◆ Passover 2026

Customs & Observances

• The Seder night — retelling the Exodus story with matzah and maror
• The seder plate (ke'arah) — six items: zeroa (shankbone), beitzah (egg), maror, charoset, karpas, and chazeret (Pesachim 116a; Shulchan Aruch OC 473)
• Keeping kosher for Pesach — no chametz (leaven) may be eaten or owned; kitchen utensils are kashered and chametz is sold before the festival
• Prohibition of chametz — eating only matzah for the duration
• Eating shmura matzah
• Reading the Song of Songs
• Counting the Omer begins on the second night

Greetings & Blessings for Passover

Traditional greetings used before, during, and after Passover:

• Chag Pesach Sameach — "A joyous Passover holiday"
• Chag Kasher V'Sameach — "A kosher and joyous holiday"
• Moadim L'Simchah — "Times of joy" (used on Chol HaMoed)

בעברית:

• חג פסח שמח
• חג כשר ושמח
• מועדים לשמחה — לימי חול המועד

About Passover

Passover (Pesach), the Festival of Freedom, begins on the 15th of Nissan and lasts seven days in Israel (eight in the Diaspora). It commemorates the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish nation.

Also known as: Pesach

Jewish holidays begin at sunset on the evening before the date shown and conclude at nightfall (when three medium stars are visible) on the final day. In the Diaspora, major Torah festivals are observed for two days (Yom Tov Sheni shel Galuyot), while in Israel they are observed for one day.