It's Passover

Growing up in a reform Jewish home, my family was not very religious, but we did celebrate Passover every year with our extended family. All would gather, sometimes at our house, other times at the cousins’. The table would be set with all the traditional elements: matzo, wine, charoses, Seder plate, salt water, white linens, candles…. More on that later.

Now, as with all Jewish “holidays” (btw- most Jews refer their special days as “holy days” not holidays), the actual day begins at sundown. That’s because in the account of creation, Genesis 1:5 says “God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Evening and morning = the first day. Day began at evening.

So when we’d gather together, everyone was eager for dinner, but we had to read through the Haggadah before we could eat. The retelling of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt could take over an hour or more. So our family used Cantor Applestone’s abbreviated version. The cantor (rabbi’s assistant and song leader) in our synagogue created a shortened account of the Exodus story, sort of a Cliff Notes version, and every year, we’d pull out the tattered mimeographed copies (remember those!). I never even knew we had a real Haggadah book that was my mom’s when she was a girl. Here’s a picture of our Seder plate, and my mom’s original Haggadah. The mimeographed pages have long been lost.

It wasn’t until I became a Christian that I really began to appreciate all the elements of the Passover.

Tonight March 29th is the first night of Passover this year, so this week, I will be sharing some insights that I have learned over the years.

What we commonly call the Last Supper was a Passover seder. And so much of what Jesus and the disciples did and spoke about have meaning beyond what appears on the surface. For example, the bread and wine that we partake during communion are important elements of the Passover seder. Much of what is celebrated in Jewish homes across the world has important meaning for Christians as well. Jesus, after all, is referred to as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7).

There are many elements to this special week, and I will only be able to touch on a few. But I think one of the most misunderstood ones is the meaning of the word "Passover." In Hebrew, the word "Pesach" means "exemption." And in the book of Exodus, it refers to the Passover sacrifice = the spotless, unblemished lamb.
Exodus 12:11 = This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; IT is the LORD's Passover.
Exodus 12:21 = Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb.

We usually think the word Passover comes from the angel passing over the homes of the Israelites. But Exodus 12:27 says, "then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.' " Then the people bowed down and worshiped."

The Passover refers to the sacrifice, the spotless lamb who's blood was shed to save the lives of God's people. The lamb provided the exemption for God's people from death. That is why Jesus was called the Passover lamb. He was sinless, spotless, unblemished, and He paid the sacrifice for all God's people.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. John 13:1

Passover Traditions

Tradition - it’s not just a song from Fiddler on the Roof. It plays an important role in the way Jews observe not just Passover, but many other events as well.

What are some Passover traditions?
And where do they come from?


Well, some are interpretations of the Word, while others come directly from the mouth of God.


After 430 years in Egypt of enduring harsh treatment as slaves to the king (the Pharaoh), God used Moses to go before the Pharaoh to ask for the Israelites’ deliverance. Due to the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart, God inflicted 10 plagues before the Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go.


The Passover observance was commanded by God BEFORE He actually delivered the nation of Israel from the Egyptians, before the 10th plague, the killing of the firstborn in Egypt. Before they were freed, they observed the first Passover Seder. The word “Seder” in Hebrew literally means "order"; “an ordered event, especially the meal eaten on Passover.”


And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the LORD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes ... you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. - Exodus 12:14-17


The details are spelled out in Exodus 12, details that are followed to this day. But there are additional traditions that are followed as well.


Tomorrow, I will share more about the unleavened bread, but today, we’ll go over the items that are found on the Seder plate.

Charoset is mixture of apples, nuts, wine and spices. It is symbolic of the mortar the Jewish slaves made in their building for the Egyptians. It is a mixture of chopped apples, walnuts, honey, cinnamon and red wine. (As children, this was the one thing we looked forward to eating.)



Z’roa is a lamb shankbone. It is symbolic of the Paschal lamb offered as the Passover sacrifice.


Beitzah is hard-boiled egg. The egg is symbolic of both the regular festival sacrifice brought in the days of the Temple, traditionally the food of mourners, as well as a symbol of new life.


