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79-724: According to a Lithuanian report of 26 July 1941, there were 324 Jews, including 50 children under the age of 6, living in Marcinkonys. Most likely in early November 1941 (other sources provide spring 1942 after the Passover ), an order was given to establish the Jewish ghetto near the train station of the Saint Petersburg–Warsaw Railway . After bribes by the Judenrat , the ghetto area was expanded from three houses to 14. The ghetto covered

158-556: A Romantic attraction to landscape and nature painting, for which the plagues were suited, a Gothic attraction to morbid stories, and a rise in Orientalism , wherein exotic Egyptian themes found currency. Given the importance of noble patronage throughout Western art history, the plagues may have found consistent disfavor because the stories emphasize the limits of a monarch's power, and images of lice, locusts, darkness, and boils were ill-suited for decoration in palaces and churches. Perhaps

237-617: A clear commandment to include them in the category of chametz. Since the 19th century, the Reform movement has permitted eating kitniyot, and in 2015 the Conservative movement followed suit. Sephardi Jews have always permitted eating kitniyot on Passover. Gebrochts ( Yiddish : געבראקטס, lit.   'broken', also known as Hebrew : מצה שרויה, romanized : matzah shruya , lit.   'soaked matzah') refers to matzah that has absorbed liquid. Some Hasidic Jews avoid gebrochts as well, to avoid

316-634: A lamb, and inspect it daily for blemishes. During the day on 14th Nisan, they were to slaughter the animal and use its blood to mark their lintels and door posts . Before midnight on 15th Nisan, they were to consume the lamb. The English term Passover is first known to be recorded in the English language in William Tyndale 's translation of the Bible, later appearing in the King James Version as well. It

395-588: A nation. This is what the L ORD , the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all

474-412: A non-Jew (who is not obligated to celebrate the commandments) in exchange for a small down payment ( e.g. $ 1.00), with the remainder due after Passover. This sale is considered completely binding according to Halakha, and at any time during the holiday, the buyer may come to take or partake of his property. The rabbi then re-purchases the goods for less than they were sold at the end of the holiday. On

553-589: A second layer of blood. In addition to the Nile, all water that was held in reserve, such as jars, was also transformed into blood. The Egyptians were forced to dig alongside the bank of the Nile, which still had pure water. One week passed before the plague dissipated. This is what the great L ORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into

632-560: A set of scriptural and Rabbinic passages dealing with the Passover sacrifice, customarily recited after the Mincha (afternoon prayer) service on the 14th of Nisan, and in the form of the zeroa , a symbolic food placed on the Passover Seder Plate (but not eaten), which is usually a roasted shankbone (or a chicken wing or neck). The eating of the afikoman substitutes for the eating of

711-663: A small bonfire) is done on the next morning, the blessing is made at night because the search is both in preparation for and part of the commandments to remove and destroy all chametz from one's possession. Before the search is begun there is a special blessing . If several people or family members assist in the search then only one person, usually the head of that family recites the blessing having in mind to include everyone present: Hebrew : ברוך אתה י-הוה א-להינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על בעור חמץ , romanized :  bāruḵ attā aḏonāy Elohēnu meleḵ hāʿolām ʾəšer qiddəšānu bəmiṣwāṯāw wəṣiwānu ʿal bəʿor ḥāmeṣ The search

790-571: A state, and a Gentile . The offering had to be made before a quorum of 30. In the Temple, the Levites sang Hallel while the priests performed the sacrificial service. Men and women were equally obligated regarding the offering ( Pesahim 91b). Today, in the absence of the Temple, when no sacrifices are offered or eaten, the mitzvah of the sacrifice is memorialized in the Seder Korban Pesach ,

869-677: A thorough housecleaning to make their premises "kosher for Pesach" to cater to observant Jews. Some scholars suggest that the command to abstain from leavened food or yeast suggests that sacrifices offered to God involve the offering of objects in "their least altered state", that would be nearest to the way in which they were initially made by God. According to other scholars the absence of leaven or yeast means that leaven or yeast symbolizes corruption and spoiling. There are also variations with restrictions on eating matzah before Passover so that there will be an increased appetite for it during Passover itself. Primarily among Chabad Chassidim, there

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948-510: Is a custom of not eating matzah (flat unleavened bread) in the 30 days before Passover begins. Others have a custom to refrain from eating matzah from Rosh Chodesh Nissan, while the halacha merely restricts one from eating matzah on the day before Passover. Kitniyot ( Hebrew : קִטְנִיּוֹת, qitniyyot ; literally "small things") refers to legumes, rice, maize, and other foods that are similar to grains. Ashkenazi Jews historically refrain from eating kitniyot on Passover, despite there not being

