Updated: February 26, 2016

Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew) is either an 8-day or 7-day holiday for the Jewish people which celebrates the physical and political freedom of the Hebrews from slavery in ancient Egypt.

The Passover or Pesach holiday is the oldest holiday in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar. It contains many messages and symbolisms not the least of which is a message of victory over tyranny and oppression.

The main focus of the Passover or Pesach holiday is the Passover Seder or Pesach Seder. The word "Seder" is a Hebrew word meaning "order". The Passover Seder or Pesach Seder is a meal complete with many symbolic foods that are explained to the people around the Passover Seder table during the course of the Pesach Seder meal, usually by a designated Seder leader. This series of explanations during the course of the Seder meal is contained in an "instruction" manual known as the Passover Haggadah or Pesach Haggadah. The word "Haggadah" means "telling" in Hebrew, and this is precisely what this "instruction" manual does: it retells the story of Passover along with its many symbolisms, prayers, blessings, benedictions, and songs in a 15-step structured format, where the contents of each successive step are performed at specific points during the course of the Pesach Seder meal.

There is a basic method to performing the Passover Seder or Pesach Seder, but Jews in different communities around the world have added local customs over time into the rituals of the Passover Seder or Pesach Seder. These local customs add elements to the Passover Seder or Pesach Seder which are particular to the different Jewish communities worldwide and can also reflect the history of each of those Jewish communities. Furthermore, the order in which the 15 steps are performed and the textual content (known in Hebrew as the "nosah"), selection, order, and basic melodies of prayers, blessings, benedictions, and songs - known collectively in Hebrew as the "nusah" (alternate spellings: "nusakh" or "nusach") or prayer rite, may vary slightly from Jewish community to Jewish community either within a country or between countries, and even from family to family.

The spirit and messages of Passover/Pesach have been interpreted by many other groups throughout history as sources of inspiration. During slavery times in the southern U.S. in the 19th century, biblical songs about becoming physically free from slavery with lyrics alluding to Moses leading his people out of Egypt were sung by those in bondage in the hope that one day soon they as well would also be physically free from their forced labor. For instance, the spiritual song "Go Down, Moses," was, like many African-American slavery songs and African-American literature, encrypted in a coded language so as not to upset the white slave masters. Therefore, as you will notice by the following words, this spiritual slavery song, like so many other slavery songs, does not speak directly about the African-American slavery experience so as to avoid the consequences from the white taskmasters:

Go Down, Moses

Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egyptland
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go.

When Israel was in Egyptland
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go.

Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egyptland
Tell old Pharaoh
"Let my people go."

"Thus saith the lord," bold Moses said,
"Let my people go;
If not I'll smite your first-born dead
Let my people go.

"No more shall they in bondage toil,
Let my people go;
Let them come out with Egypt's spoil,
Let my people go."

The Lord told Moses what to do
Let my people go;
To lead the children of Israel through,
Let my people go.

Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egyptland,
Tell old Pharaoh,
"Let my people go!"

The above song's intent is to draw a parallel between the experiences of the African-American slave and the experiences of the Hebrews who were in bondage in Egypt as told in the Passover/Pesach story. As with the Hebrews' interpretation of the Passover/Pesach story, the slaves of the American South asserted through these songs that slavery is contrary to the will of G-d and that the slave masters will eventually be punished for such behavior, just as the Pharaoh (King) of ancient Egypt would be punished for maintaining the Hebrews in slavery. Consisting of confrontation and prophecy, the freedom song "Go Down, Moses" expresses the idea that liberation is in line with and even expressive of, the will of G-d. Along with secular work songs, folk tales, and, eventually, slave narratives, spiritual songs helped to affirm the dignity and humanity of the slaves in the face of a slavery system that tried to eliminate both these aspects of their being. In essence, African-American songs and literature expressed a determination to be in a society that tried to squelch their souls.

Another freedom song from African-American slavery is: "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep".

Oh Mary, Don't You Weep

Chorus:

Oh Mary don't you weep, don't you mourn

Oh Mary don't you weep, don't you mourn

Cause Pharaoh's army got drownded,

Oh Mary don't you weep.

If I could I surely would, stand on the rock where Moses stood

Cause Pharaoh's army got drownded

Oh Mary don't you weep

(chorus)

One of these nights around twelve o'clock, this old world's gonna reel and rock

Cause Pharaoh's army got drownded

Oh Mary don't you weep

(chorus)

To read about Passover or Pesach in greater detail, you can check out a Passover / Pesach website that I have built and maintained and always update. It is located at the following link:

Passover - Pesach : History And Meaning.

Enjoy reading about the holiday of Passover / Pesach and check back often for further updates!