Passover is one of the most important holidays of the Jewish faith, an eight-day commemoration that overlaps in date with Easter.
It is commonly known that Passover marks the exodus of Hebrew slaves, led by Moses, from ancient Egypt.
The Israelites left in such a hurry that they could not wait for their
bread to rise and eat only unleavened bread during the holiday for that
reason.
The name Passover, however, doesn't refer to passing over the matzo at the dinner table.
According to the Old Testament book of Exodus, in which the Passover story is told, the God of the Israelites inflicted a series of 10 plagues on the Egyptians for their refusal to free the slaves. The tenth would be the slaying of the firstborn child of every Egyptian family. With insider information from the big man himself, Moses told the Israelites about the coming final plague and what to do about it - cover their doors with a smear of lamb's blood, as a signal to the angel of death to spare those homes.
Thus, all of the firstborn Jews of Egypt were passed over by death, and the intact families fled across the Red Sea.
Today, Passover is celebrated with a ritual meal called the seder, featuring unleavened bread, during which the exodus story is often told.
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