Passover – Complete Passover 2024 Holiday Information at Chabad Foshan
Passover Dates:
Hebrew Date
In Israel : 14th Nissan 5784 to 21st Nissan 5784
For Diaspora : 14th Nissan 5784 to 22nd Nissan 5784
Secular Date
In Israel: From the evening of April 22, 2024, to April 29, 2024
For Diaspora: From the evening of April 22, 2024, to April 30, 2024
When is the Seder Night at Chabad Foshan?
First Passover: April 22, 2024, 14th of Nissan
Second Passover for Diaspora: April 23, 2024, 15th of Nissan
Why Celebrate the Passover Holiday?
Passover honors resilience amid adversity
On the 15th of Nissan, our ancestors left Egypt in an epic Exodus, on their way to receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai.
The Exodus from Egypt is the foundation of the true faith of the people of Israel, because unlike the creation of the world, no one witnessed it, and therefore there are no testimonies.
In the Exodus from Egypt, everyone in Israel was present and witnessed it, and it is a chain of personal testimonies until today, allowing us to base the faith of the people of Israel on it.
What does the name “Passover” mean?
This holiday has four names: a. The Spring Holiday. b. The Festival of Freedom. c. The Festival of Matzot. d. The Passover Holiday. Each name represents a unique aspect of the holiday:
a. The Spring Holiday – because it falls in the spring season, the season of blossoming and flowering. During this season, field crops are ripened, and the bringing of the Omer is made possible.
b. The Festival of Liberation – because our ancestors left slavery for liberation and redemption during this time, and we should inspire to do just that at each moment of our life.
c. The Festival of Matzot – because of the prohibition of eating leavened bread ( Matzot) throughout the entire seven days of the holiday and the obligation to eat matzah on the first night.
d. The Passover Holiday – named after the Passover sacrifice, which every family in Israel sacrificed on the 14th of Nissan. It is also called this because of the miracle that occurred when Ha-Shem struck all the firstborn of Egypt – “from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon”; and while over the houses of Israel, Ha-Shem “Skipped” or “Pasach” ( ” פסח ” in Hebrew ) which gives the Holiday it’s Hebrew pronunciation.
What do we do in Chabad Foshan during the Seder ?
As in all modern Passover celebration, At Chabad Foshan we engage with the Jewish tradition that connect us to the biblical story of the Exodus and its profound lessons.
At the center of this observance is the Seder, a serene meal that guides us through the story of the the evening and the Exodus:
The variety of foods on the Seder plate symbolize aspects of the Passover story.
Bitter herbs, usually lettuce and horseradish, remind us of the bitterness of slavery.
A roasted shank bone ( Or Chicken Leg ) represents the sacrificial animal.
The egg holds multiple interpretations: Some see it as a symbol of new life, while others view it as representing the Jewish people’s mourning over the struggles that awaited them in exile.
Vegetables dipped in saltwater evoke the tears shed by the enslaved Israelites.
Haroset, a sweet mixture of apples, wine, and nuts or dried fruits, symbolizes the mortar used by the enslaved Israelites in building Egypt’s store cities.
During the traditional Seder, we will eat unleavened bread, or matzah – that the Chabad Foshan Community is already prepared to have for everyone , three times and drink wine four times. We read from a Haggadah, a guide to the ritual, listen to the story of Passover, and answer four questions about the purpose of our meal. Children also participate, searching for the afikomen, a piece of broken matzah hidden in the home.
Each Seder is unique, But when celebrated in Chabad Foshan it becomes a special memory that it is not easily forgotten – shaped by our community and the mix of Jewish traditions.