Getting Ready for Passover

About this time in the US, stores and malls are full of Easter decorations and goodies. Here in Israel, the focus is Passover.

This is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the liberation of the Jews from Egypt in the time of Moses. On the first night of the holiday here in Israel, and the first and second nights outside of Israel, there is a special meal called the seder. The seder is a ritual meal during which the story of how the Israelites became slaves in Egypt and how they became free is told. There is a text which is read, called the Hagada (lit. the telling) in which the main story is interspersed with prayers and additional commentaries about the meaning of the holiday and how it applies to our identity, life and religious commitments as Jews today. There is also an order in which certain food are eaten and specific portions of the tale are told. It's that order that gives the meal it's name. Seder (סדר) means "order" in Hebrew.

In this video you can see signs in a store for a super sale on housewares, and examples of seder plates both in the store and at an independent booth in the walkway of the mall.