Karpas is a vegetable, usually Parsley. The karpas, representing spring, is dipped in salt water to represent the tears of the Israelites under slavery.


Maror is bitter herbs, usually Horseradish. Maror represents the bitter life of the Israelites during the time of their enslavement in Egypt.


Chazeret is a bitter vegetable. Celery or lettuce can be used. It is obligatory to eat Maror or bitter herbs twice at each Seder.


Each of these items, plus glasses of red wine, a plate of 3 matzos, and a cup of salt water, are used during the reading of the Haggadah which not only tells the story from the book of Exodus, but includes songs, instructions for dipping the herbs and sipping the wine, the reading of the Four Questions, and more, all in proper order.


An extra cup of wine is always put on the table because Elijah is expected to come during the Passover, expressing hope that the age of Messiah will return and the sacred Temple will be rebuilt. As Christians, we know that the Messiah did come during the Passover 2000 years ago, and because He was the sacrifice once and for all, the Temple does not need to be rebuilt. It's interesting to me that from the time of the tabernacle through the building of all 3 Temples, the sacrifices were continually made as part of the Law given to Moses. However, since the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., there has not been a sacrifice made. For the last 2000 years, the Jews are unable keep the Law.


The seder ends with a Hallel, a song from Psalm 136. Jesus ended His seder, the last supper, that way too.
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matt. 26:30

Passover: Matzah and the Bread of Life

Religious families have rigorous preparations before the Passover. Not my family, but those who keep a kosher home will have separate sets of dishes for meat and for dairy, since they cannot be eaten together. These families will actually have 4 sets of dishes, utensils, pots, etc. - 2 sets for Passover and 2 sets for the rest of the year.

Before pulling out the Passover provisions, a complete cleaning of the home is performed. Using a flashlight (or candle) and a feather, the cupboards are swept spotless in search of crumbs, also called chametz - bread and leavened products - meaning products made with yeast. In Ex 12:19, God instructed the Israelites that no yeast (leaven) is to be found in their homes, and they are not to eat anything with yeast for seven days as part of His decree for future generations. He commanded this BEFORE the exodus (Ex. 12:34), knowing that the Israelites would leave Egypt in haste, and the dough for the bread would be taken before yeast was added.

One Jewish commentary suggests that the “The simple ingredients of matzo - water and flour - as well as the flatness of the unleavened bread as opposed to the puffiness of leavened bread, symbolizes 'poor man's bread' as well as 'humility' and 'humbleness', as opposed to the puffiness of one's ego that characterizes a wealthy person as symbolized by leavened bread.” This is consistent with what the Jesus and Apostle Paul taught about yeast or leaven. Jesus mentioned the “yeast/leaven” of the Pharisees and of Herod referring to the sin of pride and hypocrisy. Paul called boasting “yeast” and drew the analogy that “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” meaning that just a little sin corrupts every area of life. (Gal. 5:9)

In Bible times, unleavened bread was similar to pita or other flatbreads. It’s uncertain how it developed its current appearance, like a cracker with pierced stripes. Jewish Christians believe that it is a testimony to the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53 -

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his stripes we are healed.

On every Seder table, there is a plate set with a stack of 3 matzos. During the Seder, the leader will take the middle matzo, break it in half, wrap it in white linen (or a special bag), and hide it. At the end of the Seder, the children will search the house to find the broken piece of matzo, called the Afikomen. Whoever finds it gets a prize.

The word Afikomen is not a Hebrew word. Jews say it sounds like an Aramaic word similar to dessert, meaning it comes after the meal. Jewish Christians, however, understand the word Afikomen comes from the ancient Greek, meaning “I have come.” And the 3 pieces of matzo represent the triune God - Father, Son and Spirit. The middle piece, the Son, is broken, wrapped in white linen and hidden away, only to be resurrected later.

