The Story of Passover

The Passover is an eight-day devotion that commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites who are Jewish slaves from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II. The holiday’s name is Pesach in Hebrew which means the ‘protection’ or ‘passing over.’ It was derived from the instructions that they claim was provisioned to Moses by God himself.

Moses needed to encourage the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, and God helped by intending to kill all the firstborn of both beast and man. The Israelites were told to mark their from doors with lamb’s blood to ward off the angel of death. Today, Passover is celebrated through family gatherings, delicious food, and a festive mood.

Passover’s Fun Facts

In Jewish history, it is the oldest celebrated festival. During the Passover holiday, Jewish people eat a flat, unleavened bread made of flour and water called the Matzos. It is an act of commemoration to their ancestors who had to eat their meal unleavened because they were in such a hurry to escape. The Coca-Cola bottling company in New York sells kosher Coke specifically for the Passover holiday. They use sugar instead of corn syrup for the product. On the day of the Passover, the youngest child has to ask four questions in which the answer should be “why this night is different from all other nights.”

Activities During Passover

Make A Floral Wreath For The Seder Materials: Several sheets of colored tissue paper Scissors Pipe cleaner Styrofoam or paper cup Markers or crayons Salt

Directions

Snip eight to twelve 5-inch tissue paper circles. Hold everything together and puncture a hole in the center. After inserting a pipe cleaner through the hole, twist a knot from the top of the pipe cleaner. The first tissue circle should be brought up towards the middle and around the pipe cleaner knot. You should slight crumple it so that it will stand up. Repeat as you arrange every petal. Using crayons or markers, decorate the paper cup before you fill it halfway with salt to have it stabilized. Place the pipe cleaner flowers against the salt to help them stand. Put everything in the center of the Seder table once finished.

The Wisdom Segment - Ancient

I Located 2,300 miles from Chile is Easter Island (first known as Rapa Nui by its earliest inhabitants), covering 64 Square miles in the South Pacific Ocean. The island was discovered by Dutch explorers who christened it "Paaseiland" (meaning Easter Island) to honor their arrival in 1722.

II After being claimed by Chile in the 19th century, Easter Island has been handled by a tourism community. The island's claim to fame is its collection of 900 ancient giant stone statues, they reveal master craftsmanship and are unique from other Polynesian sculptures.

III Hoto-Matua was the first king of Rapa Nui. He was a ruler who came from a Polynesian subgroup that traveled by ship and docked at one of the few seashores on the island around 300-400 A.D. They were the first settlers on the island.

IV Easter Island is most famously known for its giant statues called Moai. They were believed to be created by its original inhabitants using stones from volcanoes. These gigantic stone statues weigh around 13 tons with an average height of 13 feet.

V Easter Island had three developmental phases. During the early period, the first statues were destroyed to make way for even more enormous Moai, while the middle period seemed to revolve around reverence for them. The late period marked a civil war.

VI Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen was the first to claim discovery of Easter Island in 1722. In 1770, the Spanish viceroy of Peru discovered 3,000 natives on the island. In 1774, James Cook, visited and saw that the population of Easter Island had only 600-700 people.

The Story of Passover

The Wisdom Segment - Ancient

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