Israeli soldiers of the Golani Brigade eat a Passover meal. Photo: Edi Israel / Flash90.

Here are eight key things to know ahead of this year’s celebration of Passover:

1. Passover is a Jewish national liberation holiday, highlighting the Exodus, the Parting of the Sea, the Ten Commandments, the 40 years of wandering in the desert, and the return to the Land of Israel 3,600 years ago.

2. According to Heinrich Heine, the 19th century German poet, “Since the Exodus, freedom has always spoken with a Hebrew accent.”

3. On December 11, 1964, upon accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “The Bible tells the thrilling story of how Moses stood in Pharaoh’s court centuries ago and cried, ‘Let my people go!’”

Moreover, the Abolitionist and human rights movements were spurred by the Exodus. For instance, in 1850, Harriet Tubman, who was one of the leaders of the “Underground Railroad” was known as “Mama Moses.”

4. The US Founding Fathers were inspired by the Exodus, in particular, and the Mosaic legacy, in general, shaping the Federalist system, including the concepts of (anti-monarchy) limited government, separation of powers among three co-equal branches of government, featuring Congress, as the most powerful legislature in the world.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense referred to King George III as “the hardened, sullen-tempered Pharaoh of England.” And the Early Pilgrims of The Mayflower and The Arabella considered their 10-week-sail in the Atlantic ocean as “the modern day Parting of the Sea,” and their destination as “the modern day Promised Land.”

5. According to the late Prof. Yehudah Elitzur (Bar Ilan University), one of Israel’s pioneers of Biblical research, the Exodus took place in the second half of the 15th century BCE, during the reign of Egypt’s Amenhotep II. Accordingly, the 40-year-national coalescing of the Jewish people — while wandering in the desert — took place when Egypt was ruled by Thutmose IV. Then, Joshua conquered Canaan when Egypt was ruled by Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV, who were preoccupied with domestic affairs to the extent that they refrained from expansionist ventures.

7. Passover highlights the unique resilience in the face of adversity, which is currently characterizing Israel.

Resilience has surged the Jewish people to new heights (for the benefit of all of humanity) following a multitude of crises such as: the 722 BCE destruction and exile of the Kingdom of Israel by Assyria, the 586 BCE destruction of the First Temple by Babylon, the 70 AD destruction of the Second Temple by Rome, the 135 AD crushing of the Bar Kochba rebellion against Rome, the 484 AD, 1736 and 1865 pogroms of the Jews in Persia, the 627 AD massacre of the Jewish tribe of Quraysh by Muhammed, the 873 AD pogroms by the Byzantines, the 1096 First Crusade’s pogroms, the 1141 pogroms in Moslem-ruled Andalusia, the 1147 Second Crusade’s pogroms, and many more — right up until today.

8. Passover highlights the central role of women in Jewish history, and Passover is the first of the three Jewish pilgrimages to Jerusalem, followed by Shavouot (Pentecost), which commemorates the receipt of the Ten Commandments, and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), which was named after Sukkota — the first stop in the Exodus.

The annual story of Passover (as related in the Haggadah) is concluded by the vow: “Next Year in the reconstructed Jerusalem,” the exclusive and undivided capital of the Jewish people since King David established it as his capital, 3,000 years ago.

The author is a political commentator and former Israeli ambassador.