Passover: Why So Widely Observed?

The Haggadah you were reading a few nights ago is the most widely reprinted book in the history of the Jewish people. It is believed that over four thousand editions have been published since Gutenberg created the printing press in the 16th Century. The number does not take into account personal family Haggadot. The Maxwell House Haggadah is the most popular. Over 50 million have been printed.

Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday. There are many reasons for its popularity. There’s the social and family element as we gather for a festive and typically sumptuous meal. Yet that is also true on Shabbat or another festival dinner. I believe Passover’s appeal is that it is both a religious and national commemoration. It celebrates God’s liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and celebrates the Jewish People’s beginning.

Whatever draws you to Judaism—religion, Peoplehood, a combination, or something else—there is reason to be grateful that God took us out of Egypt.

— Rabbi David Woznica