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  "title": "Pesach",
  "summary": "Passover — the Festival of Freedom, the foundational story of the Jewish people, and the seder that is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world.",
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      "title": "Pesach",
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    "article": {
      "slug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-pesach",
      "title": "Pesach",
      "deck": "Passover — the Festival of Freedom, the foundational story of the Jewish people, and the seder that is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world.",
      "summary": "Summary. Pesach (Passover), the 15th–22nd of Nisan (15th–21st in Israel), commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah commands the eating of matzah (unleavened bread) for seven days (Shemot 12:18); the seder on the first night (two nights in the diaspora) is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world. Pre-Pesach preparation includes the elimination of chametz (leavened products) from the home — a labor of weeks. The themes are slavery and freedom, story-telling across generations, the obligation to see oneself as if one personally left Egypt (Mishnah Pesachim 10:5).",
      "level": "essential",
      "sectionSlug": "holidays",
      "tags": [
        "pesach",
        "passover",
        "seder"
      ],
      "publishedAt": "2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z",
      "wordCount": 738,
      "readMinutes": 3
    },
    "section": {
      "slug": "sacred-time",
      "title": "Sacred Time"
    },
    "image": null,
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "summary",
        "body": "Summary. [Pesach](/glossary.json#letter-P) (Passover), the 15th–22nd of [Nisan](/glossary.json#letter-N) (15th–21st in Israel), commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. The [Torah](/glossary.json#letter-T) commands the eating of [matzah](/glossary.json#letter-M) (unleavened bread) for seven days ([Shemot 12:18](https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12.18)); the [seder](/glossary.json#letter-S) on the first night (two nights in the diaspora) is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world. Pre-Pesach preparation includes the elimination of [chametz](/glossary.json#letter-C) (leavened products) from the home — a labor of weeks. The themes are slavery and freedom, story-telling across generations, the obligation to see oneself as if one personally left Egypt ([Mishnah Pesachim 10:5](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Pesachim.10.5)).",
        "text": "Summary. Pesach (Passover), the 15th–22nd of Nisan (15th–21st in Israel), commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah commands the eating of matzah (unleavened bread) for seven days (Shemot 12:18); the seder on the first night (two nights in the diaspora) is the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world. Pre-Pesach preparation includes the elimination of chametz (leavened products) from the home — a labor of weeks. The themes are slavery and freedom, story-telling across generations, the obligation to see oneself as if one personally left Egypt (Mishnah Pesachim 10:5)."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Preparation: Cleaning Out Chametz",
        "text": "Preparation: Cleaning Out Chametz"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The Torah prohibits the eating, owning, or seeing of chametz (leavened products: wheat, rye, oats, barley, or spelt that has fermented) during the seven days of Pesach ([Shemot 12:15, 13:7](https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12.15)). The preparation involves: (1) using up or selling chametz in the home; (2) thorough cleaning to eliminate any crumbs; (3) the formal sale of remaining chametz to a non-Jew (typically arranged through one's rabbi by a power of attorney form); (4) the search for chametz ([bedikat chametz](/glossary.json#letter-B)) on the night before Pesach, by candlelight, with a feather and wooden spoon; (5) the burning of any remaining chametz ([biur chametz](/glossary.json#letter-B)) on the morning before Pesach. The work is substantial — many families begin weeks in advance. The principle of \"selling\" the chametz allows one to retain hard-to-replace items (whiskey, brewing supplies, etc.) by treating them as not one's own during Pesach.",
        "text": "The Torah prohibits the eating, owning, or seeing of chametz (leavened products: wheat, rye, oats, barley, or spelt that has fermented) during the seven days of Pesach (Shemot 12:15, 13:7). The preparation involves: (1) using up or selling chametz in the home; (2) thorough cleaning to eliminate any crumbs; (3) the formal sale of remaining chametz to a non-Jew (typically arranged through one's rabbi by a power of attorney form); (4) the search for chametz (bedikat chametz) on the night before Pesach, by candlelight, with a feather and wooden spoon; (5) the burning of any remaining chametz (biur chametz) on the morning before Pesach. The work is substantial — many families begin weeks in advance. The principle of \"selling\" the chametz allows one to retain hard-to-replace items (whiskey, brewing supplies, etc.) by treating them as not one's own during Pesach."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "The Seder",
