Subject: All about Passover Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 00:37:08 +0000 To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From Uri Marcus To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com Subject: God's appointed Seasons -- Pesach / Passover ============= Pesach Basics ============= Pesach, one of Judaism's most important holidays, will traditionally take place this year between sunset on Friday, April 10, and sunset on Friday, April 17. The first and last days of Hag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread -- Shabbat, April 11, and Friday, April 17 -- are legal holidays in Israel. Passover marks the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, from slavery to freedom (to serve the God of Israel). Jews are commanded to tell the story as if it had happened to them personally and not as a mere historical event, in order to emphasize the importance and responsibility of the freedom God purchased in our behalf. ----------------------- Preparations for Pesach ----------------------- The period before Pesach is marked by extensive preparations and several special ceremonies. The most important of these concerns the removal of chametz (leaven), i.e. any food product that contains leavened wheat, oat, barley, rye, or spelt products. In keeping with the Biblical command in Sh'mot (Exodus) 12:19 and 13:7, Jews will, before Pesach, thoroughly clean their homes to remove any crumbs, bits of food, etc. that may be chametz. This cleaning culminates in a special ceremony, which involves the ritual search for chametz in one's home by candlelight, accompanied by a special blessing. To prevent the blessing from being pronounced over a vain search, pieces of bread -- carefully wrapped in foil or plastic -- are first "hidden" around the home. The collected chametz is then burned on the morning before Pesach. It was this ceremony that Rav Sha'ul had in mind when he wrote to the Corinthian Congregation, "Clean out therefore the old leaven (Chametz), that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Mashiach our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:7-8). Since the ownership and consumption of chametz are forbidden for the duration of the seven-day holiday, Jews will eat specially prepared unleavened bread, or matza. Many Jews will also eat products made with matza "flour" -- unleavened bread that has been ground very fine. During the Exodus from Egypt, the Jews ate matza since they did not have time to wait for the dough to rise. -------------------------------------------------- The Pesach Seder and the First Day of Hag HaMatzot -------------------------------------------------- In the evening of Friday, April 10, after festive evening prayers, families will eat a special ceremonial meal known as the Seder, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. The text for the Seder is detailed in a book known as the Haggadah, literally "narration," which relates the story of the Exodus from Egypt. A plate is placed on the Seder table containing several special foods: 1. Maror (Bitter Herbs - horseradish) -- Symbolizes the bitter lot of Bnei Israel during their bondage in Mitzra'im (Egypt). 2. Karpas (A Green Vegetable) -- Symbolizes life, which is dipped in salt water to recall the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves and conveys the idea that life is immersed in tears until the Mashiach comes. 3. Chazeret (A Second More Bitter Herb - a radish or cucumber is common) -- This is not mandatory but symbolizes things in life that tend to become bitter and relates to BaMidbar (Numbers) 9:11 which directs us to eat bitter herbs. 4. Charoset (A Nut, Apple & Wine Mixture) -- Symbolizes the mortar used to make bricks, that Bnei Israel were compelled to make for their Mitzri (Egyptian) taskmasters during their enslavement. 5. Zeroah (Lamb Shankbone) -- Symbolizes "the mighty arm" of G-d as the Torah describes it, which encouraged Pharaoh to release Bnei Israel from bondage. It also symbolizes the Korban HaPesach (Lamb Sacrifice) offered in the Temple Service. 6. Betzah (Hard-boiled or Roasted Egg) -- Symbolizes the regular festival sacrifices brought in the days when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. It also is a symbol of mourning for the loss of two Temples that one stood on the Temple Mount. 7. Three sheets of matza -- which symbolize the division of the Jewish people into priests (cohanim), Levites and everyone else (there are also other interpretations) -- are also placed on the table 8. Four cups of wine are drunk during the Seder, each of which represents a unique aspect of our total salvation experience from the moment God invites us into the Holy community until He marries His chosen bride under the Chupa (canopy). The four cups of wine are named after each of these processes outlined in Sh'mot (Exodus) 6:6-7: 1. I will BRING you out of Mitzra'im. 2. I will DELIVER you from their bondage. 