What is the Jewish Passover and why is it observed today?
Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew) is the time of year when Jewish people commemorate the deliverance of their Israelite ancestors from Egypt almost 3,500 years ago. The name itself comes from the passing over of the Children of Israel when the Lord saw the obedience by the blood painted on their doorposts (Exodus 12:12-13). Each Passover Seder is a retelling of this timeless story. The word Seder means order, referring to the sequence of events in the annual family Passover observance. Everything is done in order as outlined in the Haggadah and revolves around four cups of wine or grape juice, two cups before the meal and two cups after. This tradition of the four Passover cups is based on four divine I wills mentioned in Exodus 6 and each cup represents a component of the Passover story. In verses 6-7, I am the LORD is making these promises. The LORD (all caps in English) signifies the Hebrew name Yahweh or Jehovah (Hebrew, yod-hey-vav-hey). This is Gods covenant Name and it means, to be
