Final answer:
Passover is named after the event where the Angel of Death 'passed over' Jewish homes with marked doors, sparing their firstborn during the last plague on Egypt. It's celebrated with a seder meal and includes rituals like eating unleavened bread to symbolize the Jews' hurried departure from Egypt.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Jewish feast of Passover is called "Passover" because it commemorates the biblical event when the Angel of Death "passed over" the homes of the Jews during the last plague visited upon Egypt, thereby sparing their firstborn children. This event led to the Exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, as described in the book of Exodus in the Jewish Bible. The holiday is marked by a ritual meal called the seder, where the story of Passover is retold, underscoring the themes of liberation and salvation. Moreover, the observance includes the avoidance of leavened bread as a reminder of the haste with which the Jews departed Egypt, as they did not have time to let their bread rise.
Important preparations and customs are associated with Passover, such as cleaning the home of all leavened products and participating in the seder, which includes the reading of the Haggadah, a text that narrates the Exodus story along with prayers and commentary. The tradition of resting on the seventh day, also known as Sabbath, and the prohibition of certain foods, such as pork, are additional aspects of Jewish religious practice that emerged around the time of these biblical events and reinforced Jewish identity and remembrance of their history.