Passover 2025 will begin on Saturday evening, April 12, 2025, the 14th of Nisan, 5785. The Seder night will take place on Saturday evening, immediately followed by the first day of Passover. The holiday will last seven days in Israel (eight days abroad) and will end on Friday evening, April 18, 2025, with the beginning of the seventh day of Passover, also known as the "Second Holiday of Passover." The holiday will conclude on Saturday evening, April 19, 2025.

Pay attention to the times. Here's how the Passover holiday entry and exit times will look in major cities:

Passover Holiday Entry and Exit Times (First Holiday)

Holiday entry – Saturday, April 12, 2025, 14th of Nisan 5785:

• Jerusalem – 7:44 p.m.
• Tel Aviv – 7:46 p.m.
• Haifa – 7:46 p.m.
• Beersheba – 7:45 p.m.
• Eilat – 7:42 p.m.

Holiday exit – Sunday, April 13, 2025, 15th of Nisan 5785:

• Jerusalem – 7:45 p.m.
• Tel Aviv – 7:47 p.m.
• Haifa – 7:47 p.m.
• Beersheba – 7:46 p.m.
• Eilat – 7:43 p.m.

Seventh Day of Passover Entry and Exit Times (Second Holiday)

Seventh day of Passover entry – Friday, April 18, 2025, 20th of Nisan 5785:

• Jerusalem – 6:30 p.m.
• Tel Aviv – 6:50 p.m.
• Haifa – 6:42 p.m.
• Beersheba – 6:47 p.m.
• Eilat – 6:34 p.m.

Seventh day of Passover exit – Saturday, April 19, 2025, 21st of Nisan 5785:

• Jerusalem – 7:49 p.m.
• Tel Aviv – 7:51 p.m.
• Haifa – 7:52 p.m.
• Beersheba – 7:50 p.m.
• Eilat – 7:43 p.m.

Why is the holiday called "Passover"?

The name "Passover" derives from the verse in the Book of Exodus describing the plague of the firstborn, when God "passed over" (pasach) the houses of the Israelites and did not harm them while striking the firstborn of Egypt. Beyond that, the holiday marks the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, from slavery to freedom, and is one of the three pilgrimage festivals when Jews would ascend to the Temple.

Chametz checking and elimination times for 2025

Chametz elimination is the commandment to destroy all leavened products in our possession before Passover. The Torah commands not only to refrain from eating chametz during the holiday but also not to keep it in the house. The elimination is usually done by burning the chametz or disposing of it in a place that prevents its use. If chametz is found during Passover, Jewish law requires its immediate elimination. That is, it must be burned or thrown away to a place that nullifies the ability to use it, for example, flushing it down the toilet or throwing it in a public trash can.

Order of chametz checking and elimination:

• Chametz checking: Will be performed on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at night, after the stars come out.
• Chametz elimination (burning chametz): On Friday, April 11, 2025, until 12:40 p.m.
• End time for eating chametz: Saturday, April 12, 2025, until 10:30 a.m.
• End time for eliminating chametz: Saturday, April 12, 2025, until 11:35 a.m.

When can we go back to eating chametz?

Chametz can be eaten again only after the end of the seventh day of Passover – on Saturday evening, April 19, 2025, from 7:49 p.m. onwards (Jerusalem), depending on the city.

Passover cleaning tradition

An integral part of Passover preparations is the thorough cleaning of the house to remove all chametz. Beyond the halachic aspect, the cleaning tradition has also become a symbol of refreshment and renewal – not just physically but also spiritually, as preparation for the Festival of Freedom.

What needs to be cleaned for Passover?

The Shulchan Aruch states, "It is customary to scrape the walls and chairs that chametz has touched, and they have what to rely on." However, according to the strict law, it is important to be meticulous about cleaning places where there is a real concern for chametz: kitchen utensils and cabinets, the dining area, and when there are children in the house, also clean the places within their reach.

