The four names of Passover
Article by Noa Badihi-Kalfus
Learn more about the story of Exodus and the holiday of Passover. Did you know that Passover has in fact three more names? Each has a different story and reason!
Pesach (passover) and Matzot
The Holiday of Passover: During the plague of the slaying of the firstborn in Egypt, God passed over the houses of the people of Israel, meaning that the plague only affected the homes of Egyptians. The word פָּסַח (Pasah) in Hebrew means to skip or to pass over, this is why the holiday is named Passover, because God passed over the homes of the Hebrews. In fact, it is because of this plague that the people of Israel go out of slavery to freedom:
“you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” (Exodus 12:27)
"ואמרתם זבח פֶּסַח הוא לה', אשר פָּסַח על בתי בני ישראל בְּנָגְפּוֹ את מִצְרַיִם
ואת בתינו הציל..."
The Holiday of Matzot: During Passover, we are commanded to eat unleavened bread (matzot) and not bread. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were on the run and therefore did not have time to wait for the dough to rise. The people of Israel ate matzot (unleavened bread) which symbolizes the speed in which they left Egypt:
"So the people took their dough before it was leavened… They baked unleavened cakes of the dough… it was not leavened” (Exodus 12:34-39)
"וישא העם את בצקו טרם יחמץ . . . ויאפו את הבצק . . . עוגות מצות כי לא חמץ"
Spring and Freedom
The Holiday of Spring: The month of Nisan is a month of renewal for nature and the flowering of trees, meaning it is spring (Aviv in Hebrew). Because Passover is in Nisan, it is also called the Holiday of Spring:
“Observe the month of Abib by keeping the passover to the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 16:1)
"שָׁמוֹר אֶת חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב וְעָשִׂיתָ פֶּסַח לַה' ..."
The Holiday of Freedom: Passover is called this because the people of Israel left a state of slave labor to a state of freedom. As it is written in the bible:
“We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand” (Deuteronomy 6:21)
"עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה...
עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין... "
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