        "text": "The Seder"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The Pesach seder (literally \"order\") is the structured first-night home ritual that retells the Exodus story. [The Mishnah (Pesachim 10)](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Pesachim.10) provides the framework; the medieval [Haggadah](/glossary.json#letter-H) (\"telling\") gives the text. The seder has 15 steps: [Kadesh](/glossary.json#letter-K) ([kiddush](/glossary.json#letter-K)), [Urchatz](/glossary.json#letter-U) (washing without blessing), [Karpas](/glossary.json#letter-K) (vegetable in salt water), [Yachatz](/glossary.json#letter-Y) (breaking the middle matzah), [Maggid](/glossary.json#letter-M) (the telling — the longest section), [Rachtzah](/glossary.json#letter-R) (washing with blessing), [Motzi](/glossary.json#letter-M) (bread blessing) and Matzah (matzah blessing), [Maror](/glossary.json#letter-M) (bitter herb), [Korech](/glossary.json#letter-K) ([Hillel](/glossary.json#letter-H) sandwich), [Shulchan Orech](/glossary.json#letter-S) (the meal), [Tzafun](/glossary.json#letter-T) (the [afikoman](/glossary.json#letter-A)), [Barech](/glossary.json#letter-B) ([Birkat Hamazon](/glossary.json#letter-B)), [Hallel](/glossary.json#letter-H), [Nirtzah](/glossary.json#letter-N) (closing). Four cups of wine, the four questions, the four sons, the ten plagues, [Dayenu](/glossary.json#letter-D), [Chad Gadya](/glossary.json#letter-C) — these are the famous landmarks. A good seder runs three to five hours.",
        "text": "The Pesach seder (literally \"order\") is the structured first-night home ritual that retells the Exodus story. The Mishnah (Pesachim 10) provides the framework; the medieval Haggadah (\"telling\") gives the text. The seder has 15 steps: Kadesh (kiddush), Urchatz (washing without blessing), Karpas (vegetable in salt water), Yachatz (breaking the middle matzah), Maggid (the telling — the longest section), Rachtzah (washing with blessing), Motzi (bread blessing) and Matzah (matzah blessing), Maror (bitter herb), Korech (Hillel sandwich), Shulchan Orech (the meal), Tzafun (the afikoman), Barech (Birkat Hamazon), Hallel, Nirtzah (closing). Four cups of wine, the four questions, the four sons, the ten plagues, Dayenu, Chad Gadya — these are the famous landmarks. A good seder runs three to five hours."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "The Haggadah",
        "text": "The Haggadah"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The Haggadah is the seder text. Many editions exist; among the most useful for the New Jew: the ArtScroll Haggadah (with extensive commentary); the [Koren Sacks](/glossary.json#letter-J) Haggadah (Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks's commentary); the Lieberman Brisker Haggadah; the Maxwell House Haggadah (free, distributed widely in American supermarkets, more historically significant than substantive). Two or three Haggadot at the table during the seder makes for fertile conversation.",
        "text": "The Haggadah is the seder text. Many editions exist; among the most useful for the New Jew: the ArtScroll Haggadah (with extensive commentary); the Koren Sacks Haggadah (Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks's commentary); the Lieberman Brisker Haggadah; the Maxwell House Haggadah (free, distributed widely in American supermarkets, more historically significant than substantive). Two or three Haggadot at the table during the seder makes for fertile conversation."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "The Seven (or Eight) Days",
        "text": "The Seven (or Eight) Days"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "In Israel, Pesach is seven days: the first day is full [Yom Tov](/glossary.json#letter-Y), days two through six are [Chol HaMo'ed](/glossary.json#letter-C), the seventh day is again full Yom Tov. In the diaspora, eight days: the first two days are full Yom Tov, days three through six are Chol HaMo'ed, the seventh and eighth are again full Yom Tov. The seventh day commemorates the crossing of the Sea of Reeds; the eighth (diaspora) is a continuation. Throughout the week, matzah is the only bread eaten; chametz is entirely absent.",
        "text": "In Israel, Pesach is seven days: the first day is full Yom Tov, days two through six are Chol HaMo'ed, the seventh day is again full Yom Tov. In the diaspora, eight days: the first two days are full Yom Tov, days three through six are Chol HaMo'ed, the seventh and eighth are again full Yom Tov. The seventh day commemorates the crossing of the Sea of Reeds; the eighth (diaspora) is a continuation. Throughout the week, matzah is the only bread eaten; chametz is entirely absent."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Counting the Omer",
        "text": "Counting the Omer"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Beginning on the second night of Pesach, the count of the [Omer](/glossary.json#letter-O) begins — 49 days until [Shavuot](/glossary.json#letter-S). See the Calendar chapter for the full treatment.",
