The Story Of Passover

By David A. Adler; illustrated by Jill Weber

This evening is the beginning of Passover.

Did you know that the name of Passover is taken from the tenth plague that was visited on the homes of the Egyptians?

The Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Hebrews, as they were instructed to smear the blood of a lamb on their doors, in order to be spared.

Passover, usually falling in late March or April, marks the eight day observance of age-old rituals, occurring in words repeated from the scripting of the seder meal that can found in the Haggadah. It is a text read the first two nights of the Passover, and recounts the flight of the Hebrew people from Egypt.

At the rear of David Adler’s picture book, “The Story of Passover,” is a page entitled, “Seder.” Did you know the literal meaning of the word “Seder” is “order?”

It’s a recounting of the symbols that abound on the Seder table, including vegetables and salt for dipping that are a reminder of the salty tears Israelites shed during their years of slavery in Egypt, the moror or “bitter herbs,” and charoset which is a mixture of apple, nut, spices and wine, acts as a symbol of the clay the Hebrews molded as slaves in Egypt.

The roasted lamb is reminiscent of the original Passover sacrifice, plus the egg, represents spring and the circle of life. And lastly, the matzoh or a flat bread baked in a hurry harks back to the quickness of the Israelite’s flight in a hurry as the exodus occurred from slavery to freedom.

And, prominently featured on the Seder table is Elijah’s cup, filled with wine to indicate the hope that this Old Testament prophet  will return, and with him, the promise of the coming Messiah.

If you are looking for a picture book to introduce your young reader to the specifics of a descriptive and detailed story of the Exodus and the Passover that preceded it some thousands of years ago, then David Adler’s, The Story of Passover is a wonderful read.

Jill Weber’s drawings of the plight of the Hebrews, brought to a head by the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh is depicted colorfully, covering the ten plagues visited on Egypt with such an intensity of feeling, that young readers will be glued to the page, as each successive suffering of boils, hailstones, locusts, and more, descends on the stiff-necked leader of the Egyptians. and his people.

The Pharaoh is forced to relent…but not quite!

The denouement of Moses lifting his staff to part the Red Sea, providing the Hebrews an escape route to freedom as they are backed to the sea, is shown by Ms. Weber as a swirl of aqua waters, teeming with fish…and a miraculous way through it all.

The back cover quote is a fitting summary of David Adler’s Passover picture book’s engaging and educational story of the lead up to, and story of, the Hebrew Exodus:

The Children of Israel know the bitterness

of slavery and the salty tears of heartbreak.

 

   But one day they will know great joy

 

This is the story of Passover, and of Moses,

    the man who led his people to freedom.