FREE ESSAY ON PASSOVER

PASSOVER

Passover
The story of Passover began with the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt to be with
son Joseph who had become Viceroy of all Egypt. When Joseph and his brothers died and the
children of Israel multiplied in the land of Egypt, King Pharaoh chose to forget all that
Joseph had done for Egypt - transforming it into the wealthiest country in the world at
the time. He decided to take action against the influence and growing numbers of the
children of Israel. He summoned his council and they advised him to enslave these people
and oppress them before they grew too powerful. Pharaoh embarked upon a policy of
limiting the personal freedom of the Hebrews, putting heavy taxes on them and recruiting
their men into forced labor battalions under the supervision of harsh taskmasters. The
children of Israel were forced to build cities, erect monuments, construct roads, work in
the quarries and hew stones or burn bricks or dies. But the more the Egyptians oppressed
them, the more the children multiplied. Finally, when King Pharaoh saw that forcing the
Hebrews to do hard work did not succeed in suppressing their growing numbers, he decreed
that all their newly born male children be thrown into the Nile River. Only daughters
should be permitted to live. 
Jacob's great-grandson, Amram, who married Yocheved, had a daughter Miriam, later to
become a great prophetess, and a son named Aaron who later became the High Priest. When
Yocheved bore a third child, she placed him in a basket, which she hid amongst the reeds
at the edge of the Nile River in order to escape the king's soldiers who were snatching
all the male babies and casting them into the Nile. When Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe
in the Nile she discovered the baby and, seeing his unusual radiance, recognized that
this child was someone very special. She called him Moshe and decided to raise him
herself in the palace. She hired the baby's mother Yocheved to be his nurse, who also
taught him about his rich Jewish heritage. When the children of Israel could no longer
endure their terrible suffering at the hands of their cruel overlords, their cries for
help coming from the very bottom of their hearts pierced the heavens. God remembered His
covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and decided to deliver their descendants from
bondage. Moshe was 80 years old and his brother 83 years old when they entered the palace
of King Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked the two brothers what they wanted. The message sounded
like a command: The God of Israel said, 'Let My people go, that they may serve me.'
Pharaoh refused, saying that he had never heard of the God of the Israelites. He further
accused Moshe and Aaron of a conspiracy against the government and of interfering with
the work of the Hebrew slaves. At Moshe's suggestion, Aaron then performed the miracles
God had enabled him to perform, but Pharaoh was not greatly impressed, for his magicians
could do almost as well. 
When Pharaoh continued to refuse to liberate the children of Israel, Moshe and Aaron
warned him that God would punish both him and his people. First, the waters of the land
of Egypt were to be turned into blood. This was followed by the plague of frogs, which
covered the entire land. The third plague had lice crawling forth from the dust to cover
all of Egypt. Although Pharaoh's advisors pointed out that this surely was Divine
punishment, he hardened his heart and remained relentless in his determination to keep
the children of Israel in bondage. The fourth plague consisted of hordes of wild animals
roving all over the country destroying everything in their path. Only the province of
Goshen, where the children of Israel dwelt, was immune from this as well as from the
other plagues. As with the previous plagues, Pharaoh promised faithfully to let the Jews
go on the condition that they would not go too far. Moshe prayed to God and the wild
animals disappeared. But as soon as they had gone, Pharaoh withdrew his promise and
refused Moshe's demand. Then God sent a fatal pestilence that killed most of the domestic
animals of the Egyptians. 
In the sixth plague, boils burst forth upon man and beast throughout the land of Egypt.
Now Moshe announced to the king that a hailstorm of unprecedented violence was to sweep
the land; no living thing, no tree, no herb, was to escape its fury; safety was to be
found only in the shelter of the houses. The next time Moshe and Aaron came before
Pharaoh, he appeared somewhat relenting, and asked them who was to participate in the
worship the Israelites wanted to hold in the desert. When they told him that everyone
without exception, young and old, men and women were to go, Pharaoh suggested that only
the men should go and that the women and children, as well as all their possessions
should remain in Egypt. 