        "text": "Beginning on the second night of Pesach, the count of the Omer begins — 49 days until Shavuot. See the Calendar chapter for the full treatment."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Where Denominations Diverge",
        "text": "Where Denominations Diverge"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Universal observance. [Reform](/glossary.json#letter-R) observance frequently includes a seder; the eight-day observance is typically shortened to seven days in Reform practice. Conservative observance is generally traditional. [Sephardic](/glossary.json#letter-S) and [Mizrahi](/glossary.json#letter-M) seder customs differ from [Ashkenazi](/glossary.json#letter-A) in many details (no [charoset](/glossary.json#letter-C)-vinegar but date-based; different songs; different table foods). The Sephardi/Mizrahi tradition permits [kitniyot](/glossary.json#letter-K) (legumes — rice, beans, corn, etc.) on Pesach; the Ashkenazi tradition forbids them (a custom that the Israeli Sephardi Chief [Rabbi Ovadia Yosef](/glossary.json#letter-O) ruled non-binding on Sephardim, leading to a substantial Sephardi observance of kitniyot in Israel even by some Ashkenazim).",
        "text": "Universal observance. Reform observance frequently includes a seder; the eight-day observance is typically shortened to seven days in Reform practice. Conservative observance is generally traditional. Sephardic and Mizrahi seder customs differ from Ashkenazi in many details (no charoset-vinegar but date-based; different songs; different table foods). The Sephardi/Mizrahi tradition permits kitniyot (legumes — rice, beans, corn, etc.) on Pesach; the Ashkenazi tradition forbids them (a custom that the Israeli Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ruled non-binding on Sephardim, leading to a substantial Sephardi observance of kitniyot in Israel even by some Ashkenazim)."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Sources",
        "text": "Sources"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Torah: Shemot 12; 13](https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12-13); [Vayikra 23:4–8](https://www.sefaria.org/Leviticus.23.4-8); [Devarim 16:1–8](https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.16.1-8).",
        "text": "Torah: Shemot 12; 13; Vayikra 23:4–8; Devarim 16:1–8."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Mishnah, Pesachim (entire tractate)](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Pesachim); Pesachim 10 — the seder.",
        "text": "Mishnah, Pesachim (entire tractate); Pesachim 10 — the seder."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Talmud Bavli, Pesachim](https://www.sefaria.org/Pesachim).",
        "text": "Talmud Bavli, Pesachim."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Rambam](/glossary.json#letter-R), [Mishneh Torah](/glossary.json#letter-M), [Hilchot Chametz U'Matzah](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Leavened_and_Unleavened_Bread); [Hilchot Korban Pesach](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Paschal_Offering).",
        "text": "Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chametz U'Matzah; Hilchot Korban Pesach."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 429–494](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.429-494).",
        "text": "Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 429–494."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Pesachim 2.a](https://steinsaltz-center.org/portal/library/Talmud/Pesachim/chapter/2.a) — Steinsaltz Center.",
        "text": "Pesachim 2.a — Steinsaltz Center."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[The Search for Chametz](https://aish.com/the-search-for-chametz/) — Aish.",
        "text": "The Search for Chametz — Aish."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Frequently Asked Questions About the Sale of Chametz](https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/3640536/jewish/FAQ-About-the-Sale-of-Chametz.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "Frequently Asked Questions About the Sale of Chametz — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[What Is a Seder (Passover Meal)? — An overview of the feast's 15 steps](https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1751/jewish/What-Is-a-Seder-Passover-Meal.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "What Is a Seder (Passover Meal)? — An overview of the feast's 15 steps — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Further Reading",
        "text": "Further Reading"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Yitz Greenberg](/glossary.json#letter-R), The Jewish Way — Pesach chapter.",
        "text": "Yitz Greenberg, The Jewish Way — Pesach chapter."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Mark Gerson, The Telling: How Judaism's Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life.",
        "text": "Mark Gerson, The Telling: How Judaism's Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The Koren Sacks Haggadah; the ArtScroll Haggadah.",
        "text": "The Koren Sacks Haggadah; the ArtScroll Haggadah."