3. I will REDEEM you with an outstretched arm. 4. I will TAKE you to Me for a People. Red wine is usually served at the Seder table, but white wine is also permissible. Ironically the use of red wine has formed the basis of blood-libel accusations which were (and still are) leveled against Jews during the course of their history. The charge is that Jews drink the blood of Christian children at the Seder. Anti-Semitism as never lacked for imagination, nevertheless such accusations were always proven unfounded. During the course of the Seder, the Ten Plagues are recalled. When each of the Plagues is read off, each participant dips a finger into his/her cup of wine and removes a drop; even though we were oppressed in Egypt, we are reminded that we must not rejoice over the Egyptians' suffering. Therefore, our cup of wine cannot be full. One of the more popular Seder customs for children concerns the afikoman, a special piece of matza that is the last food eaten during the Seder. The head of the household customarily hides the afikoman somewhere in the house, and the children then search for it. Once found, the afikoman is "held for ransom," since the Seder cannot continue until the afikoman is eaten. This helps to keep the children focused on the Seder and to pique their curiosity regarding the entire Passover epic. ------------------------------- The Intermediate Days of Pesach ------------------------------- Jewish tradition holds that the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army occurred on the seventh day of Pesach. Even though, on Pesach, Jews celebrate the Exodus from Egypt, we nevertheless do not rejoice over the death of the Egyptians in the sea. Therefore, only an abridged version of Hallel (Psalms 113-118) -- one of the central Pesach prayers -- is recited on the seventh day and on the five intermediate days Starting on the evening of Saturday (after Shabbat), April 11, Jews will keep a nightly count of the 49 days (seven weeks), until the evening of Friday, April 29, one day before the holiday of Shavu'ot. Counting of the Omer commemorates the bringing of the omer or the sheaf of new grain, which was offered in the Temple, in keeping with the Biblical injunction in VayYikrah (Leviticus) 23:15-16. ================== Reverse Psychology ================== I don't know about you, but it seems like I am forever scolding my children during interrogations of wrong-doing to "tell it like it is." But at this time of year, Jewish tradition and the Torah itself encourage the children to turn the tables on their Fathers and require us to "tell it like is WAS." God is always mindful of the children, and knows how easily we forget. That is why we are to continually take the Torah (the instructions of God) and "impress them on our children. Talk about them when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up (D'varim [Deuteronomy] 6:7). The earliest example that we have applying what we should be impressing upon our children is given in Shm'ot (Exodus) 13:8, where we are instructed to start by retelling and personalizing the greatest story in the world about God's love for His people, the story of redemption... "On that day tell your son, `I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Mitzra'im.' This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with His mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. Without this "telling" no Pesach Seder (order) is complete. In Hebrew, the verb for "to tell" is "Le'hagid" from which we get the word "Haggadah" which simply means "the telling" because it tells the story of redemption. Today, the Haggadah is the booklet we use at the Pesach seder, which is usually designed particularly for the young so that fathers can accurately "tell it like it was." And what a wonderful "telling" that story can be, especially when we assemble all the creative resources we have at our disposal to transport our children back 4,000 years ago to experience first hand how "with a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm" the God of our fathers brought us out of slavery and into freedom. This privilege and opportunity to give our children an experience which can compete with any Spielberg movie, Nintendo game or computer animation, has won Pesach the title of "most popular holiday" amongst the Jewish People, and even among many Gentiles. Yet, Pesach is a family thing and it should be done in a family setting. Its not a show or a performance. It requires all of its members to participate. It is supposed to be intimate and can it can be observed by anyone who has a love for the Torah. Later, I'll tell you about the basic elements you need to do a proper Pesach, which are no more than teaching aids used in the "telling" of the story. A common misconception about Pesach (which BTW comes from the Hebrew word "Pasach" and means "to pass over or cover") is that the Seder (or meal) we sit down to is one of the "seven Feasts" of Israel. However, the Pesach meal is not a "Festival" but rather a commemoration. The first of the seven Feasts of Israel actually starts the day AFTER Pesach, and it is called Hag HaMatzot or "The Feast of Unleavened Bread." The seven Feasts, for your information then, which outline God's entire plan of redemption for mankind over a total 7,000 year period, are: 1. First Day of Hag HaMatzot 2. Seventh Day of Hag HaMatzot 3. Shavu'ot (Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) 4. Yom Teru'ah (Feast of Trumpets or Rosh HaShana) 5. Yom HaKippor (Day of Atonement) 6. First Day of Succot (Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) 7. Shmini Atzeret or The Eighth Day (one day after Succot) --------------------------------- Spoiling the Mitzrim (Egyptians)? --------------------------------- Most people fall back on the sketchy details they recall about the exodus story which they learned as children in sunday (or Shabbat) school. They will usually say that they don't recall any plundering going on at all, or simply remember those famous scenes from Cecil B. Demill's "The Ten Commandments", and how all of Israel got up the next morning after the Pesach and headed out of Mitzra'im, with suitcases packed. But unfortunately, that ain't "tell'in it like is was!" In order to clear up the picture, we must recall that the angel of the Lord charged Moshe to lead Bnei Israel out of Mitzra'im with instructions that they "not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Mitzrim." Shm'ot (Exodus) 3:21-22. A quick reading of Shm'ot 11 might lead one to believe that Bnei Israel received their compensation and reparations before the night of the Pesach, but this could never be the case. The Mitzrim would never have conceded to the demands of Bnei Israel to hand over their jewelry and raiment before Pharaoh was forced to thrust them out of the Land. The Pesach Haggadah glosses over the whole issue and leads one to believe that the departure out of Mitzra'im was on the morning after the Pesach. But that cannot be either because the Torah testifies three things about the departure: 1. That there was in fact a plundering, "The LORD made the Mitzrim favorably disposed towards the people."