Shop-bought matzo © Pharaoh frees the Israelites The Egyptians were terrified and demanded Pharaoh banish the Israelites there and then. The Avenging Angel ArrivesĪt midnight every Egyptian firstborn - from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner in his cell - and even of the livestock - was struck down by the angel. The Israelites were to perform this ritual dressed for a journey. Every bit of the lamb had to be eaten and any remaining bones burned. Then the families were to roast the lamb and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.This would tell the avenging angel that it was an Israelite home and to 'pass over'. Blood from the lamb was to be brushed on the door frames.Each household was to take an unblemished, male lamb, look after it, and slaughter it at twilight four days later.So that the angel would know which houses were Israelite homes, the Children of Israel were to follow very specific instructions: Matzo symbolises the Israelites' unleavened bread © Israelite children would not be killed and thus God would show that they were his chosen people. The escape from Egypt The Tenth Plague - the plague on the firstbornĪn avenging angel would go from house to house killing every first-born son. The plagues only affected the Egyptians - the Israelites were unaffected. The Plague of Darkness: Egypt became totally dark for three days. The Plague of Locusts: A swarm of locusts settled in Egypt and devoured anything left growing after the hail. The Plague of Hail: The worst hailstorm ever to hit Egypt struck, beating down crops growing in the fields and even killing people and animals caught in it. The Plague of Boils: Festering boils broke out on the Egyptian people and their livestock. The Plague on Livestock: All animals belonging to the Egyptians died - horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. (The Hebrew word here is orov meaning mixture and in Jewish tradition this refers to a mixture of wild animals.) The Plague of Flies: Swarms of flies arrived in Egypt and poured into Pharaoh's palace, the houses of his officials, and all over the land. (The Bible calls this The Plague of Gnats, but in Judaism the accepted translation of the Hebrew word Kinim is lice). The Plague of Lice: Dust was turned into lice which crawled on people and animals. The Plague of Frogs: Egypt was overrun with frogs - there were frogs in the beds, frogs in the ovens, and frogs jumping on the people. All the water in Egypt was turned into blood. The Plague of Blood: God turned the water of the River Nile into blood so that the fish died and the water stank. God promised he would release them from slavery, but not before Pharaoh had refused their release and God had visited ten plagues on Egypt to demonstrate his power. The Children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 210 years. The story of Passover is told in the Book of Exodus.
Jews have celebrated Passover since about 1300 BC, following the rules laid down by God in Exodus 13. Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover ( Pesach in Hebrew) to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses. Passover is one of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar. Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar
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