PassoverGuide.comSlavery in Egypt
The story of Passover (Pesach) begins with the descendants of Jacob — the Children of Israel — living in Egypt. Over generations, a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, and he enslaved the Israelites with crushing labor, forcing them to build the cities of Pitom and Ramses. The oppression grew harsher, and Pharaoh decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys be cast into the Nile.
Moses and the Burning Bush
Moses, raised in Pharaoh's palace but born of Hebrew parents, fled to Midian after defending a fellow Israelite. There, at the burning bush on Mount Horeb, God revealed Himself and commanded Moses to return to Egypt and demand the liberation of His people. "Let My people go," became the defining call of the Exodus.
The Ten Plagues
When Pharaoh refused, God sent ten plagues upon Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the slaying of the firstborn. Before the final plague, the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood, so that God would "pass over" (pesach) their homes — giving the holiday its name.
The Exodus and the Sea
After the tenth plague, Pharaoh finally released the Israelites. They left in such haste that their bread dough had no time to rise — thus the commandment to eat matzah (unleavened bread) during Passover. When Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them, God split the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry land while the Egyptian army was engulfed.
A Legacy of Freedom
The Exodus is the foundational story of Jewish identity. Each year at the seder, Jews retell this narrative as if they themselves were freed from Egypt. Passover is one of the Shalosh Regalim — the three pilgrimage festivals — and its message of freedom, faith, and divine redemption resonates across generations and cultures.
