Passover, the Biblically-ordained Festival of Freedom, will be observed by Jews the world over starting on the night of April 6, and concluding at nightfall, April 14. Interested personnel can observe the festival at the traditional Jewish Passover Seder to be held on that date at 6:30 p.m., in the Main Post Chapel’s activities room. The suggested donation for the Seder is $15. Call 533.4748 for reservations.
The essence of the Passover celebration is an elaborate ritual built around a specially prepared meal held on the first two nights of the holiday. The meal is called “Seder,” a Hebrew word meaning “order,” which refers to the order of the various elements of the worship service in which participants partake of various symbolic foods: Matzah, unleavened bread; Karpas, seasonal greens dipped in salt water; Charoses, a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, raisins, wine, and cinnamon; and Maror, bitter herbs, usually horseradish.
The drama of the story of Passover unfolds in a special book called the “Hagaddah” “†the narration “†and refers to the story of the Jews’ enslavement in Egypt at the hands of the Pharaoh, and their subsequent redemption under the leadership of Moses.
The principle idea of the observance is that each person is to consider himself a slave who experiences freedom for the first time. The process involves the whole family, and the drama of the occasion teaches the lesson that freedom must never be taken for granted, and that everyone has the responsibility to see that the blessings of freedom are extended to all human beings.