1027-610: Is a literal translation of the Hebrew term. In the King James Version, Exodus 12:23 reads: For the L ORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the L ORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. The Passover ritual is "a mitzvah commanded by Torah (rather than of rabbinic origin)." The Passover ritual

1106-752: Is forbidden during Passover. Yeast and fermentation are not themselves forbidden as seen for example by wine, which is required, rather than merely permitted. According to Halakha, the ownership of such chametz is also proscribed. Chametz does not include baking soda , baking powder or like products. Although these are defined in English as leavening agents, they leaven by chemical reaction, not by biological fermentation. Thus, bagels, waffles and pancakes made with baking soda and matzah meal are considered permissible, while bagels made with sourdough and pancakes and waffles made with yeast are prohibited. The Torah commandments regarding chametz are: Observant Jews spend

1185-511: Is rendered as Tiberian [pɛsaħ] , and Modern Hebrew : [ˈpesaχ] Pesaḥ, Pesakh . The verb pāsaḥ ( פָּסַח ) is first mentioned in the Torah 's account of the Exodus, and there is some debate about its exact meaning. The commonly held assumption that it means "He passed over" ( פסח ), in reference to God "passing over" (or "skipping") the houses of the Hebrews during

1264-721: Is the sacrificial lamb During the existence of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem , the focus of the Passover festival was the Passover sacrifice, also known as the Paschal lamb, eaten during the Passover Seder on the 15th of Nisan. Every family large enough to completely consume a young lamb or wild goat was required to offer one for sacrifice at the Jewish Temple on the afternoon of

1343-499: Is the same date on the solar calendar, sometimes two days later, and sometimes an entire month later. In 2024, Rabbinical Passover begins at sunset on 22 April. On the calendar used by the Samaritans, 22 April 2024 is also the day of the Passover sacrifice. Karaite and Samaritan Passovers are each one day long followed by the six-day Festival of Unleavened Bread, for a total of seven days. The main entity in Passover according to Judaism

1422-413: Is then usually conducted by the head of the household joined by his family including children under the supervision of their parents. It is customary to turn off the lights and conduct the search by candlelight , using a feather and a wooden spoon: candlelight effectively illuminates corners without casting shadows; the feather can dust crumbs out of their hiding places; and the wooden spoon which collects

1501-463: Is thought by modern scholars to have its origins in an apotropaic rite unrelated to the Exodus to ensure the protection of a family home, a rite conducted wholly within a clan. Ezov was employed to daub the blood of a slaughtered sheep on the lintels and door posts to ensure that demonic forces could not enter the home. A further hypothesis maintains that once the Priestly Code was promulgated,

1580-419: Is to be set apart on 10th Nisan, and slaughtered at dusk as 14th Nisan ends in preparation for the 15th of Nisan when it will be eaten after being roasted. The literal meaning of the Hebrew is "between the two evenings". It is then to be eaten "that night", 15th Nisan, roasted, without the removal of its internal organs with unleavened bread, known as matzah, and bitter herbs known as maror . Nothing of

1659-473: Is what the L ORD says: "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again." Before this final plague, God commands Moses to tell

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1738-656: The Angel of Death to bring about the tenth plague , in which he would smite all the firstborn in Egypt . But when the angel saw the blood on the Israelites' doorframes, he would pass over their homes so that the plague should not enter (hence the name.) The story is part of the broader Exodus narrative, in which the Israelites, while living in Egypt, are enslaved en masse by the Pharaoh to suppress them; when Pharaoh refuses God's demand to let them go, God sends ten plagues upon Egypt. After

1817-543: The Hebrew month of Nisan , which is considered the first month of the Hebrew year. The Rabbinical Jewish calendar is adjusted to align with the solar calendar in such a way that 15 Nisan always coincides with Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The Hebrew day starts and ends at sunset, so the holiday starts at sunset the day before. For example, in 2024, 15 Nisan coincides with Tuesday, April 23. Therefore, Pesach starts at sundown on Monday, April 22. Biblical Hebrew : פֶּסַח

1896-601: The Metonic cycle . In Israel , Passover is the seven-day holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the first and last days celebrated as legal holidays and as holy days involving holiday meals, special prayer services, and abstention from work; the intervening days are known as Chol HaMoed ("Weekdays [of] the Festival"). Jews outside of Israel celebrate the festival for eight days. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews usually celebrate