      }
    ],
    "related": [
      {
        "slug": "holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah",
        "title": "Rosh Hashanah",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur",
        "title": "Yom Kippur",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot",
        "title": "Sukkot",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah",
        "title": "Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah.json"
      }
    ],
    "goDeeper": [
      {
        "slug": "calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day",
        "title": "Daf Yomi: A Page a Day",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts",
        "title": "The Four Minor Fasts",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts.json"
      }
    ],
    "glossary": {
      "ashkenazi": {
        "term": "Ashkenazi",
        "hebrew": "אשכנזי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Describing Jews whose families trace to Central and Eastern Europe, and the customs, liturgy, and Hebrew pronunciation of those communities. The broad counterpart terms are Sephardi and Edot HaMizrach.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "barech": {
        "term": "Barech",
        "hebrew": "בָּרֵךְ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The step of the Pesach seder at which Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals, is recited.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "birkat-hamazon": {
        "term": "Birkat Hamazon",
        "hebrew": "בִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוֹן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The grace after meals — the series of blessings recited after eating bread, fulfilling the Torah's command 'you shall eat, be satisfied, and bless' (Devarim 8:10).",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-birkat-hamazon-the-grace-after-meals"
      },
      "chad-gadya": {
        "term": "Chad Gadya",
        "hebrew": "חַד גַּדְיָא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'One little goat' — the cumulative Aramaic song that closes the Pesach seder, often read as a playful parable of Jewish history.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "chol-hamoed": {
        "term": "Chol HaMo'ed",
        "hebrew": "חוֹל הַמּוֹעֵד",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot — 'the weekday of the festival' — when the holiday continues but most everyday work is permitted.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "dayenu": {
        "term": "Dayenu",
        "hebrew": "דַּיֵּנוּ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'It would have been enough for us' — the seder's rollicking song of gratitude, counting each kindness of the Exodus as sufficient on its own.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "haggadah": {
        "term": "Haggadah",
        "hebrew": "הַגָּדָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The book recited at the Pesach seder, telling the story of the Exodus through text, blessing, song, and commentary.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "hallel": {
        "term": "Hallel",
        "hebrew": "הַלֵּל",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The sequence of praise Psalms (113–118) sung on festivals, on Rosh Chodesh, and throughout Hanukkah.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "hillel": {
        "term": "Hillel",
        "hebrew": "הלל",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A leading sage of the late first century BCE, renowned for his patience and leniency in halachic debate with his rival Shammai, and for maxims such as 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me?' preserved in Pirkei Avot.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-facts-pirkei-avot"
      },
      "jonathan-sacks": {
        "term": "Jonathan Sacks",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020) served as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and became one of the most widely read Jewish thinkers of his generation; his commentary anchors the Koren Shalem Siddur, the Field Guide's recommended first siddur for most New Jews.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-siddur"
      },
      "kadesh": {
        "term": "Kadesh",
        "hebrew": "קַדֵּשׁ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The first step of the Pesach seder — sanctifying the festival with kiddush over the first of the four cups of wine.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "karpas": {
        "term": "Karpas",
        "hebrew": "כַּרְפַּס",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seder step in which a green vegetable is dipped in salt water — the freshness of spring dipped in the tears of slavery.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "korech": {
        "term": "Korech",
        "hebrew": "כּוֹרֵךְ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seder step of eating the \"Hillel sandwich\" — matzah and bitter herbs together, as the sage Hillel did when the Temple stood.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "maggid": {
        "term": "Maggid",
