When is Passover/Pesach in 2013?

Passover in 2013 or Pesach in 2013 will commence either just after sunset or just after nightfall on Monday, March 25, 2013, depending on the authoritative rabbinical opinion one follows. Nightfall is defined in Jewish law as being "the end of sunset", and occurs anytime from 20 minutes to 1 hour after sunset, depending on one's geographic latitude and where one is located. For Jews who celebrate Passover for 7 days (most Reform Jews, most Reconstructionist Jews, some Conservative Jews, and Jews living in Israel), Passover in 2013 will end either at sunset or at nightfall on Monday, April 1, 2013. For Jews who celebrate Passover for 8 days (some Reform Jews, some Reconstructionist Jews, most Conservative Jews, and Jews living outside Israel), Passover in 2013 will end either at sunset or nightfall on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 (Jews who live outside Israel are known as Diaspora Jews, where the word "diaspora" is derived from Greek and means either "dispersion" or "scattering". In Hebrew, the equivalent words are "Tefutzah", meaning "scattered", or "Galut", meaning "exile". Diaspora, Tefutzah, and Galut all refer to the Jewish people being dispersed among all the other nations outside of Israel). The exact time for when Passover in 2013 will begin either just after sunset or just after nightfall or anywhere from 15 minutes to a half-hour before sunset on March 25, 2013 depends on the geographic latitude and location of a person in the world. Similarly, the exact time for when Passover in 2013 ends also depends on the geographic latitude and location of a person in the world.

Passover 2013 - Pesach 2013 : Exact Starting Time

For those living where we are located - in Montreal, Quebec, Canada - Passover / Pesach in 2013 will commence at exactly 7:13:41 P.M. on Monday, March 25, 2013 (Sunset), and end at nightfall where nightfall is defined in Judaism according to the following two authoritative rabbinical opinions: either when 3 medium-sized stars appear first appear in the sky, or at 72 minutes after sunset. The first opinion occurs at exactly 8:08:59 P.M. (Nightfall = When 3 medium-sized stars first appear in the sky) and the second opinion occurs at 8:36:04 P.M. (Nightfall = 72 Minutes after sunset) on Saturday, April 14, 2012 (Source: MyZmanim.com).

Regarding when Passover in 2013 begins, although sunset or sundown ("shkiah ha'chama" in Hebrew) at sea level occurs at exactly 7:13:41 P.M. for Montreal (Source: MyZmanim.com), there is a custom among the majority of Jewish people to "extend" the "holiness" time of a Jewish festival or Jewish holiday by beginning a Jewish festival or Jewish holiday at least 18 minutes before sunset or sundown. This extended time can range from 15 minutes to a half-hour before sunset depending on one's custom but, as mentioned, the majority of Jewish people follow the custom to begin a festival or holiday at 18 minutes before sunset or sundown. Also, as just mentioned, the exact time for the beginning and ending of Passover varies with where one is located in the world; specifically, one's geographic latitude and where one is located.