1975-700: The Nazi Party in 1933, was investigated and it was determined that he was sympathetic to the Jews and allowed them to escape. He was discredited and transferred. In 1943, Jewish partisans derailed a German train east of Białystok . Lehmann was among the captured Germans. He was recognized by one of the escapees from Marcinkonys and executed for his role in the massacre. Passover Passover , also called Pesach ( / ˈ p ɛ s ɑː x , ˈ p eɪ -/ ; Biblical Hebrew : חַג הַפֶּסַח ‎ , romanized:  Ḥag hapPesaḥ , lit.   ' Pilgrimage of

2054-580: The "festival [of] the unleavened bread" ( Biblical Hebrew : חג המצות , romanized:  ḥaḡ ham-maṣoṯ ) in the Hebrew Bible , the commandment to keep Passover is recorded in the Book of Leviticus : In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at dusk is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. In

2133-462: The 14th day of Nisan, and eat it that night, which was the 15th of Nisan. If the family was too small to finish eating the entire offering in one sitting, an offering was made for a group of families. The sacrifice could not be offered with anything leavened, and had to be roasted, without its head, feet, or inner organs being removed and eaten together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs ( maror ). One had to be careful not to break any bones from

2212-517: The Egyptians, and that Deuteronomy never specifies the plagues. Graham Davies, however, questions Van Seters' interpretation and argues that several verses in the book (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:22 ; 11:2–3 ) seem to clearly allude to a plague tradition. The traditional number of ten plagues is not actually mentioned in Exodus, and other sources differ; Psalms 78 and 105 seem to list only seven or eight plagues and order them differently. It appears that originally there were only seven, to which were added

2291-500: The Egyptians—something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now. Then the L ORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. This

2370-562: The Exodus narrative took on a central function, as the apotropaic rite was, arguably, amalgamated with the Canaanite agricultural festival of spring which was a ceremony of unleavened bread , connected with the barley harvest. As the Exodus motif grew, the original function and symbolism of these double origins was lost. Several motifs replicate the features associated with the Akitu spring festival of ancient Mesopotamian religion , which celebrates

2449-609: The Feast of Unleavened Bread) stress the importance of remembering: In 2 Kings 23:21–23 and 2 Chronicles 35:1–19, King Josiah of Judah restores the celebration of the Passover, to a standard not seen since the days of the judges or the days of the prophet Samuel . Ezra 6:19–21 records the celebration of the passover by the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon , after the temple had been rebuilt . Some of these details can be corroborated, and to some extent amplified, in extrabiblical sources. The removal (or "sealing up") of

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2528-420: The Hebrew root חסה , meaning "to have pity". Cognate languages yield similar terms with distinct meanings, such as "make soft, soothe, placate" ( Akkadian passahu ), "harvest, commemoration, blow" ( Egyptian ), or "separate" ( Arabic fsh ). Pesach may also refer to the lamb or goat which was designated as the Passover sacrifice. Four days before the Exodus, the Hebrews were commanded to set aside

2607-438: The Hebrews. Pharaoh asked Moses to remove this plague and promised to grant the Israelites their freedom. However, after the plague was gone, Pharaoh refused to keep his promise, as his heart was hardened by God. Various sources use either "wild animals" or "flies". This is what the L ORD , the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,

2686-540: The Israelites originated in Canaan and from the Canaanites , although others disagree. The Ipuwer Papyrus , written no earlier than the late Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt ( c.  1991–1803 BCE ), has been put forward in popular literature as confirmation of the biblical account, most notably because of its statement that "the river is blood" and its frequent references to servants running away; however, these arguments ignore

2765-499: The Israelites to mark a lamb 's blood above their doors in order that the Angel of Death will pass over them (i.e., that they will not be touched by the death of the firstborn). Pharaoh orders the Israelites to leave, taking whatever they want, and asks Moses to bless him in the name of the Lord. The passage goes on to state that the passover sacrifice recalls the time when the L ORD "passed over

2844-407: The Israelites to mark a lamb 's blood above their doors so God will pass over them and the plague of the death of the firstborn will not afflict them. The biblical regulations for the observance of the festival require that all leavening be disposed of before the beginning of the 15th of Nisan according to Exodus 13:7 An unblemished lamb or goat, known as the Passover sacrifice or "Paschal Lamb",

