Then God sent one final, terrible plague to the land of Egypt. He sent his Angel of Death to visit every single household in Egypt, and take away the firstborn child. But Moses had warned the Hebrews, and told them to mark their doors with a special sign. So, that night, when the Angel of Death came to Egypt, he passed over the houses with the special sign, and spared the firstborn of the Hebrews. This was the beginning of the Passover, the Jewish festival that celebrates the 'passing over' of the Angel of Death, and the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites.

But the Angel of Death did not spare a single Egyptian family that night, and took even the Pharaoh's son. In despair the Pharaoh told Moses to take his people and to leave Egypt forever.

Moses and his people packed their belongings and left Egypt as fast as they could, before Ramses changed his mind again. The Israelites left so quickly there wasn't enough time for the dough to ferment and to be baked into bread. Instead they made unleavened bread. Even today, during the Passover week, only unleavened bread, called matzo, is eaten. The matzo symbolises the suffering of the Hebrews in bondage in Egypt, as well as the haste in which they left. Passover is also sometimes called the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

When the Pharaoh realised that Moses and the Israelites had actually left Egypt, he sent his army after them, to capture them and bring them back. The Pharaoh's army pursued the Israelites eastwards to the Sea of Reeds, a papyrus lake, which God enabled the Hebrews to cross safely. But the Egyptian army was engulfed by the waters of the lake and each and every Egyptian soldier perished.

Moses then led his people to Mt. Sinai, where Yahweh again revealed himself to Moses. Out of this revelation came the Covenant between Yahweh and the people of Israel, and the Ten Commandments.

The Story of Passover
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