Why is this Jewish holiday called Passover?
An excellent question, not just because I thought of it. The 10th and final plague that G-d created in order to free the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt involved G-d instructing Moses to tell the Hebrews to spread the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of each Hebrew home, so that the Angel of Death would 'pass over' the Hebrew homes, and instead slay the first-born male of every Egyptian family. The Hebrews were saved from this tragedy, but nonetheless were later ordered by G-d to remember to say prayers for the slain Egyptian sons and later on, the drowned Egyptian army, because G-d declared that no one shall celebrate the destruction of any of His human creations.
Passover is known by five different names. The following are the five names of Passover: each starts with the Hebrew name followed by its translation into English. Each Passover name represents an event in the Passover story, and these events occur in their proper order:

Chag Ha-Pesach (alternate spelling: Hag Ha-Pesach) -
The Festival of the Paschal Offering : This Passover name symbolizes the event when the Hebrews in Egypt offered the sacrifice of the lamb to G-d so that its blood could be spread over the doorposts of their homes. When the Angel of Death approached their homes, it saw the blood on the doorposts of the Hebrews' homes, causing it to 'pass over' the Hebrews' homes as it sought to slay the firstborn of every Egyptian family as told in the 10th Passover plague.

Chag Ha-Matzot (alternate spelling: Hag Ha-Matzot) -
The Festival of Unleavened Bread : This Passover name represents matzah, the unleavened bread eaten during Passover which was baked and eaten by the Hebrews because they did not have time to wait for the bread to become leaven as they were fleeing Egypt.

Chag Ha-Cheirut (alternate spelling: Hag Ha-Cheirut) -
The Festival of Freedom or Redemption : This Passover name recalls how the Hebrews left Egypt, towards freedom and redemption.

Chag Ha-Aviv (alternate spelling: Hag Ha-Aviv) or Zeman Cherutenu - The Festival of Spring or The Season of Our Liberation :
This Passover name recalls when the Hebrews entered Cannan (Palestine) after they left Egypt during the Spring season. This 'passing over' into Cannan also represented a new phase of Jewish cultural life.

Pesach - Passover :
From the four previous Passover names and their representations came the name Passover. The four previous Passover names collectively represent the transition of the Hebrews from being confined by the Egyptians in mind and heart to being free of those limitations to realize and maximize their potential as human beings. It then follows that the name Passover symbolizes the Hebrews' leap from their former reality in Egypt to a new reality in Canaan where their rediscovered self-assertion had given them the opportunity to achieve the highest state of being, self-assertion, and self-realization.
From:  http:\\www.angelfire.om/pa2/passover/index.html
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