2923-417: The L ORD : With the staff that is in my hands I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink and the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water. The Hebrew Bible 's Book of Exodus says that Aaron turned the Nile to blood by striking it with his staff. Pharaoh's magicians used their secret arts to also strike the Nile, creating

3002-498: The Paschal lamb in the individual homes of the Hebrews and smearing the blood of the lamb on their doorways were celebrated in Egypt. However, once Israel was in the wilderness and the Tabernacle was in operation, a change was made in those two original requirements. Passover lambs were to be sacrificed at the door of the Tabernacle and no longer in the homes of the Jews. No longer, therefore, could blood be smeared on doorways. Called

3081-632: The Passing Over '), is a major Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals . It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt . According to the Book of Exodus , God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood, in addition to instructions for consuming the lamb that night. For that night, God would send

3160-451: The afternoon. Jubilees states the sacrifice was eaten that night, and together with Josephus states that nothing of the sacrifice was allowed to remain until morning. Philo states that the banquet included hymns and prayers. The Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan , which at present falls between March 26 and April 25 of the Gregorian calendar . The 15th day begins in

3239-405: The area of 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) surrounded by barbed wire and housed several dozens of Jews from nearby towns and villages, including Rudnia , Kabeliai , Valkininkai , Butrimonys , Varėna . Living conditions inside the ghetto were better than in other Jewish ghettos. The ghetto had its own small Jewish police force, commanded by Berke Aizenshtat. Most ghetto inmates were forced to work at

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3318-455: The crowded Jews without a reasonable cause. Other authors present the events as a revolt inspired by Aaron Kobrowski, chairman of the Judenrat. Panicked Jews attempted to escape through the fence into the nearby forest or back into the ghetto. The Germans then searched the ghetto, shooting any Jews on sight and destroying five secret bunkers with grenades. In total, 105 or 132 Jews were shot. Over

3397-522: The crumbs can be burned the next day with the hametz. However, most contemporary Orthodox authorities permit using a flashlight, while some strongly encourage it due to the danger coupled with using a candle. Plagues of Egypt#plague10 In the Book of Exodus , the Plagues of Egypt ( Hebrew : מכות מצרים ) are ten disasters that Yahweh inflicts on the Egyptians to convince the Pharaoh to emancipate

3476-414: The earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in

3555-476: The enslaved Israelites , each of them confronting the Pharaoh and one of his Egyptian gods ; they serve as "signs and marvels" given by Yahweh in response to the Pharaoh's taunt that he does not know Yahweh: "The Egyptians shall know that I am the L ORD ". These Plagues are recited by Jews during the Passover Seder . The consensus of modern scholars is that the Torah does not give an accurate account of

3634-418: The evening, after the 14th day, and the seder meal is eaten that evening. Passover is a spring festival, so the 15th day of Nisan typically begins on the night of a full moon after the northern vernal equinox . However, due to leap months falling after the vernal equinox, Passover sometimes starts on the second full moon after vernal equinox, as in 2016. To ensure that Passover did not start before spring,

3713-415: The field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.   [...] The L ORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the L ORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become

3792-608: The final of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, stems from the translation provided in the Septuagint ( Ancient Greek : παρελεύσεται , romanized :  pareleusetai in Exodus 12:23, and ἐσκέπασεν , eskepasen in Exodus 12:27.) The Targum Onkelos , written in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic , translates pesach as Hebrew : וְיֵחוֹס , romanized :  wəyēḥos , lit.   'he had pity', coming from

3871-404: The first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. The sacrifices may be performed only in a specific place prescribed by God. For Judaism, this is Jerusalem. The biblical commandments concerning the Passover (and

3950-464: The ghetto and transport the Jews to Treblinka and Auschwitz concentration camps . A squad of 15 Germans, under the command of Gendarmerie Hauptwachmeister Albert Wietzke, ordered the Jews to gather at the entrance at 8am to be "transported for labor." Witnesses present different accounts of further events. According to an official complaint written by forester Hans Lehmann, two of the Germans opened fire at

4029-474: The grounds that their pattern, timing, rapid succession, and above all, control by Moses mark them as supernatural . In visual art, the plagues have generally been reserved for works in series, especially engravings. Still, relatively few depictions in art emerged compared to other religious themes until the 19th century, when the plagues became more common subjects, with John Martin and Joseph Turner producing notable canvases. This trend probably reflected

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4108-424: The hand of the L ORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. Then the L ORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout

