Activists and Paschal Lamb Detained by Police -INN MAR 25,13
Jerusalem police detectives detained right-wing activist Noam Federman and others for questioning, Monday afternoon, and seized a lamb the activists wanted to sacrifice on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City. Police cited them for transporting an animal without a permit.Federman reacted by saying, "We demand to offer the Passover sacrifice, one of the most important commandments. The Jerusalem police are harming freedom of religion.
Temple Activists Expect Police to Block Ascent
Several Temple Movement activists will try to make the Pesach sacrifice on the Temple Mount.
Temple Movement prepares to sacrifice goat (file)-Israel news photo: Flash 90
The activists said they plan to assemble at the promenade near the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem's Old City at 1:30 p.m., with the goats and lambs they plan to sacrifice.At 1:45, led by Noam Federman, they will try to begin advancing toward the Temple Mount, with the hope of setting up what they term a minimal kosher altar" there.The activists said that they know their chances of success are slim, and noted that in previous years, police used force to block their way and arrested some of them as well. Charge sheets were also filed against some of them, on alleged unauthorized transport of animals and cruelty to animals.Some activists hope, however, that police will be more sympathetic to their efforts, because the new Knesset and government include Temple activists like MK Moshe Feiglin and Minister Uri Ariel in senior positions.
The Temple organizations note that hundreds of supporters have signed petitions calling on the government to enable the Pesach sacrifice on the Temple Mount, as part of the freedom of religion and worship that the government must allow, by law.Activists held a sacrifice ceremony outside the Old City walls and opposite the Temple Mount on Thursday.
Pesach (Passover) Holiday to Begin Monday Eve
Jewish families world over will sit down to the Seder Monday evening, read the Haggadah and recall the Exodus. Chag Sameach!
Matza factory
Israel news photo: Flash 90
The government of Israel sold its “chametz,” leavened bread, to an Arab before the holiday in order not to transgress the commandment of not owning any chametz during the holiday. This includes any food product that contains leavened wheat, oat, barley, rye, or spelt products.After a search for remaining chametz in houses Sunday night, Jews burn it the following morning, several hours before Pesach begins. Not a drop of chametz is allowed to remain in Jewish hands during the entire holiday, so that each family sells its own chametz for the week as the government does.Dishes also are changed for the holiday or were made kosher through a procedure that depends on what material they are composed of. Glassware dishes can be koshered for Pesach by cleaning, leaving them unused for a period of time and then dipping them in water. Metal, if completely cleaned, is dipped in boiling water and prior to the holiday, large vats of boiling water are manned by people at various locations for that purpose. Not all materials can be made useable for Pesach and a rabbi should be consulted with any questions.In the absence of leaven, Jews will eat specially prepared unleavened bread, or matza, on Pesach, as was done at the Exodus, when the Jews did not have enough time to wait for dough to rise before leaving Egypt.First-born males over 13 are required to fast on the day before Passover – in commemoration of the fact that first-born Jewish males were spared when first-born Egyptian males were killed during the tenth plague – but may be released of this obligation by participating in a special festive meal, like the ones that accompany the conclusion of study of a tractate of the Talmud or a circumcision, on the morning before Passover.The traditional Seder is held Monday night – Monday and Tuesday nights for Jews outside of Israel. The guide for the Seder is detailed in the Haggadah, literally "narration," which relates the story of the Exodus from Egypt.A plate placed on the Seder table contains several special foods: a roasted egg, symbolizing the special holiday sacrifices which were brought in the Temple; a roasted shank bone, recalling the Passover lamb offered and eaten by every family in Jerusalem in Temple times and brought in Egypt right before the Exodus; a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon known as charoset, symbolizing the mortar that the Hebrew slaves in Egypt used to make bricks; sprigs of parsley and lettuce, symbolizing spring; a bitter herb symbolizing the bitterness of slavery; and salt water, recalling the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. There are additional explanations for some of the symbols.Three whole pieces of matza mark the division of the Jewish people into priests (Cohanim), Levites and the general population are also placed on the table. There are also other explanations for this custom, as there are for almost all of the customs.During the course of the Seder, the Ten Plagues are recalled. When each of the Plagues is mentioned, each participant dips a finger into his/her cup of wine and removes a drop; even though the Jews were oppressed in Egypt, we are reminded that we must not rejoice over the Egyptians' suffering. Our cups of wine cannot thus be full.Four cups of wine are drunk at specific parts of the seder, to remember the four words symbolizing redemption that appear in the Biblical Exodus narration.One of the more popular Seder customs for children concerns the afikoman, a special piece of matza that is the last food eaten during the Seder. The head of the household customarily hides the afikoman somewhere in the house, and the children then search for it. Once found, the afikoman is "ransomed," since the Seder cannot continue until the afikoman is eaten. This helps to keep the children focused on the Seder and to pique their curiosity regarding the entire Passover epic.On the morning of Monday March 26, festive prayers, including a prayer for dew during the spring and summer, and special readings, will figure prominently in synagogue services.During the intermediate days, between the first and last days, special prayers also are recited in synagogue. In Israel, all of Pesach is an official holiday for schools and most government offices and vacationing families fill the national parks and museums, many of which are free.Jewish tradition maintains that the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army occurred on the seventh day of Passover, but even though Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt, Jews nevertheless do not rejoice over the death of the Egyptians in the sea and only an abridged version of Hallel (Psalms 113-118) – a holiday prayer – is recited after the first day of Passover.On the Sabbath of the intermediate days of Passover (Saturday March 30), the day's special readings will include the Song of Songs and Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).From the evening prayer ending Tuesday March 26, Jews will keep a nightly count of the 49 days (seven weeks), until the evening of Tuesday, May 14, one day before the holiday of Shavuot. This count commemorates the Temple offering of the omer, or sheaf of new grain, in keeping with the Biblical injunction of Leviticus 23:15-16.
Maimouna – an informal, yet widely celebrated holiday which originated among the Jews of North Africa, particularly those from Morocco – will be celebrated immediately after Passover, from sunset on Monday April 1. According to custom, families prepare elaborate tables with various sweets and baked goods, and host friends and family members. Whole neighborhoods often close as celebrations spill out into the streets and parks.
