The Great Escape

By the time the Egyptians realized that no one takes their herds and flocks with them on a pilgrimage and that this was a ploy to escape, the Israelites had already crossed the dangerous Sea of Reeds estuary. They’d let a day go by and now had to catch up with the Israelites and bring them back. So the Egyptians rode off on their horses and chariots, but by the time they reached the estuary, the tide was back in and they all drowned.

The Israelites celebrate this is an act of God. They call it the Feast of the Passover. On the eve of which, the children ask their parents about why the Passover is different from any other meal. The answer to which is that God passed over the Israelites, from being slaves to the Egyptians to the Promised Land.

The meal consists of Matzos - flat unleavened bread, to remind them that there was no time to wait for leavened bread to fully rise on the eve of their great escape from Egypt; Bitter Herbs - instead of vegetables, to remind them of the bitter years of slavery in Egypt; and dipping these foods once in salt and once in sweet paste - to remind them of the tears shed and how they later turned into joy. They enjoy this meal, reclined - because only the free Egyptians could recline whereas the slaves had to stand, but now they are free too.

This has been a tradition that’s been followed in Jewish households for over 3300 years now.