4187-508: The holiday over seven days. Karaites use a different calendar; they rely on visual identification of ripe barley and the date of Passover cannot be determined before this. Some modern Karaites follow the Rabbinical calendar in modern Israel because of social pressure. The Samaritans use a calendrical system that uses a different method from that current in Rabbinic practice; it sometimes

4266-452: The houses of the Israelites in Egypt". Scholars are in broad agreement that the publication of the Torah took place in the mid-Persian period (the 5th century BCE). The Book of Deuteronomy , composed in stages between the 7th and 6th centuries, mentions the "diseases of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 7:15 and 28:60). John Van Seters contends that this refers to something that afflicted the Israelites, not

4345-416: The houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials. Exodus states that God ordered frogs to emerge from the Nile, which then jumped around virtually everywhere in Egypt. The magicians attempted to produce frogs from their secret arts, conjuring up a second wave of frogs. Even the private quarters of Pharaoh

4424-418: The land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt."   [...] When Aaron stretched out his hand with the rod and struck the dust of the ground, lice came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became lice. The fourth plague of Egypt was of creatures capable of harming people and livestock. Exodus states that the plagues only came against the Egyptians and did not affect

4503-407: The land." This is what the L ORD , the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off

4582-612: The leaven is referred to in the Elephantine papyri and ostraca in an Imperial Aramaic papyrus letter from the 5th century BCE from Elephantine , Egypt. The slaughter of the lambs on the 14th is mentioned in Jubilees , a Jewish work of the Ptolemaic period , and by the Herodian-era writers Josephus and Philo . These sources also indicate that "between the two evenings" was taken to mean

4661-433: The many points on which Ipuwer contradicts Exodus, such as Asiatics arriving in Egypt rather than leaving and the fact that the "river is blood" phrase probably refers to the red sediment colouring the Nile during disastrous floods, or is simply a poetic image of turmoil. Attempts to find natural explanations for the plagues (e.g., a volcanic eruption to explain the "darkness" plague) have been dismissed by biblical scholars on

4740-409: The most successful artistic representation of the plagues is Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt , which, like his perennial favorite, " Messiah ", takes a libretto entirely from scripture. The work was especially popular in the 19th century because of its numerous choruses, generally one for each plague, and its playful musical depiction of the plagues. For example, the plague of frogs is performed as

4819-581: The next few weeks, Germans and local collaborators searched for the escaped Jews and about 90 to 100 Jews were killed. A group of 21 Jews, including 7 women, were shot when their hideout near Musteika village was betrayed by a local man. About 46 Jews survived the war, mostly as members of the Kobrowski partisan group, recognized as part of the Davidov brigade of the Soviet partisans in 1943. Hans Lehmann, who had joined

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4898-404: The night of the fourteenth of Nisan , the night before the Passover Seder (after nightfall on the evening before Passover eve), Jews do a formal search in their homes known as bedikat chametz for any possible remaining leaven ( chametz ). The Talmudic sages instructed that a search for chametz be made in every home, place of work, or any place where chametz may have been brought during

4977-424: The offering, and none of the meat could be left over by morning. Because of the Passover sacrifice's status as a sacred offering, the only people allowed to eat it were those who had the obligation to bring the offering. Among those who could not offer or eat the Passover lamb were an apostate , a servant, an uncircumcised man , a person in a state of ritual impurity except when a majority of Jews are in such

5056-441: The original owner's possession in a locked cabinet until they can be repurchased after the holiday. Modern observance may also include sealing cabinets and drawers which contain "Chametz" shut by using adhesive tape, which serves a similar purpose to a lock but also shows evidence of tampering. Although the practice of selling "Chametz" dates back many years, some Reform rabbinical authorities have come to regard it with disdain – since

5135-530: The origins of the Israelites and that, while a small group of proto-Israelites may have originated from Egypt, it did not happen in the massive way that the Tanakh describes. Some scholars have suggested that the story of the Plagues of Egypt might have been inspired by natural phenomena like epidemics , although these theories are considered uncertain. This is what the L ORD says: By this you will know that I am

5214-505: The plague of the death of the firstborn. Moses said, “Thus says יהוה : Toward midnight I will go forth among the Egyptians, and every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle. And there shall be a loud cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again; Before this final plague, Yahweh commands Moses to tell

5293-424: The plagues are "signs and marvels" given by the God of Israel to answer Pharaoh's taunt that he does not know Yahweh: "The Egyptians shall know that I am the L ORD ". Secular Scholars broadly agree that the Exodus is not a historical account and that, while a small group of proto-Israelites may have originated from Egypt, it did not happen in the massive way the Bible describes. Some scholars also hold that

