(Courtesy of Passover Listings)
To eat.
Just joking! There is more to Passover than chugging four cups of wine and eating dry matzah for seven days. Simply stated, we celebrate Passover because we were freed from being slaves in Egypt for 210 years of absolute hell and exile. As we know, Moshe was born during the decree to kill all Jewish boys. His mother was forced to put him into a basket set afloat in the river, hoping he would stay alive. Moshe was saved by Pharaoh’s daughter when she heard a baby’s cry from the river outside the palace. He was then brought into Pharaoh’s palace and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter.
When Moshe grew up, he killed an Egyptian who assaulted a Jew, which caused him to run away (according to a Midrash) to Ethiopia. After being king in Ethiopia for 40 years and then marrying his wife in Midyan,Hashem revealed to Moshe that he was going to be the leader of the Jewish people and free them from Egypt. Confused and scared, Moshe asked how someone like him, with a stutter, could be an effective leader. Hashem assured Moshe that he was the right one, and that Hashem would perform marvelous miracles and wonders.
Moshe entered Egypt to ask Pharaoh to free the Jews from slavery. Pharaoh answered that he would not let the Jews go because he needed them as slaves. Moshe announced that Hashem would hit the Egyptians with a plague, turning all their waters into blood. (Prior to each successive plague came three weeks of warning.) Subsequent to the plague of blood, Moshe appeared to Pharaoh again, pleading with him to let the Jews go. As we know, Pharaoh refused and was hit with the plague of frogs. After the first set of five plagues, Moshe visited Pharaoh again with the same question, receiving the same answer. So the next five plagues occurred, causing the Egyptians great physical and financial suffering.
Death of the firstborns, the final and most devastating plague, was about to happen. To protect the Jewish firstborns, Jews were told to kill a sheep and mark their doorposts with the blood, so the Angel of Death would know which homes to pass over. All the Egyptian firstborns died, including Pharaoh’s son. Pharaoh could not bear the suffering anymore and rushed out of his house at midnight searching for Moshe. He begged Moshe to leave Egypt immediately with all the Jews. Moshe adamantly refused and said all the Jews would leave in the middle of the day so that everyone could see Hashem’s miracles.
The reason we celebrate Passover isn’t just that we were freed from slavery; rather, it is because Hashem saved us in four different ways, corresponding to the four cups of wine/grape juice we drink at the Seder. Hashem brought us out of Egypt in broad daylight, saved us from centuries of bondage, redeemed us from slavery under cruel slave masters and took us out towards the freedom to choose our destiny.
The fifth and final form of deliverance corresponds to the fifth cup that will be revealed by the final redemption. We are gratefully remembering what happened in the past and celebrating what will occur in the future.
What other way is there to celebrate Passover rather than feeling like slaves during the preparation process! The good news is that all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, sweating, hosting, washing dishes and so much more does not have to be done. Pass over that aspect of Passover and let Passover Listings do it for you by helping you pick the best Passover programs out of 120+ programs worldwide for you and your family.
Bask in the wonderful indulgence that is Pesach Programs. Eat delicious, mouthwatering food that is available constantly for 10 days. Truly relax and enjoy hotel amenities, thanks to the much-needed babysitting and enjoyable kids programming. Enjoy music, entertainment, dancing, sports, activities and much more to fully entertain yourselves and ensure no one is bored.
Celebrate the holiday together in a huge room full of hundreds of other Jews singing in unity. Let your young ones be with other Jewish children, gain connections and learn about one another. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that every Jew everywhere deserves.
If you already booked your stay, amazing! For those who did not, do not fear, there is still time. Contact us at Passover Listings and we would be more than happy to help you find the perfect fit to spend this special holiday in the best way, without the overwhelming tasks preceding it.
We are all hoping that this year we’ll be together in Jerusalem, drinking the blessings of the fifth and final cup of wine with Mashiach, speedily in our days. Amen.
