by Ram ben Ze'ev
In just a short time, on the evening of י״ד ניסן (Yud-Dalet Nissan – the 14th of Nissan), beginning April 12, 2025, at sundown, and ending at nightfall on April 20, 2025, יהודים (Yehudim – Jews) around the world will gather around the שולחן הסדר (Shulchan HaSeder – Seder table) to recount the greatest story of גאולה (Geulah – redemption) ever told: the יציאת מצרים (Yetziat Mitzrayim – Exodus from Egypt). פסח (Pesach) is more than a holiday—it is the foundation of עם ישראל (Am Yisrael – the Nation of Israel), a testimony to הקדוש ברוך הוא’s (HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s – The Holy One, Blessed be He’s) miraculous intervention in history. It is a time of reaffirming who we are as a people, distinct, separate, and holy.
Yet today, many among our people refer to this sacred time with the foreign term "Passover," a word rooted in non-Jewish sources and influenced by idolatrous interpretations. But why does this matter? Why does it matter what words we use? Because language is not just a tool of communication—it is a tool of identity. Language builds worlds, and it can destroy them.
Pesach: A Story of Divine Mercy, Not Just "Passing Over"
The word פסח (Pesach) does not simply mean "to pass over," as commonly mistranslated. The root פסח (P-S-CH) conveys pity, compassion, and sparing, as seen in ישעיהו (Yeshayahu – Isaiah) 31:5:
כצפרים עפות כן יגן ה' צבאות על ירושלם גנון והציל פסח והמלט
"Like hovering birds, so shall Hashem, L-RD of Hosts, protect Yerushalayim, protecting and rescuing, sparing (pasoach) and delivering."
This verse clearly shows that פסח (Pesach) is not about skipping over something, but about active protection and mercy. When the תורה (Torah) states that G-D 'פסח' (pasach – spared) the houses of בני ישראל (Bnei Yisrael – the Children of Israel) in מצרים (Mitzrayim – Egypt), it means He actively shielded them, not merely that He "passed over" them.
The foreign word "Passover" is a mistranslation, an oversimplification that strips away the depth of הקדוש ברוך הוא’s (HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s – The Holy One, Blessed be He’s) mercy and the significance of our redemption.
Assimilation Begins with Language
The danger of linguistic assimilation is not new. The גמרא (Gemara – the commentary on the Talmud) in מסכת פסחים (Masechet Pesachim – Tractate Pesachim) 50b warns:
אל יאמר אדם בלשון ארמי ולא יבקש צרכיו בלשון ארמי שאין מלאכי השרת מכירים בלשון ארמי
"A person should not speak in Aramaic, nor should he pray in Aramaic, because the ministering angels do not recognize that language."
The message is clear: לשון (Lashon – language) has spiritual weight. When we abandon לשון הקודש (Lashon HaKodesh – the Holy Tongue) in favor of foreign speech, we distance ourselves from our connection to הקדוש ברוך הוא (HaKadosh Baruch Hu).
The Holy Zohar (זהר הקדוש) also warns against assimilation through language. In פרשת וארא (Parashat Va’era) 2:25b, it states that the exile in מצרים (Mitzrayim – Egypt) was especially severe because בני ישראל (Bnei Yisrael – the Children of Israel) began to adopt Egyptian customs, including their language. The זהר הקדוש (Holy Zohar) describes how those who abandoned לשון הקודש (Lashon HaKodesh – the Holy Tongue) lost their spiritual protection.
The מדרש (Midrash) in ויקרא רבה (Vayikra Rabbah) 32:5 teaches that בני ישראל (Bnei Yisrael – the Children of Israel) merited redemption because they preserved three things:
Their names – They did not adopt Egyptian names.
Their clothing – They did not dress like the Egyptians.
Their language – They continued to speak לשון הקודש (Lashon HaKodesh – the Holy Tongue).
This is why it matters. When we use foreign words for sacred concepts, we are not just borrowing vocabulary—we are allowing our identity to be reshaped by those who do not share our values.
Preparing for Pesach with Clarity and Purpose
The festival of פסח (Pesach) is fast approaching, a time of renewal, redemption, and a reaffirmation of our identity as עם ישראל (Am Yisrael – the Nation of Israel). Just as הקדוש ברוך הוא (HaKadosh Baruch Hu – The Holy One, Blessed be He) freed us from מצרים (Mitzrayim – Egypt), let us free ourselves from the shackles of assimilation.
Let this be the year we correct our words, the year we strengthen our commitment to לשון הקודש (Lashon HaKodesh – the Holy Tongue), the year we proudly say פסח (Pesach) and not a foreign word that diminishes the meaning of our גאולה (Geulah – redemption).
As we prepare our homes and our hearts for this sacred זמן חרותנו (Zeman Cheiruteinu – Season of Our Freedom), may we also purify our speech, returning to the words that have preserved us for generations.
May הקדוש ברוך הוא (HaKadosh Baruch Hu) grant us the strength to hold fast to our language, our identity, and our holy mission.
As we approach פסח (Pesach), may we prepare with clarity and purpose, strengthening our connection to לשון הקודש (Lashon HaKodesh) and the heritage that defines us as עם ישראל (Am Yisrael – the Nation of Israel).
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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue. Bill White also writes on Substack under the byline "Bill White Says..."