Celebrating Freedom: Passover Candle-Lighting Times

The Jewish holiday of Passover, a celebration of the time the Israelites left Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, begins at sundown Monday and extends eight days. During Passover, Jews celebrate their transition from slavery in Egypt to freedom.

The focal point is a communal meal, called the Seder, which means order, because of the fixed order of service. It is a time for rejoicing and celebration for their deliverance during the exodus.

Passover’s first night seder features special foods that complement a retelling of the story of their ancestors' slavery and release from Egypt, in a sequence of 15 steps.

The traditional seder plate contains a roasted bone as a Passover offering; bitter herbs such as lettuce, endive and horseradish; a hard-boiled egg that is the festival offering; grated horseradish and romaine lettuce; a sweet paste of apples, pears, nuts and wine called charoset, which symbolizes the mortar Jews used in Egypt; some root vegetable, such as an onion or boiled potato; wine; and a dish of salt water, which represents the tears of slavery as well as the waters of the Red Sea, which parted to let the Jews escape Egypt.

There’s also unleavened bread called matzah, which they didn’t have time bake because they had to leave Egypt so quickly after the Angel of Death killed the Egyptians’ first born, the last of 10 plagues God sent to punish the Pharaoh and Egyptians.

Both and will be holding services this week.

Candle-lighting times, according to hebcal.com:

Eve of First day Passover, Monday, April 18: Light Candles at 7:20 pm

Eve of Second day Passover, Tuesday, April 19, 2011: Light Candles after 8:22 pm

Wednesday, April 20: Holiday Ends: 8:23 p.m. 

Friday, April 22: Light Candles at: 7:24 p.m. 

Shabbat, April 23, Shabbat Ends: 8:26 p.m. 

Eve of Seventh day Passover, Sunday, April 24: Light Candles at: 7:26 p.m. 

Eve of Eighth day Passover, Monday, April 25: Light Candles after: 8:29 p.m.

Holiday Ends: Tuesday, April 26: 8:30 p.m.