Erev Pesach (Israel) – April 21, 2027

Expected Erev Pesach (Israel) Deals

For Erev Pesach, the focus shifts from commercial deals to community support and educational initiatives. Jewish organizations like the Orthodox Union and Chabad often run campaigns to assist families in need with Passover provisions, ensuring everyone can observe the holiday. Kosher food brands such as Manischewitz and Kedem may highlight their certified products, while local Jewish community centers organize food drives. Many families also support local kosher bakeries and delis for their Seder needs. We will update this page with confirmed live programs and community support initiatives as April 1 approaches.

History of Erev Pesach (Israel)

In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites were enslaved in ancient Egypt for up to 400 years. After Yahweh, the god of the Israelites, appeared to Moses in a burning bush, commanding Moses to confront Pharaoh, he decided to show his power by inflicting 10 plagues on the Egyptians. The 10th plague was the killing of all firstborn children in the land. This is recorded in Exodus 11: four to six: “About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt – worse than there has ever been or will be again.”

In the build-up to this final plague, Yahweh commanded Moses to have the Israelites mark a lamb’s blood above their doors for them to be passed over when the wave of death swept by. Biblically, the festival observance requires that all leavening be disposed of before the beginning of the 15th of Nisan. At the same time, an unblemished lamb or goat usually referred to as the “Korban Pesach” or “Paschal Lamb,” should be set apart on the 10th Nisan. Then, it should be slaughtered at dusk as 14th Nisan ends in preparation for the 15th of Nisan, at which time it will be eaten after it has been roasted. We must eat all parts of the sacrifice before sunrise on the morning of the 15th of Nisan. If anything is left over by dawn, it must be burned.

The biblical requirements for slaying the Paschal lamb in individual Hebrews’ homes and smearing the lamb’s blood on doorposts and lintels were celebrated in Egypt. But once the Israelites were in the wilderness and there was a tabernacle in place, they changed those requirements. The Passover lambs were now sacrificed at the door of the tabernacle as against the homes of the Jews. Therefore, smearing blood on doorways was scrapped.