(Shm'ot 11:2-3). 2. That the Lord brought us out of Mitzra'im by night (D'varim 16:1). 3. That they set out on the 15th day of the 1st month (BaMidbar [Numbers] 33:3). To find out when the spoiling took place, all we need to do is fill in the missing pieces. If Bnei Israel set out on the 15th at night then we know that the slaughtering of the lambs must have taken place on the afternoon of the 13th, since they roasted and ate the lambs on the 14th at night in accordance with the command, "Take care of the Lambs until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight...That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. (Shm'ot 12:6,8). Now you may be thinking... "Ok, the 14th starts in the morning, and they go through all the day, until the night time and then eat the barbecued lamb." Not quite. Don't forget, you have to think like a Jew here. The new day begins in the evening. So the problem is, what does twilight mean? The Hebrew word is "ben Ha'Arbi'im" which means literally, between the two evenings. Therefore, the picture we now have is: 1. Between the evenings of the 13th and the 14th of Nisan (3 PM on 13th until sundown which was the start of the 14th) the Lambs were slaughtered. That night they are eaten. 2. In Shm'ot 12:22 Bnei Israel are commanded to remain indoors on the 14th through the night since it was the only safe place until daybreak the next morning, that was protected by the shed blood of the lamb. So during the night of the 14th, there is no departure. 3. The whole of the daylight portion of the 14th is when the spoiling of the Mitzrim takes place. This timetable allows for about twelve hours of daylight to do the job. 4. When the 15th begins at sundown, Bnei Israel pack their bags (and spoils) and depart Mitzra'im. -------------------------------------- Will the Real Shabbats Please Stand Up -------------------------------------- As we have previously seen, "Pesach" is just a memorial of G-d's intervention and redemption of Bnei Israel 4,000 years ago. It is only celebrated for one evening. However, because the Rabbis combined the Pesach celebration with Hag HaMatzot, which lasts for 7 days, the total length of the holiday is 7 days plus one evening, where the first night after the one evening and the 7th night both begin what is known as "Mikray Kodesh" or "a Holy Convocation." The confuse matters even further, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and the subsequent dispersion of most Jews to points throughout the world, an extra day of "Pesach" was added. This additional day was necessitated by the uncertainly of the Jewish Calendar which was based upon the appearance of the New Moon, officially announced after witnesses testified to its arrival IN JERUSALEM. Since errors could easily be made, given the transmission of this information from the source in Jerusalem to distant places in outlying areas, the extra day was added to not only Pesach, but Succot and Shavu'ot as well, in order to avoid possible desecration of the holiday, the penalty of which was excommunication of the Jewish community. Therefore, most Jews in the Diaspora today observe Pesach for eight days, but in Israel, we observe it for only 7 days. Also, in the Diaspora, the Pesach Seder is held on each of the first two nights owing to the above explanation, but in Israel, only on the first night. Exceptions? Yes, there are always exceptions to the rules. We are only human you know, and sometimes humans die. That, it turns out, forms the basis of the exception, which is found in BaMidbar (Numbers) 9:9-14. The Torah here makes provision for those who were unable to offer the Korban HaPesach on the 14th of Nisan because they were either ritually impure for having been in contact with the dead (which makes you unclean for 7 days), or they were on a journey and too far away from the Temple to arrive in time for the holiday. In either case, they were only then permitted to offer the Korban (sacrifice) one month later on the 14th of Iyyar. This holiday was called "Pesach Sheni" or the second Pesach in the Talmud. But returning to the first Pesach in the month of Nisan, how many Shabbats are there during the whole Feast? A careful check will reveal three Shabbatot, those being... 