Erev Pesach (Israel) 2023: Date, History, Facts about Passover

Erev Pesach, or simply “The Passover ritual,” which is observed on April 5 this year, is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the Passover feast, an event that occurred in Biblical Israel. It is widely believed that it originated from a ritual preceding the actual Passover events. In ancient times, to ensure the safety of a family home, an apotropaic ritual was performed in which the blood of a slaughtered sheep was applied to the lintels and doorposts to repel demonic forces. In the biblical account, Passover, the reason for the festival, originated in Ancient Egypt before the Exodus, when God instructed the Israelites to daub lamb’s blood on their doorposts and lintels in order to be spared from the subsequent slaughter of all firstborns.

The background of Erev Pesach (Israel)

According to the Book of Exodus, the Israelites spent up to four hundred years as slaves in ancient Egypt. After Yahweh, the Israelite deity, appeared to Moses in a bush on fire and commanded him to confront Pharaoh, he decided to demonstrate his power by inflicting ten plagues on the Egyptians. The tenth plague was the slaying of all of the nation’s firstborn offspring.

This is documented in Exodus 11:4–6: “Around midnight, I will travel throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will perish, from the firstborn son of the pharaoh, who rests on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is operating a hand mill, as well as every firstborn animal. There will be deafening wails throughout Egypt – louder than ever before or ever again.” In preparation for this final plague, Yahweh commanded Moses to have the Israelites mark their doors with the blood of a lamb so that they would be spared when the tide of death swept by. According to the Bible, all leavening must be discarded prior to the start of the 15th of Nisan for the festival to be observed. In addition, on the 10th of Nisan, an unblemished lamb or goat, commonly known as the “Korban Pesach” or “Paschal Lamb,” must be set apart. Then, it should be slain at dusk on the 14th of Nisan in preparation for the 15th of Nisan, when it will be roasted and consumed.

The entirety of the sacrifice must be consumed before sunrise on the 15th of Nisan. Anything remaining after dawn must be incinerated. Egypt observed the biblical requirements of slaying the Paschal lamb in individual Hebrew households and smearing its blood on doorposts and lintels. Once the Israelites were in the wilderness and a tabernacle was in position, however, they altered these requirements. The Passover lambs were now sacrificed at the entrance to the tabernacle, as opposed to the Jewish residences. Thus, the practise of sprinkling blood on doorways was abandoned.

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5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PASSOVER

At contemporary Passover celebrations, families engage in a game called “Four Questions,” the answers to which describe the fundamental values of the holiday.

The Israelites who had pets at the time of the first Passover included them in the Passover feast before taking them with them during the Exodus from Egypt.

Four glasses of wine are typically consumed during Passover meals.

Culturally, Jews desist from leavening during Passover because they were instructed during the very first Passover not to consume leavened foods as part of the meal.

In 2009, during President Barack Obama’s administration, the first Passover seder was held at the White House.

EREV PESACH (ISRAEL) DATES

Year	Date	Day
2022	April 15	Friday
2023	April 5	Wednesday
2024	April 22	Monday
2025	April 12	Saturday
2026	April 1	Wednesday