The tenth and worst of the plagues was the death of the Egyptians first-born. The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord knew to pass over the first-born in these homes, hence the English name of the holiday.
The celebration of Pessah starts with a family meal, the Seder. Traditionally, it starts with a speech of the head of the household talking about the the Matsa, bread that did not have time to rise during the Hebrew’s exile.
Later, the youngest member of the family asks the 4 questions starting with « ma nishtana halayla hazé... » « Why is this night different from the other night ? »
The Seder ends by the search of the Afikoman, a half of a Matsa that has been been put aside to be eaten at the end of the meal as a dessert, in order to keep the taste of the unleavened bread in the mouth. Traditionnally, the head of the household hides the Afikoman so the children would stay awake during this long ceremony.
In case the music player doesn't open, you must allow the opening of pop-ups for the website iemj.org in your browser settings.