Passover as a Popular Jewish Holiday Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Passover as a Popular Jewish Holiday - Essay Example The belief and celebration is Passover. Passover is a popular Jewish holiday and festival commemorating the exodus story during which the oppressed Israelites were freed from the harsh Egyptians, under Pharaoh the dictator. It is usually started at the day 15 of the month of Nisan, in the Jewish calendar. Actual narration of the day or the exodus reveals the means God used to rescue His children from Egypt. It talks about the ten plagues, the night before departure as well as all the activities that took place during that night. Further description also reveals that God led the Israelites in crossing the mighty Red Sea by giving them a charismatic leader who showed them the way by using a stick to strike the water allowing them to go through easily. Passover is one of the Jewish celebrations that go across the entire Bible. There are several occasions in the bible where the word is mentioned and its significance can be drawn from there. In the book of Genesis, God’s creation i s accompanied by the creation of man in the last day, sixth day of creation. Human beings are considered the most important creatures among all creatures that God created. He gives them some of the abilities that are not present with other creatures. Genesis continues and in some chapters, Joseph, Jacob’s most preferred and loved son is sold to the Egyptian by his envious brothers. They return to Jacob, Joseph’s clothes claiming that he had been killed and eaten by an animal. Jacob mourns his son bitterly. In Egypt, Joseph faces numerous challenges as a staunch believer in God. He is tricked and lured by Potipha’s wife into sex. His refusal renders him arrest after the woman claimed that he wanted to rape him. Joseph is jailed but freed after his interpretation of King Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph grew an important person in Egypt and raised a family of the Jews or the Israelites. He was eventually put in high position. He was second in command to Pharaoh. He moved his whole family to Egypt and offered them protection there. 4 centuries later the Israelites had grown into a large population, hitting the 2 million mark. The high number of Jews in Egypt made the new pharaoh becomes afraid of their power. In order to maintain control of the land, he decided to turn them into slaves and oppressed them with harsh labor, ruthless and inhuman treatment. God came to rescue the Jews through a man named Moses who was a great grandson to Jacob. Moses was born during the time when Pharaoh had made an order that ensured the death of all Hebrew male. God, however, spared Moses when Pharaoh’s daughter found him near the Nile River bank. He was given the best care in the Egyptian most royal family. Moses later killed an Egyptian who had killed his fellow Israelite. After the incidence, he escaped to Midian. Expectedly, God appeared to Moses in Midian, in the form of a Burning Bush telling him, â€Å"’I have seen the misery of my people. I have heard their cries, I care about their suffering and I have come to rescue them. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt (Exodus 3: 7-10). Moses gave out some excuses but finally obeyed God’s command and went to Egypt in the company of Aaron as a spokesman. Pharaoh, as expected became adamant to Moses request to set the Israelites free. God punished him with ten plagues after