Hebrew for “Passover”. The Festival of Redemption, in which the Jewish People, who had been captives and slaves in Egypt for more than two hundred years, were freed from the “House of Bondage.” This Redemption was proof of many of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. It was proof of the Existence of G-d, that G-d was concerned about the world, that He would and could intervene in human history in order to establish His moral order in the World. Passover represented Physical Redemption. The real goal was Spiritual Redemption, which was represented by the Holiday of Shavuot. Passover and Shavuot were connected by Sefirat HaOmer, the Counting of the Days from the Second Day of Passover till Shavuot, a period of time over which the Jewish People were expected to grow sufficiently to take the first step of spiritual growth, Accepting the Torah.