        "hebrew": "מַגִּיד",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The heart of the Pesach seder — the extended telling of the Exodus story from the Haggadah, prompted by the Four Questions.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "maror": {
        "term": "Maror",
        "hebrew": "מָרוֹר",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The bitter herbs of the Pesach seder — horseradish or romaine lettuce — eaten to taste the bitterness of slavery.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "mishneh-torah": {
        "term": "Mishneh Torah",
        "hebrew": "מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Rambam's monumental 12th-century code of Jewish law — the first work to organize the whole of Halacha systematically, from prayer to Temple service.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "mizrahi": {
        "term": "Mizrahi",
        "hebrew": "מִזְרָחִי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'Eastern' — describing Jews whose families come from the Middle East and North Africa, with their own rich liturgical, halachic, and culinary traditions.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "motzi": {
        "term": "Motzi",
        "hebrew": "מוֹצִיא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Short for Hamotzi, the blessing over bread ('...who brings forth bread from the earth'); also the step of the Passover seder at which it is said.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "nirtzah": {
        "term": "Nirtzah",
        "hebrew": "נִרְצָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The closing step of the Passover seder — songs of praise and the hope 'Next year in Jerusalem.'",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "nisan": {
        "term": "Nisan",
        "hebrew": "נִיסָן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The spring month in which Pesach falls; the Torah counts it as the first month of the year.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "omer": {
        "term": "Omer",
        "hebrew": "עֹמֶר",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Originally the barley offering brought on the second day of Pesach; now the 49-day period counted aloud each night from Pesach to Shavuot, a practice called Sefirat HaOmer.",
        "moreSlug": "calendar-counting-the-omer-sefirat-haomer"
      },
      "ovadia-yosef": {
        "term": "Ovadia Yosef",
        "hebrew": "עובדיה יוסף",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (1920–2013), Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and the leading Sephardic halachic authority of his generation, authored the multi-volume responsa collection Yabia Omer.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-is-halacha"
      },
      "pesach": {
        "term": "Pesach",
        "hebrew": "פֶּסַח",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Passover — the spring festival commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, observed with the seder meal, matzah, and the removal of chametz from the home.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-pesach"
      },
      "yitz-greenberg": {
        "term": "Rabbi Yitz Greenberg",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg (b. 1933), a Modern Orthodox rabbi and Holocaust theologian known for the principle that no Jewish theological statement should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children; author of The Jewish Way.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-modern-observances-yom-hashoah"
      },
      "rachtzah": {
        "term": "Rachtzah",
        "hebrew": "רָחְצָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The step of the Passover seder at which the hands are ritually washed, with a blessing, before eating matzah.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "rambam": {
        "term": "Rambam",
        "hebrew": "רמב״ם",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1138–1204), known by the acronym Rambam and in the Latin West as Maimonides, was the towering rationalist codifier and philosopher of medieval Judaism — author of the legal code Mishneh Torah and the philosophical Guide for the Perplexed. His formulation of God's unity and incorporeality remains foundational to Jewish theology across denominations.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god"
      },
      "reform-judaism": {
        "term": "Reform Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Reform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "sephardi": {
        "term": "Sephardi",
        "hebrew": "סְפָרַדִּי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A Jew whose family traces to medieval Spain and Portugal — and, in common usage, to the broader communities of the Mediterranean and Middle East that follow Sephardic law and liturgy. The plural is Sephardim.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "shavuot": {
        "term": "Shavuot",
        "hebrew": "שָׁבוּעוֹת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The early-summer festival marking the giving of the Torah at Sinai, arriving at the end of the seven-week count from Pesach; customs include all-night study and dairy foods.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-shavuot"
