The first Passover and the Passover since then- Part 1

Every year when we read the Hagaddah, we retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. This story speaks about when God passed over the Hebrews houses in Egypt, saving heir children from the plague of death. Many people don’t know that there are actually two Passovers- the one that the people of Israel celebrated in Egypt and the one that we celebrate today. The first one is called Pesach Mitsrayim- פסח מצרים- and the second is called Pesach dorot- פסח דורות.

This article and the next are going to explain the differences between those two. Let’s start with the meaning of the name Passover. In Egypt God passed over the houses of the Hebrews and protected them. The name of the name of the sacrifice that was eaten was called Pesach, as written in Exodus 12:11,13-

“וְכָכָה, תֹּאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ–מָתְנֵיכֶם חֲגֻרִים, נַעֲלֵיכֶם בְּרַגְלֵיכֶם וּמַקֶּלְכֶם בְּיֶדְכֶם; וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּחִפָּזוֹן, פֶּסַח הוּא לַיהוָה…וְהָיָה הַדָּם לָכֶם לְאֹת, עַל הַבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם שָׁם, וְרָאִיתִי אֶת-הַדָּם, וּפָסַחְתִּי

“…עֲלֵכֶם

“Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover…. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I

will pass over you…”

The Passover that we celebrate today is due to the memory of the actions of God in Egypt, who saved us from the hand of the Egyptians. This Festival wasn’t for one day only as it was for the people of Israel, but for seven days, as written in Exodus 12:18.

The name, the meaning and the time are only some of many differences between Pesach Mitsrayim and Pesach Dorot. In our next article we shall discuss more.