah. The two Seders are exactly the same except that the chicken soup tastes better the second day. The reason for two Seders has to do with the moon, and the calendar, and that the rabbis weren’t exactly sure which night it started in the Diaspora, so they decided we should cover our bases and celebrate Passover twice. True story.
What's Passover anyway?
Passover is when we celebrate the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by retelling the story of the Exodus at a Seder. If you’ve ever seen the classic movie The Ten Commandments starring a ripped Charlton Heston or A Rugrats Passover, you probably know the story. The name Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) comes from the last of the 10 plagues, when the firstborn children of the Egyptians were killed while the Angel of Death literally passed over the Jewish homes. Brutal for sure, but it was the only way to get Pharaoh to release the Jews from slavery (you’d think hail and locusts, etc. would’ve been enough, but the guy really hung on).
What foods are eaten on Passover?
Passover is filled with traditional foods, especially matzah, which includes matzah balls, matzah brei, and matzah kugel. You’ll also find hard-boiled eggs, green herbs dipped in saltwater, horseradish, and matzah and charoset sandwiches to help experience the Passover story. Another traditional dish is gefilte fish, like a cold ground fish mousse (you either love it or you don’t). Many families will also have the kinds of foods they’d normally eat at Thanksgiving at their Seder, minus the stuffing, obviously.
Kosher for Passover?
Keeping kosher for Passover means not eating bread or other leavened foods (a.k.a. chametz), but there are way more rules than that. Many people don’t even have foods with leaven in their homes and will keep kosher for Passover the whole eight days of the holiday
What is chametz?
Chametz is any leavened food, such as bread, that is not eaten during Passover. Observant families remove all chametz from their homes before the holiday. For families with little kids a dramatic part of Passover preparation is searching for the last traces of chametz in the dark using just a candle to find any lingering crumbs. There are lots more rules and activities like that. Google them if you’re ready to take a deeper dive.
hosting?
lead a kickass seder
(Plus, we’ve got you covered with eight steps for a Kickass Seder on pages 2-3 of our Haggadah)
burning bush
drinking game
A Passover drinking game! The JewBelong Haggadah performs best when read aloud in a group. As you read the story of Passover from the amazing skit, every time you hear the name Moses, do a shot of Fireball.
Recline as needed.
red sea
centerpiece
Fill a shallow serving dish with red Jell-o and let set. Create two areas of “land” on each side, using whatever items you have handy. (Go nuts! Literally. Use nuts, matzah, kichel, macaroons – literally anything works.) Finish by adding figurines to represent Moses and the Israelites. Too extra? We don’t think so!
holy baby
moses!
If you want some unique and adorable Passover table decorations and have young kids, this is a great family craft activity that everyone can enjoy together. Start by wrapping a baby doll in a small blanket, then place it carefully in a basket. Add some straw around the doll to give it that “natural” look. Ta daaa! Baby Moses!
what's a seder?
So many Seders are as dull as a piece of plain matzah, but leading a kickass Seder is both highly do-able and super important. There are 14 steps to the Seder. The steps help us retell the story of the Exodus, which is when the Jews fled slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, across the desert to their ultimate freedom in the land that was supposed to be flowing with milk and honey, aka: the promised land, aka: Israel.
1. Kiddush (Blessing Over The Wine)
Fill your cup with the first glass of wine, lift the cup, say the Kiddush, and drink, leaning to the left. All Jewish celebrations, from holidays to weddings, include wine as a symbol of our joy – not to mention a practical way to increase that joy. The Seder starts with the first cup of wine and then gives us three more opportunities to refill our cup and drink.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen. Amen.
Blessed are You, God, Spirit of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
2. Urchatz (Hand Washing In Preparation For The Seder)
We wash our hands twice during the Seder. This first hand-washing comes at the beginning, to prepare us for the experience of the Seder. The traditional way to wash your hands with a blessing is to fill a large cup with water and put the cup in your left hand and pour three times over your right hand. Repeat this by pouring on to your left hand. As you dry your hands, you recite the blessing. Don’t get all JewBarrassed on us if you don’t do it this way or at all, it’s just that we figured we’d explain the traditional hand washing steps. By the way, everyone going into the kitchen or bathroom to use the sink does take a few minutes, so if you don’t think this is a great use of Seder time, just send one person to be the hand washing representative.
Water is refreshing, cleansing, and clear, so it’s easy to understand why so many cultures and religions use water for symbolic purification. Washing hands twice during our Seder: now, with no blessing, to get us ready for the rituals to come; and then later, with a blessing, preparing us for the meal.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
Blessed are You, God, Spirit of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.
3. Karpas (Dipping A Green Vegetable In Salt Water)
We say this blessing before dipping a green vegetable into salt water. The vegetable represents Spring and renewal… as Passover always takes place at the beginning of Spring. The salt water represents the tears and the sweat of our ancestors when they were slaves out in the hot sun building those enormous pyramids. It’s a good idea to put a few small dishes with greens and a few small dishes with salt water around the table. That way it doesn’t take forever for everyone to get their dipped greens.
Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. We now take a vegetable, representing spring, and dip it into salt water, a symbol of the tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Before we eat it, we recite a short blessing:
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei p’ree ha-adama.
We praise God, Spirit of the Universe, who creates the fruits of the earth.
4. Yachatz (Breaking The Middle Matzah)
5. Maggid (Telling the story of Passover)
Maggid is the part of the Seder where we tell the story of Passover—how the Jewish people went from slavery to freedom. It’s the heart of the evening, a chance to connect with our history and remember what it means to be free. But tonight, we’re shaking things up! Instead of just reading the story, we’ve turned it into a fun skit: What If God Hadn’t Taken Our Ancestors Out of Egypt? Check it out in our Passover Haggadah! It’s a chance to bring the story to life with a little humor and creativity. So grab your parts, get into character, and let’s dive into the drama of the Exodus together!
6. Rachtza (Hand Washing With A Blessing)
It’s time to wash hands again, but this time with the blessing. It’s customary not to speak at all between washing your hands and saying the blessings over the matzah:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
We praise God, Spirit of the Universe, who commands us to wash our hands.
7. Motzi Matzah (Eating the Matzah)
Even though we don’t eat bread on Passover we still say HaMotzi (the blessing over the bread) during our Seder. Why? Because traditionally, HaMotzi is recited at the start of every meal, so this one is not different. Then we recite a special blessing to fulfill the commandment to eat matzah on Passover.
Raise the matzah and recite two blessings: the regular bread blessing and then one specifically mentioning the mitzvah of eating matzah at Passover.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz. Amen.
We praise God, Spirit of the Universe, who brings bread from the land.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.
Blessed are You, God, Spirit of the Universe, who commands us to eat matzah.
8. Maror (The Bitter Herb)
We say this short blessing after we all get some bitter herbs aka: horseradish, on our matzah. The bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of the slavery our ancestors endured. Like the salt water and greens, it’s best if you have a few small dishes of the horseradish so that it doesn’t take forever for everyone at the table to get some.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.
Blessed are You, Spirit of the Universe, who commands us to eat bitter herbs.
9. Korech (Matzah Sandwich Of Bitter Herb And Charoset)
While the English Earl of Sandwich is generally credited for inventing the snack of his namesake, Hillel may have originated it two thousand years ago by combining matzah, a slice of paschal lamb, and a bitter herb, often referred to as a “Hillel Sandwich.” Jews no longer sacrifice and eat a lamb, so now the Passover sandwich is only matzah, charoset, and a bitter herb. Most people just make it and eat it, although some people say these words first:
“This is what Hillel did, at the time that the Temple stood. He wrapped up some Pesach lamb, some matzah and some bitter herbs and ate them together.”
10. Shulchan Oreich (Eating the Meal)
This one we don’t need to explain! Just know that at many a Passover Seder, the meal begins with an egg dipped in salt water. The egg symbolizes the cycle of life and renewal, while the salt water represents the tears shed by the Israelites during their slavery in Egypt. This meaningful tradition marks the start of a new chapter and sets the tone for the Seder.
11. Tzafun (Finding and Eating the Afikomen)
Remember that whole thing during Step 4 (Yachatz) where we hid the afikomen? Now is the time for the kids to find it. The Seder can’t conclude until it’s found! Do the afikomen hunt however you want. In our house, we break the afikomen into like 30 pieces and some adult hides it and the kids look. With so many pieces, everyone’s kid finds some which can help avoid fights or tears.
12. Barech/Birkat Hamazon (Grace After The Meal)
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, hazan et ha’olam kulo b’tuvo b’chen b’chesed w’rachamin. Hu noten lechem l’chol basar ki l’olam chasdo. Uv’tuvo hagadol tamid lo chasar lanu v’al yech’sar lanu mason l’olam va’ed. Ba’avur sh’mo hagadol ki hu zan um’farnes lakol umetiv lakol umechin mazon l’chol b’riyotav asher bara. Baruch atah Adonai hazan et hakol.
We praise God, Spirit of the Universe, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all, food for everyone. As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied we thank you for the earth and for its sustenance. Renew our spiritual center in our time. May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world. Amen.
13. Hallel
The JewBelong Haggadah has the ever-popular Chad Gadya song, as well as a fun call and response Echad Mi Yodea. Be sure to get your Haggadah below!
14. Nirtzah (Ending The Seder)
This is when we say, “Next year in Jerusalem!” Which is not a cue for a big political argument. You can think of this as really trying to be in Jerusalem for next year’s Passover celebration, which would be super cool! Or, you can think of this metaphorically and Jerusalem in your heart can be your place of peace.
Our Seder is over, according to Jewish tradition and law. As we had the pleasure to gather for a Seder this year, we hope to once again have the opportunity in the years to come. We pray that God brings health and healing to Israel and all the people of the world, as we say…
L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM.
Peek Inside our
Free haggadah
JewBelong’s beautiful Passover Haggadah includes all of the traditional Passover blessings, plus song parodies, an original skit for all ages, Seder coffee to wake us up to the modern-day Ten Plagues of Antisemitism, and more.