      },
      "shulchan-orech": {
        "term": "Shulchan Orech",
        "hebrew": "שולחן עורך",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'the set table' — the festive meal itself, one of the fifteen steps of the Pesach seder.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "torah": {
        "term": "Torah",
        "hebrew": "תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "tzafun": {
        "term": "Tzafun",
        "hebrew": "צפון",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Hidden' — the step of the Pesach seder in which the afikoman, the hidden half-matzah, is found and eaten as the meal's final taste.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "urchatz": {
        "term": "Urchatz",
        "hebrew": "ורחץ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The second step of the Pesach seder — washing the hands without a blessing before dipping the karpas vegetable.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "yachatz": {
        "term": "Yachatz",
        "hebrew": "יחץ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The fourth step of the Pesach seder: the middle matzah is broken in two, and the larger half is hidden away as the afikoman.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "yom-tov": {
        "term": "Yom Tov",
        "hebrew": "יום טוב",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'a good day' — a full festival day (such as the first days of Pesach and Sukkot, Shavuot, and Rosh Hashanah) on which work is restricted much as on Shabbat, with certain exceptions such as cooking.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "afikoman": {
        "term": "afikoman",
        "hebrew": "אפיקומן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The piece of matzah broken off and set aside early in the Pesach seder, then eaten as the very last food of the night. In many homes the children hide it — or hunt for it — and ransom it back.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "bedikat-chametz": {
        "term": "bedikat chametz",
        "hebrew": "בְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The candlelit search for chametz (leaven) conducted at home on the night before Pesach — the last sweep before the holiday begins.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "biur-chametz": {
        "term": "biur chametz",
        "hebrew": "בִּעוּר חָמֵץ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The destruction — traditionally by burning — of the last chametz (leaven) on the morning before Pesach, completing the home's preparation for the holiday.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "chametz": {
        "term": "chametz",
        "hebrew": "חָמֵץ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Leavened grain products — anything made from wheat, barley, spelt, rye, or oats that has fermented — forbidden to eat or even to own during Pesach.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "charoset": {
        "term": "charoset",
        "hebrew": "חֲרוֹסֶת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The sweet paste of fruit, nuts, and wine on the seder plate, recalling the mortar the enslaved Israelites worked in Egypt.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "kiddush": {
        "term": "kiddush",
        "hebrew": "קִדּוּשׁ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The blessing over wine that sanctifies Shabbat or a festival — and, by warm extension, the refreshments and socializing after services where community actually happens.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "kitniyot": {
        "term": "kitniyot",
        "hebrew": "קִטְנִיּוֹת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Legumes, rice, corn, and similar foods traditionally avoided on Pesach by Ashkenazi custom, though they are not chametz; many Sephardic communities eat them freely.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "matzah": {
        "term": "matzah",
        "hebrew": "מַצָּה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The unleavened bread of Pesach — flour and water baked before it can rise — eaten to remember the hurried Exodus from Egypt.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "seder": {
        "term": "seder",
        "hebrew": "סֵדֶר",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'order.' Most often the Passover-night ritual meal that retells the Exodus in fifteen ordered steps; the word also names the six divisions of the Mishnah and any fixed session of study.",
        "moreSlug": null
      }
    }
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": "parent",
      "title": "Sacred Time",
      "href": "/sections/sacred-time.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Rosh Hashanah",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Yom Kippur",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Sukkot",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Daf Yomi: A Page a Day",
      "href": "/articles/calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "The Four Minor Fasts",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts.json"
    }
  ]
}