“On behalf of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia and on my own behalf, I congratulate everyone on the upcoming holiday of Passover!
The history of Passover is widely known throughout the world and is detailed in the Torah. For millennia, the order of the Easter week has remained practically unchanged – in the traditions of this holiday, the continuous continuity of generations and the special strength of the faith of our people are manifested.
The main event of the holiday is the Passover Seder, and its central commandment and symbol is matzah. They talk about opposite things: seder about freedom and prosperity, matzah about slavery and privation. During the seder, we drink and eat, leaning on our left hand, reclining – as was customary among the noble people of that era. This accent is a symbol of slowness, which, unlike a slave, a free person can afford to manage his time on his own. We drink red wine – a noble drink that brings pleasure and joy. At the same time, the main commandment of the holiday is to eat matzo called “the bread of poverty”. It reminds us of the haste of our exodus and the painful wanderings. Keara is the central dish on the Easter table, on which we also see maror and haroset, all this also symbolizes the bitterness of bondage and the severity of slave labor. Thus, the whole evening we are in a borderline state: it is given to us to feel both the feelings of free people and people of the oppressed. The text of the Haggadah says about this directly: “This year – slaves, in the future – free people.” Passover is a celebration of the transition to spiritual liberation, a process that we ourselves must start. But in order for us to have the desire to move in the right direction, tradition helps us by demonstrating in a pointed form two polar states. Prophet Yeshayahu says: “Tell the prisoners – come out!” The sages explain that those who are imprisoned by their evil desires and habits are called prisoners. In the modern world, it is these vices that most often become an obstacle to a person becoming himself, revealing his spiritual potential, and going towards his true vocation.
Last year, for the first time in many years, we were unable to hold community seders. This year, with Gd’s help, communities in most cities of Russia will gather again at a unifying Easter table. The past year was not easy, filled with difficult trials, but even more so now, when we are getting out of many restrictions, when the vaccine appeared, and with it the opportunity to cope with the virus, we are able to appreciate the joy of the holiday and truly enjoy its commandments.
With all my heart I wish you to spend Pesach in joy and fun! May the Almighty bestow generous blessings on each of you, bestow good health on you and your loved ones, success in business and material well-being! ”, Reads the congratulatory message of the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, Rabbi Alexander Boroda to the Jewish communities of Russia.
Reference:
This year the Passover holiday begins at the end of Shabbat – in the evening of March 27th and will last until the evening of April 4th. The Passover holiday is established by the Torah in memory of the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, the physical and spiritual liberation from slavery. During the Easter week, there is a strict prohibition on the use of leavened products (flour and bread products, cereals, cereal drinks, etc.); instead, they eat a special Easter bread – matzo, prepared in such a way that the dough remains unleavened. On the first two evenings of the holiday, a special Easter meal is organized – the Seder.