1. First Day of Hag HaMatzot 2. An intervening regular weekly Shabbat sometime during the 7 day period, and... 3. The Seventh Day of Hag HaMatzot. Why is this important? It is invaluably important if you ever want to figure out the apparent inconsistencies of the Gospel accounts relating to which Shabbat the women from the Galil went to Yeshua's grave only to find Him risen. Unfamiliar with the Hebrew language or Jewish customs and idioms which are being employed every which way in the Gospel story have caused the Gentiles to misinterpret the timing of the events and for them, it spelled "Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection." But nothing could be further from the truth. Once you understand the layout of the Feast days and the Shabbatot contained therein, the puzzle pieces come together and correctly spell "Wednesday crucifixion and burial, Thursday preparation day and High Shabbat/Pesach (Shabbat Gadol), Friday posting of the guard at the tomb, Friday evening Bikurim (First Fruits) + Shabbat, Shabbat pre-dawn resurrection, and Shabbat morning tomb visit by the women from the Galil. By the way, for those feel that it would have been forbidden for the women to visit the grave on Shabbat owing to Shabbat regulations and custom, you should be aware that in the Talmud (Yevamot 43b,19), it is stated that "During a festival, Israelites and women (and not only priests) are forbidden to attend on a dead body (unless they are engaged in its burial) if they are not near relatives..." Other Mishnaic sources reflect the same ruling. ------- Freedom ------- Freedom is something only a slave can really appreciate. Only someone who emerges from darkness to light can really have any idea of what light is. Had the Jewish People never been enslaved in Mitzra'im (Egypt), we would never have experienced the true freedom that we commemorate on Pesach. In our long history, in times of our greatest darkness, when we have emerged, it has been to the greatest light. Our era has seen some of the darkest nights of our history. God has promised us, that exactly when the night is darkest, He will bring the final redemption. And when will that moment be? Well, if we use the map of God's appointed Feasts, we will discover that our redemption will take place in the month of Tishrei on Yom HaTeru'ah (Rosh HaShana). For the Shofar will be sounded at the appointed time for the redemption of all of God's People. May it be this year in Yerushalyim, for when Mashiach comes, then the primeval light which shone at Creation will again be restored and there will be total clarity and true freedom! This will be a time when the radiance of the Almighty will fill the world as it did during the six days of Creation. Then, and only then will our freedom be made complete. But for now, we only rehearse it, and that is the purpose of the Seder. To recall the story of our redemption and at the same time rehearse the reality of our future freedom. ----------------------------------- Shabbat HaGadol (The Great Shabbat) ----------------------------------- Shabbat HaGadol is a special Shabbat each year which falls on the Shabbat just prior to the Pesach holiday. This year, that day was today. The story goes that in the year of the exodus, on tenth of Nisan, which fell on a Shabbat that year, God commanded Bnei Israel to take a lamb, which the Mitzrim worshipped as a god, and lead it through the streets to their homes. There, they tied the lamb to their bedposts, and three days later, it was this lamb which served as the Korban HaPesach (sacrifice). Its blood was used to mark the doors and lintels so that God would `pass over or cover' the Jewish homes, and the lamb then was eaten at the first seder, a day before the people left Mitzra'im. But on that Shabbat, the tenth of Nisan, the Egyptians saw the Jews leading lambs through the street and asked "What is this lamb for?" The Jews replied "We're going to slaughter it as a Pesach sacrifice, as God has commanded us." You can imagine how the Egyptians felt - seeing their god led through the street and then tied to a bedpost! In spite of their fury, the Egyptians were powerless to act, although the Jews did not know this at the time. Miraculously, therefore, they were prevented from harming the Jewish People. They ground their teeth in fury, but did not utter a murmur. We commemorate this miracle on the Shabbat HaGodol. But what was is it about this miracle that we connect it to Shabbat rather than its actual calendar date as it may fall from year to year? We commemorate Shavu'ot (Penticost) on whatever day of the week the 6th of Sivan occurs. Similarly, Chanukah always starts on the 25th of Kislev, whatever day of the week that happens to be. The answer is that tradition tells us that during Shabbat, all the plagues of Mitzra'im were temporarily suspended: The rivers changed back to water from blood; the frogs stopped swarming. In honor of the greatness of Shabbat, even the plagues "took a rest." The tenth of Nisan (Shabbat), when the Jews led the lambs through the streets of Mitzra'im, occurred during the plague of darkness. For this day, the darkness lifted and gave way to the light. Had this event taken place on a weekday, the Mitzrim would not have been able to see the what the Jews were doing and there would have been no miracle, for the entire land was engulfed in darkness. Every Shabbos HaGadol also symbolizes the power of God as carried out in our redemption from Mitzra'im. It also forshadows a time in the future when the force of "the great and awesome day of the Lord." will overtake the earth in judgement. It is from this verse (Yo'el 2:31) that Shabbat HaGadol takes its name. Now you can understand why we celebrate this miracle on the Shabbat before Pesach and not on the 10th of Nisan. For without Shabbat there would have been no miracle. That's why it's called "The Great Shabbat." (Bal HaTurim - Parshat Va'era, Devash L'pey) ============================================ May it be unto you, as it is to us, this year... L'Shana Haba'ah BiYerushali'im (Next year in Jerusalem!) Shabbat Shalom & Hag Samayach, Uri Marcus ***********************************************************************