Moshe and Aaron could not accept his offer and Pharaoh became angry and ordered them to
leave his palace. Before leaving, Moshe warned him of new and untold suffering. But
Pharaoh remained adamant, even though his advisors counseled against further resistance.
As soon as Moshe left the palace, he raised his arms toward heaven and an east wind
brought swarms of locusts into Egypt, covering the sun and devouring everything green
that had escaped the hail and previous plagues. 
Then followed the ninth plague. For several days all of Egypt was enveloped in a thick
and impenetrable veil of darkness, which extinguished all lights kindled. The Egyptians
were gripped with fear and remained glued to their places wherever they stood or sat.
Only in Goshen, where the children of Israel dwelt, there was light. Finally at midnight
on the 15th of Nissan all firstborn in the land of Egypt began dying, from the firstborn
of King Pharaoh unto the firstborn of the cattle, exactly as Moshe had warned. 
There was a loud and bitter wail, for in each house a loved one lay fatally stricken.
Then Pharaoh called for Moshe and Aaron during that very night and said to them: Arise,
go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve God as
you have said, and go, and bless me also. At last the pride of the stubborn king was
broken and he realized that there indeed was a God. 
Meanwhile, the Jews had been preparing for their hasty departure. With beating hearts,
they had assembled in groups to eat the roasted paschal lamb, together with the
unleavened cakes (matzoh). The sun had already risen above the horizon when, at the word
of command, the whole nation of the Hebrews poured forth from the land of Egypt. Thus the
children of Israel were liberated from the yoke of their oppressors on the 15th day of
Nissan, in the year 2448 after the creation of the world. There were 603,550 men between
20 and 60 -- military age -- who, with their wives and children and flocks, crossed the
border of Egypt as a free nation. Many Egyptians and other non- Israelites joined the
triumphant children of Israel, hoping to share their glorious future. The children of
Israel did not leave Egypt destitute. In addition to their own possessions, the terrified
Egyptians had bestowed upon them valuables of gold, silver and clothing in an effort to
hasten their departure. Thus, God fulfilled in every detail His promise to Abraham that
his descendants would leave their exile with great riches. Leading the Jewish people on
their journey during the day was a pillar of cloud, and at night there was a pillar of
fire, giving them light. These Divine messengers not only guided the children of Israel
on their way, but also cleared the way before them, making it both easy and safe. 
After three days, Pharaoh received word of the progress of the children of Israel. The
unexpected direction of their march made him think that they were lost in the desert.
Pharaoh now regretted that he had permitted them to leave. He mobilized his army and
personally took the lead of his choicest cavalry and war-chariots, in hot pursuit of his
former slaves. He reached them near the banks of the Red Sea and pressed them close to
the water, in an effort to cut off their escape. Moshe led the Israelites onwards until
they came to the very borders of the Red Sea. The pillar of cloud now changed its
position, retreating from the front to the rear of the Hebrews, floating between the two
armies. Then God spoke to Moshe: Lift up your rod, stretch out your hand over the sea and
divide it; and the children shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. Moshe did
as God ordered and a strong east wind rose and blew all night and the waters of the Red
Sea were divided and gathered into a wall on either side, leaving a dry passage in the
midst. The Israelites marched at once along the dry path, which extended from shore to
shore and reached the opposite side in safety. The Egyptians continued their pursuit, but
Moshe stretched forth his staff and the waters resumed their usual course, closing over
the whole army of Pharaoh. Thus, God saved the children of Israel from the Egyptians and
Israel saw His great power; they recognized God and believed in Him and in His servant
Moshe -- the first redeemer of Israel. 
This is the story of Passover -- or Pesach -- which recounts the birth of the Jewish
people as a nation -- a nation called by God a beloved treasure -- whose ultimate goal is
to be a light unto the nations. This will become evident in the immediate future when
Moshiach -- the final redeemer -- gathers us together from throughout the world and
brings us to the promised land of Israel, and all the earth will be filled with the
knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.