Jesus, who said He was the “bread of life” (John 6:35, 48), declared at His last supper, a Passover seder, that the broken bread was His body and the cup was the new covenant of His blood. He said whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Paul goes on to say, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:26)

When we put this all together, it is amazing! At every Passover Seder, when the Jews wrap the broken, striped, pierced, unleavened (sinless) bread, the Afikomen (“I have come”), without knowing, they are proclaiming the death and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus.

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
.

"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

John 6:32-35, 57-58

Why Is This Night Different?

This week, I've been sharing poems written by members of our writers group at our meeting earlier this month. Today, I'm sharing mine.

Growing up in a Jewish home, I fondly remember our annual Passover seders. We weren't a religious family, but the seder was a yearly tradition. I picture my mom's sparkling table set with plates of gefilte fish (Yuk! Just what kind of a fish is a gefilte anyway?), the bowls of matzoh ball soup, brisket, and courses of other food I loathed. But then... it wasn't about the food. Last year on this blog, I shared some signficant Passover traditions. [http://tinyurl.com/45xnvhq]

Today's poem is based on one element of the Passover seder - The Four Questions. Technically it is one question with four answers. The question:

Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilos?

Why is this night different from all other nights?

With that thought, the following poem tumbled out my brain and onto my pad. It's so far from polished (we only had about 20 minutes to write our poems) that I'm a little shy about sharing it, but we're all friends, right? So here goes:

Why Is This Night Different?

Why is this night different?
What is not the same?
Tonight the Lamb, the Perfect One,
Would for me be slain.

So long ago in Egypt land
The people to be delivered
Chose a pure and spotless lamb
A sacrifice called the Passover.

Ten plagues of locusts, frogs, and blood
The last - their first born sons
All foretold the future of
When God's Son, His triumph won.

Each spring, we stop to remember
At the Feast of Unleavened Bread
The pain, the loss, the suffering
And the One who rose from the dead.

Bruised and battered, striped and scarred
The Lamb was spent for me
So that after my debt was paid
He rose in victory.

Sweet communion, the bread and blood
He shared with those loved He
Partake my friends, Do not forget
Do this in remembrance of Me.

So what's the difference tonight we ask?
Not that we recline
Or eat the herbs or drink the wine
Now salvation is forever mine.

The Passover Question About Good Friday

Part of the Passover Seder is the reading of the Four Questions. Usually this is done by the youngest boy, but when I was a child, my siblings were too young, so it was my job to recite - in Hebrew - the Four Questions. It is actually one question with four answers. 

Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilos?

Why is this night different from all other nights?

The answers:

The Passover Question

Part of the Passover Seder is the reading of the Four Questions. Usually this is done by the youngest boy, but since my siblings were too young, it was usually my job to recite - in Hebrew - the Four Questions. It actually is one question with four answers.

Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilos?

Why is this night different from all other nights?

The answers:

On all other nights we eat leavened products and matzah,

and on this night only matzah.

On all other nights we eat all vegetables,

and on this night only bitter herbs.

On all other nights, we don't dip our food even once,

and on this night we dip twice.

On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining,

and on this night we only recline.

When I saw the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" several years ago, I was stunned by one scene in particular, an ordinary scene that would not stand out to most of the viewers. In her home, Mary, the mother of Jesus, asked in Hebrew, "Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilos?" The subtitles displayed the familiar words I already understood, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"
 
It was a lightbulb moment for me. I had known the question in the context of the Passover Seder, the Exodus, the familiar story from from childhood. Now I heard it in the context of the imminent betrayal of my Messiah.
 
This night was different from all other nights because the sacrifice would be made for the sins of the world, past, present and future.
 
This night was different because Scripture's prophesies were about to be fulfilled.
 
This night was different because the world would be forever changed.
 
That's why we call it Good Friday. It is a night different from all other nights. It was the night that we were redeemed.

