Answers to the Pesach Quiz
1. Pesach is also called: The Festival of Spring.
Pesach has several names that recall different aspects of the
holiday. "Pesach" (Passover) was the paschal offering that
recalled the "passing over" of the Israelite homes in Egypt,
spared from the 'slaying of the first-born.' "Chag Hamatzot"
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread - recalls the matzot baked
in haste before the Exodus began. "Zeman Heirutenu"- The Season
of our Freedom - engenders the notions of liberty and independence.
"Chag Ha'aviv" - The Spring Festival - reinforces the concepts
of birth, renewal, freedom and salvation, embedded within
the holiday themes. Also, one of the reasons for reading of
the "Song of Songs" on Pesach is because this allegorical
'love poem' between God and Israel is essentially a spring
song ("For lo the winter is past…")
2. The Omer symbolizes: Both the Barley Offering and the Counting
period till Shavu'ot.
Pesach is one of the three Foot-Festivals during which, in
ancient times, pilgrims brought the harvest to the Temple
in Jerusalem. The "omer" was the measure of barley brought
on the first day of Pesach marking the end of the season and
the seven-week countdown to the wheat harvest on Shavu'ot.
The period between the two harvests is also known as the Omer,
the daily counting of which has been associated with tragedies
in Jewish history, including the plague among R. Akiva's foremost
scholars (c. 130 CE) and the period of the Crusades (1096-1320).
3. Bedikat Chametz is: The Search for crumbs.
During Pesach, Chametz (or leaven) must not be seen or eaten.
This prohibition mainly concerns grains, and fermented grain
and their derivatives, and has been extended to any foods
containing or associated with Chametz. So before Pesach Jewish
homes are characterized by vigorous spring-cleaning in readiness
for the changeover to Pesach. On the eve of 14th Nissan (the
first day of Pesach) a symbolic search is made for the forbidden
leaven - "Bedikat Chametz" - throughout the Jewish home. The
few morsels found (sometimes intentionally) are burned the
following morning in a ceremony in which the property owners
disowns any 'forgotten' Chametz.
4. Pesach marks: The Liberation of Jews from Egypt.
In essence, Pesach marks the ending of the Israelite bondage
in Egypt; it commemorates their transformation, through a
series of rituals, miracles and mighty acts, into a nation
ready to accept the Torah and enter Eretz Yisrael. From a
spiritual perspective, a people subservient to Egyptian taskmasters
became a believing nation ready to serve the God that delivered
them. Many see in Pesach the universal message of freedom
and independence of nation states and individuals for which
so many suffered over the generations. In particular, the
birth of Israel, and the ingathering of deprived and persecuted
Jews in our times have given Pesach an added contemporary
significance.
5. The Pesach Haggadah: Was compiled in c. 3rd cent BCE
The Haggadah (lit. "telling") is the book culled from a variety
of sources that contains the order of the Seder ceremony on
the first night of Pesach (see below). It is based on biblical
injunctions to parents to relate the Exodus story to their
children throughout the generations (cf. Exodus 13:8) and
the original Seder service prescribed in the Mishnah (Pesachim
10). This was a "banquet" which included eating the paschal
lamb, matza, bitter herbs, drinking wine and, of course, the
recital of the Exodus. The traditional Haggadah was redacted
during the period of the Men of the Great Assembly (early
2nd Temple period); however, it continues to be embellished,
with many contemporary groups adding their own interpretations.
The earliest printed editions and manuscripts date back to
the 13th cent.
6. During the Pesach Seder: We relate the Exodus story
The Seder (lit. "order") is the actual ceremony in which the
Haggadah is used. It is broken down into various stages incorporating:
the early history of the Israelites and their bondage, the
10 plagues and Exodus, references to the major symbols of
the Seder (Pesach, Matza, Maror) and future redemption, songs
of praise, and other related items from the Bible, Midrash,
and prayer book. The Seder plate and its symbolic foods, the
various customs and rituals, the 3 matzot and 4 cups of wine,
and the festive meal and singing, are all highlights for the
children who are encouraged to participate as much as possible.
Seder night is traditionally a time for family and guests who
enjoin in the special atmosphere of thanksgiving engendered
by this special occasion.
7. Afikoman means: "Dessert"
One of the Seder's quaint customs, the afikoman (lit. Greek
for "dessert") is the final piece of matzah eaten at the end
of the Seder meal. It symbolizes the last meal (paschal lamb)
the Israelites had to eat before their hasty departure from
Egypt. In the Seder it is the broken piece of the second of
the three symbolic matzot on which blessings are made. It
is hidden away for the children to find, for without the afikoman,
one cannot finish the meal. (The finder gets a prize, of course!)
8. At the Seder the child asks: Any number of questions.
Oh yes! How many people answered "four"? Well, yes, early in
the Seder, the rabbis introduced the Four Questions in which
the youngest present asks "Ma Nishtanah…?" - 'Why is this
night different from other nights?' The idea was to involve
the children who see contradictions between the customs of
eating matza and Maror (bitter herbs), that symbolize oppression,
and the customs of dipping (foods) and leaning (at the table)
which symbolize freedom. However, the idea is to get the children
to ask any number of questions, as the rabbis of old said:
"The more one tells, the more praiseworthy one is." As the
section of the 'Four Sons' in the Haggadah indicates, the
child's questions gives the parents legitimacy to teach on
- in a way appropriate to each and every child.
9. On Seder night Jews should feel: As if they left Egypt
today.
The problem with history is making it relevant. The rabbis
understood that talking about events in the past might not
touch the hearts and souls of contemporary Jews. However,
the sages urged that "Everyone should see himself (or herself)
as having left Egypt today." This was an attempt to help people
internalize the enormity of the Exodus and its significance.
It was also an inference that, in every generation, people
can be slaves- to themselves, to fads or false gods; yet they
can expunge the internal chametz and elevate themselves to
nobler causes.
10. Matza symbolizes: Modesty in behavior
As mentioned, matzah denotes the hasty Exodus, and as such
was called "Lechem Oni" - 'The Bread of Affliction.' "Oni"
in Hebrew also means 'poor.' So some say that we hide the
Afikoman (see above) as a poor man would save a piece of matzah
for another day. This sense of withholding is also implied
in another interpretation: For the rabbis, matzah and chametz
are opposites. The flat, unleavened nature of matzah symbolizes
the finer side of the personality represented by modesty;
in contrast, leavened bread represents the inflated nature
of individuals, pride and haughtiness.