Judaism: Pesach (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))
Revision Note
Written by: Glenn Millington
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Pesach
Pesach celebrates the release of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and is also known as 'Passover'
The story of Passover is in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 12 in the Torah
God commanded that Jews celebrate this festival every year as a mark of freedom:
This day must be one that you will remember. You must keep it as a festival to God for all generations. It is a law for all time that you must celebrate it' (Exodus 12: 14)
It is sometimes referred to as the Festival of Freedom, and prayers are said each year for those who are not free
Jews remember how the Israelites left slavery behind them when Moses led them out of Egypt more than 3,000 years ago
Moses went to see the Pharaoh many times, but each time he refused to release the Israelites
Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send ten plagues on Egypt if the Pharaoh did not let them go
The ten plagues were
The ten plagues of Eygpt
During the final plague, God is said to have told Moses to tell the Israelites to paint lamb's blood on their doorposts
This way, the angel of death would know that Jewish people lived there
It would pass over that house and not kill the first-born child
This is where the name Passover comes from
For the last plague, even Pharaoh's son was killed
He summoned Moses and told him to take the Israelites out of Egypt immediately
Finally, after more than 200 years of slavery, the Jewish people were free
How is Pesach Celebrated?
In preparation for Pesach, Jews remove all grain products from their houses (called chametz)
Grain is not allowed to be eaten during the festival
Leavened goods (containing yeast), such as bread, beer and oats are also removed from the house and Jews thoroughly clean to remove any trace of these
This is linked to the Israelites not having time to allow their bread to rise as they left Egypt
Candles are lit to welcome Pesach
The family goes to the synagogue where special prayers are recited and passages from the Torah are read
A special meal is held called the Seder Meal
There are many symbolic foods on the table:
A lamb bone, which symbolises the lamb that was sacrificed
A boiled egg which is a symbol of new life
A green vegetable dipped in salt water to symbolise the tears of the Jews in slavery
Bitter herbs symbolising the bitterness of slavery
Charoset, which is a paste of apples, walnuts and wine represents the mortar the slaves used when being forced to build
Unleavened bread (Matzah) is eaten, again as a reminder that their ancestors didn’t even have time to allow their bread to rise
IMAGE TO BE INSERTED
Symbolic foods
Four glasses of wine are drunk symbolising joy and one glass of wine is left for the Prophet Elijah who will return to announce the coming of the Messiah
Wine is also a symbol of the lambs’ blood painted onto the doorposts to save Jewish children from the final of the ten plagues
The foods on the Seder plate each symbolise a part of the Exodus story, which is retold during the meal using a book of ritual called the Haggadah
Worked Example
Give two items of food which are placed on a Seder plate on the first evening of Pesach
(2 marks)
Answer:
Any two from the following:
A lamb bone (1 mark)
A boiled egg (1 mark)
A green vegetable (1 mark)
Bitter herbs (1 mark)
Charoset (1 mark)
Unleavened bread (1 mark)
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You may be asked to evaluate the importance of the festival of Pesach. For example:
‘Pesach (Passover) is the most important festival for Jews’
Evaluate this statement.
In your answer, you should:
• Refer to Jewish teaching
• Give reasoned arguments to support this statement
• Give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
• Reach a justified conclusion (12 marks)
In your response, you should evaluate the importance of the festival and also the importance of alternative festivals to counter the argument
Reasons to support the statement could include;
Pesach (Passover) is important to Jews today because God commands Jewish people to celebrate Passover in the Torah, namely the book of Exodus which tells the story of the Jewish people escaping Egypt. Jews believe God is a lawgiver and judge so they attempt to follow all of his commandments
Furthermore, it is important because retelling the story ensures that the Jewish faith and religion are passed on. This means younger Jewish people will learn the important events from Jewish history and be able to pass these on to their children in the future
Pesach is also an important festival because it reminds Jews to think about people today who are suffering from slavery and oppression. When they taste the bitter herbs on the Seder plate they are able to think about the bitterness of slavery
Reasons to support alternative views could include;
Yom Kippur is more important because it is looked upon as the holiest day of the year for Jews. It is an opportunity to ask God for forgiveness just like their ancestors did in the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Festival of Sukkot is more important because it commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. It celebrates the way in which God protected them under difficult desert conditions for forty years
All of the festivals are significant to the Jewish faith, and wrong to label some as more important than others
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