5372-456: The possibility that a clump of flour that was never properly mixed with water (and thus is still susceptible to leavening) may come into contact with the liquid. Leaven or chametz may be sold rather than discarded, especially in the case of relatively valuable forms such as liquor distilled from wheat, with the products being repurchased afterward. In some cases, they may never leave the house, instead being formally sold while remaining in

5451-506: The railway station, on the roads, in forestry, or in the mushroom-canning factory, but some managed to retain their pre-war trade. In summer 1942, 70 Jewish survivors arrived at the ghetto bringing accounts of mass killings and other atrocities. That heightened the tensions and a group of young Jews planned to escape and join the Jewish partisans . The Judenrat even smuggled 12 guns into the ghetto. On 2 November 1942, orders were given to liquidate

5530-464: The sacrifice at the end of the Seder meal ( Mishnah Pesachim 119a). Many Sephardic Jews have the custom of eating lamb or goat meat during the Seder in memory of the sacrifice. Leaven, in Hebrew chametz ( Hebrew : חמץ ḥamets , " leavening ") is made from one of five types of grains combined with water and left to stand for more than eighteen minutes. The consumption, keeping, and owning of chametz

5609-420: The sacrifice on which the sun rises by the morning of the 15th of Nisan may be eaten, but must be burned. The biblical regulations of the original Passover at the time of the Exodus only also include how the meal was to be eaten: "your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a passover offering to יהוה ." The biblical requirements of slaying

5688-429: The sowing of barley. Scholars John Van Seters , Judah Segal , and Tamara Prošić disagree with the merged two-festivals hypothesis. In the Book of Exodus , the Israelites are enslaved in ancient Egypt. Yahweh , the god of the Israelites, appears to Moses in a burning bush and commands Moses to confront the Pharaoh . To show his power, Yahweh inflicts a series of ten plagues on the Egyptians , culminating in

5767-410: The supposed "new owner" never takes actual possession of the goods. The sale of chametz may also be conducted communally via a rabbi , who becomes the "agent" for all the community's Jews through a halakhic procedure called a kinyan (acquisition). Each householder must put aside all the chametz he is selling into a box or cupboard, and the rabbi enters into a contract to sell all the chametz to

5846-464: The tenth plague, Pharaoh permits the Israelites to leave. This story is recounted at the Passover Seder by reading the Haggadah . The Haggadah is a standardized ritual account of the Exodus story, in fulfillment of the command "And thou shalt tell [Higgadata] thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the L ORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt." Pesach starts on the 15th day of

5925-418: The third, sixth, and ninth, bringing the count to ten. In this final version, the first nine plagues form three triads, each of which God introduces by informing Moses of the main lesson it will teach. In the first triad, the Egyptians begin to experience the power of God; in the second, God demonstrates that he is directing events; and in the third, the incomparability of Yahweh is displayed. Overall,

6004-422: The tradition in ancient Israel held that the lunar new year , the first day of Nisan, would not start until the barley was ripe, being the test for the onset of spring. If the barley was not ripe, or various other phenomena indicated that spring was not yet imminent, an intercalary month ( Adar II ) would be added. However, since at least the 4th century, the intercalation has been fixed mathematically according to

6083-596: The weeks before Passover in a flurry of thorough housecleaning, to remove every morsel of chametz from every part of the home. Jewish law requires the elimination of olive -sized or larger quantities of leavening from one's possession, but most housekeeping goes beyond this. Even the seams of kitchen counters are thoroughly cleaned to remove traces of flour and yeast, however small. Any containers or implements that have touched chametz are stored and not used during Passover. Some hotels , resorts , and even cruise ships across America , Europe , and Israel also undergo

6162-474: The year. When the first Seder is on a Saturday night, the search is conducted on the preceding Thursday night (thirteenth of Nisan) as chametz cannot be burned during Shabbat . The Talmud in Pesahim (p. 2a) derives from the Torah that the search for chametz be conducted by the light of a candle and therefore is done at night, and although the final destruction of the chametz (usually by burning it in

6241-401: Was infested with frogs. Three days passed before all the frogs died. The Egyptians had to do much work to rid themselves of the corpses, and the land stank of frog for long afterwards. When the decision came for Pharaoh about the slaves, the Lord hardened his heart and Pharaoh decided that the slaves would not be freed. "And the L ORD said   [...] Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of

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