Passover 2009 begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 8. Passover lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days in the rest of the world (seven days for Reform Jews).

Jewish tradition encourages the faithful to begin elucidating Passover-related laws 30 days before the start of the festival. For one thing, the religious dos and don'ts are very detailed. Moreover, the conceptual significance of this holiday is central to the understanding of Judaism.

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) commemorates the formative experience of the Jewish people: their transformation from scattered tribes indentured in Egypt to a nation on the road to redemption. The Bible relates in the Book of Exodus that after hundreds of years of slavery, God smote the hardhearted dictator Pharaoh with Ten Plagues until he finally acceded to the demand relayed by Moses: Let My people go that they may serve Me! (Exodus 7:16)

As the Israelites hastily prepared for their precipitous flight from Egypt, they had no time to allow their bread to rise. Instead they baked matza, a flat, yeastless cracker of flour and water.

At the last minute, Pharaoh changed his mind and gave chase; God parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through on miraculously dry land while causing the pursuing Egyptians, along with their horses and chariots, to drown in the briny deep.

How to prepare for Passover:

• Rid yourself of chametz, or leavened products. Forbidden foodstuffs include bread, cake, crackers, pasta, beer and whiskey. For devout Jews, pre-Passover cleaning is spring cleaning on steroids as they relentlessly expunge both bread crumbs and specks of dirt from their homes.
• Menu planning: substitute matza for bread, use potato flour instead of wheat flour, and for alcoholic refreshment stick to wine or brandy.
• The night before Passover begins, go through your home with a candle to seek out unnoticed bits of leftover chametz. The next morning, burn them.
• This removal of chametz can be understood on a metaphorical level as well; one can perform an introspective examination and root out such unwanted traits as pride and vanity (symbolized by yeast, the leavening agent which puffs up chametz).

                                                   Passover Seder Table and  Seder Plate

The seder:                                
On the first night of Passover (the first two nights, outside of Israel), a ceremonial meal called a seder is held, usually in the company of family and friends. The seder, replete with symbolism, revolves around bringing the Exodus story to life. The central axis is the question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Various forms of that question, as well as all others, are encouraged.

At the seder, while the participants recline on pillows, the Haggada, which recounts the story of the Exodus, is read, and various food items that recall slavery and/or freedom are consumed. These include matza; maror (bitter herbs); charoset, a sweet brownish mixture usually made of apples and nuts that represents the mortar the slaves used to build bricks; and karpas vegetables dipped into salt water, which represents tears. Four cups of wine are drunk at specified points in the ritual, and a fifth cup is poured for the prophet Elijah, who, according to tradition, visits every seder table. A roasted piece of meat symbolizing the discontinued Paschal sacrifice is present but, ever since the destruction of the Temple, is not eaten. See The Seder Plate.

The other six days:
The Biblical Song of Songs is read during synagogue services on the Saturday that falls during Passover (the second if there is more than one). On the final night of Passover, some Hassidic Jews and others recall the splitting of the Red Sea — which, according to tradition, happened on that day — by gathering to sing songs of praise to God, with a bowl of water on the table before them. Chabad Jews dedicate a special meal on this day to the Messiah, complete with another four cups of wine.

                                                              The 4 Questions

Introductory Question Ma nishtana ha-laila ha-zeh mi-kol ha-lelot? Why is this night different from all other nights?

First Question She-be-chol ha-lelot anu ochlin chametz u-matza, ha-laila ha-zeh kulo matza? Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matza, but on this night we eat matza?

Second Question She-be-chol ha-lelot anu ochlin she-ar yetajit, ha-laila ha-zeh moror? Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night we eat bitter herbs?

Third Question She-be-chol ha-lelot en anu matbilin afilu pa'am echat, ha-laila ha-zeh shetay fe'amim? Why is it on all other nights we do not dip even once, but on this night we dip twice?

Fourth Question She-be-chol ha-lelot anu ochlin bayn yoshvin u-vayn mseubin, ha-laila ha-zeh kelanu mesubin? Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?