Pesach - Passover

Passover is one of the most commonly observed of the Jewish holidays. It
honors the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt after generations of
slavery as told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. "Pesach" means to pass through, to
pass over, to exempt or to spare and refers to the fact that G-d "passed
over" the houses of the Jews when he slayed the firstborn children of the
Egyptians.
There are many rituals and prayers in observance of Passover, one of them
being the consumption of unleavened bread, or matza. Jews made this bread
for their exodus from Egypt. (While consumed year-round, leavened bread is
not consumed during Pesach.) Matzah is served during Seder dinner, the
special feast commemorating the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
Seder means "order" in Hebrew and refers to the ritual of conducting the
Passover meal. The story of the Exodus and rituals are read from a book
called the Haggadah, which is usually kept in a decorative cloth bag called
the Afikomen. The Hagadah contains text from the Talmud and discusses the
meaning of Pesach. During the reading, special foods with symbolic meaning
are eaten; in order, they include:
* Karpas (vegetable-usually celery, parsley or boiled potato).
Symbolizes the Jews' humble beginnings and life as a slave in Egypt.
* Maror (bitter vegetable-traditionally, horseradish). Symbolizes the
bitterness of life as an Egyptian slave.
* Chazeret (2nd bitter vegetable, usually romaine lettuce or endive).
* Charoset (a paste made from dates, honey, tart apples, nuts, grape
juice or wine and cinnamon and ginger). This represents the mortar Jewish
people used to build for the Pharaoh.
* Beitzah (a boiled egg). This symbolizes eternal life. A sacrifice
was made and eaten at the Temple in Jerusalem which was later destroyed and
so the egg is a reminder of this loss.
* Zeroah (a chicken wing or a roasted lamb bone). This is a reminder
of the Passover miracle and freedom from Egypt. It is not usually eaten
during the Seder.
* Matzah and wine - consumed at various times during the Seder. The
matza is covered with a napkin or matzah cover and a piece is stored in the
Afikomen bag and hidden for the children to find. Wine is sipped four times
during the Seder and the reading of the Haggadah. The, a separate cup of
wine is poured but is not consumed. This is the cup for Elijah the Prophet
and symbolizes the hope of the coming Messiah.

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Many people celebrate this festive and joyous event by using beautiful
serving trays and cups especially commemorative for the Passover Seder
dinner. Rotem Online (www.rotem.net) carries many unique items by Israeli
artists including Passover Plates made in a variety of materials (ceramic
Passover plates, wood Passover Plates, glass Passover plates, and aluminum
Passover plates) by Yair Emanuel, Shraga Landesman, Adi Sidler, Inna
Olshansky, Hada and Gila Markovsky, Ekshtain, Andreas Meyer (Nahariya
Glass), Terufim, Poldinoks, Rachel Naan, Eren Grebler, Anat Brigg and Laura
Cowen.
Matza plates are also popular Jewish gifts and are carried by Rotem Online
(www.rotem.net). Artists they carry include Yair Emanuel, Shraga Landesman,
Adi Sidler, Inna, Orna Cohen, Anat Brigg, Studio Jeffrey, and Studio
Terufim.
A beautiful hand-washing towel for "Netilat Yadayim" (a customary
traditional step during Seder) from Dorit of Israel is also available.
Elijah Cups by Yair Emanuel, Kiddush cups by Sherman of Israel and Shraga
Landesman are also available from Rotem Online (www.rotem.net).
Decorative Matzah covers, Challah covers and Afikomen Bags are also

available on www.rotem.net from distinctive designers such as Nili Sverdlov
/ Kuzari of Traditional Ethnic Crafts, Yair Emanuel, and Ronit Gur.
Also offered by Rotem Online (www.rotem.net) are Afikomen bags and Haggadahs
made attentively by Shalom of Safed and a stunning "historical" Haggadah by
Jack Jaget.
Any of these beautiful items from Rotem would be a welcomed gift for friends
or family and will be treasured Passover gifts for years to come.