Other areas are not required to be cleaned for Passover. Even food utensils that one does not intend to use during Passover – there is no obligation to scrub them thoroughly, and a regular washing that doesn't leave visible chametz on them is sufficient, and then store them in a closed cabinet during Passover. The same applies to an oven that one doesn't intend to use during Passover; it's enough to check that there are no significant pieces inside and seal it with tape during Passover.

The names of Passover and their meanings

Festival of Matzot

Source of the name: This name also appears in the Torah, for example: "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Aviv" (Exodus 34:18).

Meaning: The title focuses on matzot – the central halachic symbol of Passover. The matzot commemorate the bread that didn't have time to rise when the Israelites hastily left Egypt. Additionally, matza is considered "the bread of affliction" – simple and modest – that reminds us of the life of slavery and the humble beginning of the nation, before it became free. There is also a spiritual interpretation: matza symbolizes simplicity and purity, unlike pride (rising) represented by chametz.

Festival of Freedom

Source of the name: This name does not appear in the Bible but appears frequently in the words of the Sages, in liturgical poems, and in Jewish literature throughout the generations.

Meaning: The holiday symbolizes the journey from slavery to freedom – not just physically but also spiritually. It marks the beginning of the path to national, social, and religious independence for the Jewish people. In a broader perspective, the Festival of Freedom has become a universal symbol for human freedom and an inspiration for liberation struggles around the world throughout history.

Festival of Spring

Source of the name: The title appears in the Torah, in the Book of Deuteronomy: "Observe the month of Aviv and keep the Passover unto the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 16:1).

Meaning: The Torah emphasizes the connection between Passover and the spring season. Spring symbolizes renewal, blossoming, and growth – and parallels the idea of the Exodus from Egypt as a new beginning. In the agricultural era, Passover was also the festival that opened the harvest season, with the bringing of the Omer offering on the day after the holiday, which anchors it economically and agriculturally as well.

The post Passover 2025 dates, times, and traditions: What you need to know appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

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Two hundred residents took turns to build the tower, using matzah and the HaShachar Ha'ole chocolate spread, a classic Israeli combination for Pesach.

The tower consisted of 950 matzahs and weighed 10 kilos (22 pounds).

"We love the present and miss the past," resident Perla Fleischman said. "We used to eat the matzah with the chocolate spread as children."

After the record was confirmed by Guinness World Records, Gili, the local chef, turned the tower into chocolate balls.

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The post Matzah tower breaks Guinness World Record appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The story began 40 years ago when Sarah (not her real name), a young Jewish woman from Ashkelon, met and married a man from Gaza. The two lived in Gaza for 10 years and had two children. The family then moved to Jaffa, but a few months later, the father decided he wanted to return to the Gaza Strip.

Sarah refused to go back, so her husband arranged for her to spend a few days abroad. While she was away, he told their children that she had died and that they must go back to Gaza. Sarah tried her find her children, but shortly thereafter Gaza was transferred to the hands of the Palestinians and it became impossible for her to locate her children.

Two years ago, Sarah reached out to Yad L'Achim, an organization that rescues women who have become involved with men from local villages and find themselves trapped there. The group managed to find her children through the use of social media. Sarah learned that her daughter had married a Muslim man and had five children with him. Her son was still unmarried.

Yad L'Achim contacted Sarah's children without their father's knowledge, and they were able to speak to their mother online.

On Passover eve, a moving family reunion finally took place. One of Sarah's grandchildren left Gaza for Israel to receive medical treatment. The child's father, Sarah's son-in-law, who wanted to gain from the renewed contact between his wife and her mother, agreed to the meeting, which took place in a public square in one of Israel's mixed Jewish-Arab cities. Sarah gave her grandson and his aunt, who had accompanied him to Israel, matzah to take back to Gaza.

Yad L'Achim decided to make the story public despite its sensitive nature, in the hope that making the situation public would allow the grandson to be treated at an Israeli medical center.

The post Israeli woman smuggles matzah to grandchildren in Gaza appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.