Page 28 - Holyland Magazine - 2023 Edition

Exodus,Passover,

and the Song of the Sea

A Story of Liberation

Dr. Jesse Abelman, Curator
of Hebraica and Judaica
Photos: Courtesy Museum of the Bible Collection.
All rights reserved. © Museum of the Bible, 2023.

he Jewish holiday of Passover, aware of the observance of the seventh day of Another ancient tradition observed far less
celebrated every spring, commemorates Passover. often in Jewish communities today is the
the exodus from Egypt and the liberation recitation of special liturgical poetry during
of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. In rabbinic tradition, the seventh day of prayer services. These poems, called piyyutim,
TThe holiday is described in many biblical Passover is understood to be the anniversary were common on most Sabbaths and festivals,
verses, including Leviticus 23:5–8: of the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea. with different poems recited for each weekly
For this reason, the liturgical Torah reading for portion of the holiday.
the holiday is the narrative of the splitting of the
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the
month, at twilight, there shall be a Passover sea and the “Song of the Sea” which follows
offering to the LORD, and on the fifteenth it. Historically, the seventh day of Passover The “Song of the Sea” is of central importance
day of that month the LORD’s Feast of was often called Yom Va-Yosha, or “The Day both to these poems and to the celebration of
Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened of Delivered,” after the first word of the biblical Passover as a whole,because it is understood
bread for seven days. On the first day you narrative of the splitting of the sea in Exodus to be the song of praise the Israelites
shall celebrate a sacred occasion: you shall 14:30, but this name has fallen into disuse. themselves sang in response to God’s
not work at your occupations. Seven days
you shall make offerings by fire to the LORD.
The seventh day shall be a sacred occasion:
you shall not work at your occupations.

To this day, Jewish law dictates that no
leavened products may be eaten during the
week of the Passover festival. The observance
of the first night (and the second night as well
in the diaspora) is well known: a ritual meal
known as a seder is held and the story of the
exodus is retold. However, non-Jews are less Image of Israelites on the shore of the Reed Sea before it splits, from Prague Haggadah PBK.003090

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