History is very important for Judaism. Most of the ancient religious texts are based on myths or different philosophical concepts whereas the Jewish Bible are based on historical narration. Due to this fact Jewish theology is considered as Jewish history. Most celebrations in Judaism are about to join modern Jews with their historical forefathers, customs and traditions.
There are many important events in the history of Jewish people but the core is the release from Egyptian slavery. (Religionfacts.com)
After many years of slavery in Egypt, God ordered Moses to ask the pharaoh to let the Jews go. Pharaoh refused because he did not believe in Jewish God. He did not agree even after God sent the nine plagues on Egypt. The last, tenth plague, was the most terrible. God ordered His people to prepare the sacred food and mark their houses with the blood of the victim lamb, so He could see the houses of Jews and omit them. At midnight, God killed the every firstborn in Egypt. After this event pharaoh agreed to free the Jews. (Ex. 4-10, 11, 12:1-17 New King James Version)
These events are reflected in the Jewish holiday of Passover. Passover means that God passed by His people’s places and did not send the tenth plague on their families. The eight-day festival is celebrated in spring from the 15th till the 22nd of the Hebrew month Nissan. The Seder is the highlight of Passover which is observed on the first two nights of the holiday. The Seder is a family tradition that consists of fifteen steps. The examples of the focal rituals of the Seder are the following: eating matzah, eating bitter herbs to remember the bitter years of slavery, drinking four cups of grape wine or juice that means the celebration of a newfound life and the recitation of the Haggadah, a liturgy which describes in details the history of Exodus from Egypt. (Chabad.org)
Thus, by following the traditions and rituals of Passover, all generations of Jewish people can feel the true freedom that their forefathers obtained with the God’s help.
References
Chabad.org,. "Judaism, Torah And Jewish Info - Chabad Lubavitch". N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
Holy Bible New King James Version. 2nd ed. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2016. Print.
Religionfacts.com,. "History Of Judaism - Religionfacts". N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
