Can you drive on pesach

The memorial service Yizkor is also traditionally held in the synagogue on the final day of the holiday, one of only four times during the year it is recited. During the first two and last two days of Passover, many traditionally observant Jews will abstain from most of the same activities they avoid on the Sabbath — no driving, working, using electricity, lighting fires or spending money. On the intermediary days of the holiday — known as hol hamoed — those restrictions do not apply.

Many Jewish schools close for the full duration of the holiday. Prep for Passover like a pro with this special email series. Hametz is prohibited on Passover. In Israel, Jews have a seder only on the first night of Passover.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and bring you ads that might interest you. Join Our Newsletter Empower your Jewish discovery, daily. Sign Up. After the 10th plague, in which all first-born children of the Egyptians died, the Pharaoh agreed to free all Israelites and to allow them to leave Egypt with their possessions.

As they had to leave in a hurry, they did not have time to allow bread to rise, so they baked unleavened bread, known as matzoh plural matzah , for the journey. Many aspects of Passover have a symbolic meaning. Cleaning the house to remove chametz , using a candle, a feather, a wooden spoon, and a paper bag, symbolizes the removal of egotism and spiritual coarseness from life. The matzoh represents the haste in which the Israelites left Egypt, and the red wine or grape juice represents the blood of sacrifices and male circumcision.

Special kitchen utensils and the Seder Plates are used in the special Passover meals. The Seder Plate consists of 3 matzoh piled on top of each other on a plate or clean cloth, which are then covered with another plate or cloth. Next, small pieces of symbolic foods are then placed on top. The foods are: zeroa , a roasted shank bone or chicken neck; beitzah , a hard boiled egg; maror , freshly grated horseradish or the stalks of romaine lettuce; charoset , a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, and wine; karpas , a non-bitter vegetable, such as an onion or a boiled potato; and chazeret , more horseradish or romaine lettuce.

A dish of salt water and wine accompanies the Seder Plate. Each item on the plate represent a different aspect of the Passover story and they are eaten in a particular order and in specific combinations during the ceremonial meal. In the Jewish diaspora—Jewish communities outside of Israel—an extra day is usually added to religious observances, with the exception of Yom Kippur , which lasts only one day worldwide, and Rosh Hashana , which is celebrated over two days in both Israel and the diaspora.

This custom has its roots in ancient times when the beginning of the months in the Jewish calendar still relied on the sighting of the crescent Moon following a New Moon. The beginning of a new month was determined by the Sanhedrin , the supreme court of ancient Israel in Jerusalem.

Once the date was published, messengers were dispatched to spread the news among Jews living abroad. Since this process took some time, it was decreed that Jews outside of ancient Israel were to observe every holiday for 2 days to make sure that the rules and customs applicable to each holiday were observed on the proper date. This rule is still observed today. Jews have a Biblical obligation to recount to their children the story of the Exodus on the night of Passover. During Seder, to spark discussion of the Exodus, the youngest child in the household is encouraged to ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?

On all other nights, we eat either unleavened or leavened bread, but tonight we eat only unleavened bread? On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables, but tonight, we eat only bitter herbs?

On all other nights, we do not dip [our food] even once, but tonight we dip twice? On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, but tonight we only recline? In Israel, Jews cease working for the duration of the festival. In most other places, Orthodox Jews celebrate the first two and last two days of the festival by ceasing all manual labor, but they may do work during the days in between. Reform Jews actively celebrate only the first and last days of their seven-day-long Passover.

Some Christians do celebrate a form of Passover, albeit with an abbreviated Seder that is tied to Easter and only loosely tied to the Old Testament Exodus. Christians focus on redemption from the bondage of sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, rather than the Jewish Passover's celebration of redemption from bondage in the land of Egypt.

Christian Passover Seders are sometimes held on the evening corresponding to the 14th of Nisan rather than the 15th, since the former is taken to be the day Jesus was executed in Jerusalem. This article was updated on April 19, Live Science senior writer Mindy Weisberger contributed reporting to this story. Originally published on Live Science. Live Science.