I Was a Jewish Tax Collector

I grew up in a Jewish home, and a fairly dysfunctional Jewish home at that. My parents had separated before I was born, reunited, but eventually divorced when I was 13. Some day I may share the details, but for now let’s just say there were deep emotional issues that lingered on into adulthood. I was shy, fearful and filled with insecurities. We were reform Jews, not very religious, but we participated in many Temple activities, observing Passover, Chanukah and the High Holy Days.
.
After college, I worked for the US Customs Service in the World Trade Center in NYC. My job was the appraisement and classification of imported merchandise, determining the amount of tariffs & duties that importers would pay the government. I advanced quickly through the ranks and had great friends with whom I socialized after work. On the outside, life seemed good. Inside, the questions and insecurities kept growing. As Charles Dickens said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
.
In the summer of 1979, my 3 girlfriends and I rented a house in the Hamptons, Long Island. It was just a converted 2 room garage, but it was home to us. Despite many rainy weekends, we had a wonderful summer. We’d arrive late on Friday night, dance in the bars all night, then sleep on the beach the next day.
.
Toward the end of the summer, while at one of our favorite bars, we happened to meet the guys playing in the band. They came over to our table, and to be sociable, we commented that we liked their original song. It was titled, “Born Again to a World of Love.” (It had a good beat, you could dance to it! haha) When we said that we liked it, they got all excited, “Do you know what it means, what the song is all about?” We had no idea, so they started sharing with us that they had come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior a month ago. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and we wanted to know more. We went to their apartment behind the bar and spent the night talking about God, the Bible and Jesus. I still laugh at some of what we discussed - like story of Lazarus being raised from the dead and yet the people were concerned that he would “stinketh”!! I was amazed that the Bible could be so interesting.
.
We talked all night and went out for breakfast the next morning. When we were leaving the diner, it started raining, “Ugh, not again!” One of the guys asked us if we like tomatoes. “Huh? Yeah, sure, we like tomatoes.” “Well, the rain is good for the tomatoes.” From that point on, whenever we were disappointed about anything, we’d just say, “Well, the rain is good for the tomatoes.” We now had a new perspective on the rainy days and other disappointments.
.
Since it was raining and not a beach day, we decided we would read the Bible for ourselves. Of course, we didn’t have one, so we knocked on our landlady’s door. She wasn’t home, but we somehow conveyed our request for a Bible to her Armenian mother who spoke no English. She returned to the door with a Bible and with tears streaming down her cheeks. At the time, I didn’t understand her tears, but looking back I wonder if she had been praying for her 4 young tenants.
.
One by one, we’d randomly open the Bible, point to a verse and read it. The first 3 verses we each read were very convicting - about repentance and salvation. The room took on a heavy, serious, scary Twilight Zone quality. So when my last friend read Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returns to its vomit . . .,” we just were speechless until we collapsed into side-splitting laughter.
.
That obviously wasn’t the best method, and so we started in the beginning. I opened to the Gospel of Matthew, and began to read. When I got to chapter 5, I read “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. . . You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
.
At this point, I stopped reading and began ranting. “This is what I don’t get. WHY should you love those who persecute you? WHY turn the other cheek? WHY???” I looked to my 3 friends for answers (2 were Catholic, 1 was Greek Orthodox). They just looked at me blankly, and so not knowing what else to do, I picked up the Bible and started reading aloud again. And I read, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?” I stopped. I laid the Bible on my lap. Jesus Himself had just answered my question.
.
Over the years, He would answer many more questions. I would learn that the writer, Matthew, and I had the same job - we were tax collectors, although I was an honest one. I would experience more peace and joy than I ever knew was possible. I would develop an eternal perspective, instead of an earthly one. I would discover my purpose and identity in Him. I would receive healing in the deep places in my heart. I would find my worth in Him, as a single woman and later as a wife and mother. I would serve in ministry, teaching and encouraging women and children. And yes, I would learn to turn the other check, go the extra mile and love my enemy.
.
It will be 30 years in September, and I am still learning and growing into what God has called me to be. I am still Jewish, of course, but no longer a tax collector. The newest chapter of my life is one that I am just beginning to write. As I embark on a new endeavor toward publication, you are part of my journey now. I pray that my words will always be an encouragement to you to get to know Jesus better, to walk strong for Him, to be uplifting and bring you an eternal perspective amid earthly matters.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph. 3:20

Susan