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21 September 2011
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In Leviticus 23:5-14, the Torah of Moses commanded the children of Israel to observe the Passover festival which is also known as the Feast of the Passover or simply Pesach. In the Holy Bible, the Christian people came to know this feast as the Passover (Pesach) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMazzoth).
The uncircumcised Christians (a.k.a. Sabbath-keeping Christians) and Messianics thought Passover is composed only of one ceremony or one rite. The members of the Sabbath-keeping Churches of God observe a Passover ceremony on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan. The Messianic Jews observe Passover Seder on the 15th day of Nisan with the foot-washing ceremony and the renewal of the Old Testament Covenant (bread and wine ceremony) at the same time. These two sects are both unlearned when it comes to Jewish customs. They are blinds, being Gentiles by birth and strangers in the religion of Judaism.
“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein” (Vayikra/Leviticus 23:5-8).
In determining the beginning of the Passover festival, we use the Hebrew sacred calendar whose first month is called the month of Aviv or the month of Nisan. On the fourteenth day of the month of Aviv, in the middle of the afternoon (3 PM) the Jewish people during temple times slaughtered the Passover lamb as their sacrificial offering before God. The Jewish people customarily cease eating leavened bread at the 13th day of Nisan.
During the second temple times, before the 14th day even started, the Jewish houses were already cleansed of all kinds of leavening products. The Jews customarily set aside a small portion of carefully wrapped leaven (chametz) for the Passover rite we called as “Bedikat Chametz” or ‘the searching for leaven.’ This rite is being kept right after sunset at the night portion of the 14th day of Nisan, at that same time Jesus cleansed His faithful disciples.
It is a Passover ceremony indeed but it is not the Passover Service or the Passover Seder that the Jewish people are commemorating every year in keeping with the mitzvot in the Torah.
During the rite of Bedikat Chametz, the house of the Jewish people is cleansed ritually of any leavening or yeast. The cleansing of the house of leavening should start as early in the morning of the 13th day of the first month. After the rite known as Bedikat Chametz, we next observe the rite known as Biur Chametz or the burning of the bread. When the morning of the 14th day comes the observance of the Passover is turned to the slaying of the Passover Lamb. The 14th day is known as the preparation day for the Feast of the Passover Lamb which is known today as the Passover Seder.
At this time, the Jewish people participating in the Passover service or Passover Seder are already clean, holy and pure. It makes no sense for anyone, like what the Christian people and the Messianic Jews are doing, to conduct a foot washing ceremony during the Passover Seder. Even the rites of the drinking of the wine and the eating of unleavened bread make no sense during Passover Seder. If you have not been cleansed by the symbolical body and blood of Jesus on the 14th day of Nisan, you have no right to participate in the Passover Seder of the 15th day of Abib.
Jesus Christ had instituted three Passover rites during Passover season that should be conducted at the time set for the cleansing of the house of leavened products (Bedikat Chametz). As stated, these rites are known as the foot washing ceremony, the symbolical drinking of the blood of Rabbi Yeshua and eating of His body as well. The three Passover rites respectively cleanse our body ritually, give us eternal life and wash away our sin. The house or place where the 14th day Passover ceremony is going to be held must be cleansed first thoroughly in a Bedikat Chametz manner.
Scripturally speaking, the Passover Ceremony on the 14th day of Abib should be observed by the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ only. There were no women and children when Jesus Christ introduced this particular ceremony on his disciples. There were no women-priests serving at the Temple when it was still standing in Jerusalem. The wives of the faithful followers of Jesus should remain at home and conduct the rite of Bedikat Chametz with their children.
Under no circumstance the women believers should hold a 14th day Passover Ceremony. No homosexual or any gay person should be permitted to conduct or participate as well in our Lord’s Passover ceremony for that is an abomination in the eyes of God. Even an adulterous person should not be allowed to participate with the brethren of Christ.
There are many rites and ceremonies that God has commanded us to keep during Passover season starting on the tenth day of the first month. Firstly, the Passover lamb should be taken from the flock on the tenth day and keep until the afternoon of the 14th day at which time it should be brought in the Temple as a Passover sacrifice.
“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying: In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household; and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbour next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats; and ye shall keep it unto the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at dusk” (Shemot 12:3-6, JPS).
The word ‘dusk’ is translated from the Hebrew word ‘ereb’ and ereb refers to the time that the sun starts going down after noontime until sunset comes. Ereb denotes the afternoon part of the day. At 1 PM the slaying of the Passover lambs during Temple times started immediately so all of the Passover lambs can be killed before sunset comes. This was undertaken for the children of Israel had appointed hundreds of thousands lambs for slaughter on the 14th day of the first month.
The children of Israel in the Diaspora today, even those in Israel can start the slaying of the Passover Lamb at 3 PM in the afternoon on the 14th of Nisan. The Passover Lamb should be roasted standing up like a crucified man over the fiery ember for that is how it should be done.
The entire Feast of Unleavened Bread has become known as the Passover Feast for on the first day, at nighttime, the roasted Passover lamb is eaten by the Jewish people as it is written. The rite of the Passover known as the Passover Seder is the most important of all the rites and ceremonies we observe during the Passover season. Death is the penalty for anyone of the children of Israel that does not keep the Passover Seder. But if you are an uncircumcised Gentile, you can do whatever you like on the night of the 15th of Nisan.
It is worth noting the fact here that the Jewish people are also eating supper together on the night of the 14th day at that time they conduct the Passover rite known as Bedikat Chametz. At this time the priests at the Temple were also cleansing the Holy Place of leavened. They also cleansed and purified themselves in preparation for the rite of the slaying of the Passover lamb the following afternoon. The children of Israel, even the Jewish people, are supposed to be ritually clean and pure before they partake of the Passover Seder on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the night to be much observed.
“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
“And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever” (Shemot/Exodus 12:8-14, JPS).
Contrary to the belief of the Christian people there are so many rites and ceremonies that come with the observance of the Day of Passover. All of the rites and ceremonies of the Passover must be kept and followed by the Jewish people or anyone who wish to convert into the religion of Judaism. The Passover is more than the drinking of wine, the eating of unleavened bread and the cleansing ceremony of the priesthood. As I pointed out any one who wish to partake the Passover Seder or Passover service must be cleansed and become undefiled ritually speaking.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
“And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel” (Bamidvar/Numbers 9:1-7)?
A person that has not been cleansed properly, especially when he is part of the priesthood, should consider not partaking of the Passover service known as the Passover Seder. We should understand well whether our Passover Service is the one that God has commanded us to do on the night of the 15th day of Nisan or it is only a Passover cleansing ceremony like the rite of Bedikat Chametz.
In Judaism, it is our custom to keep the first and second day (15th and 16th) and the last two days of the Feast of the Passover/Pesach (Days of Unleavened Bread) as Yamim Tovim or Holy Days in the Diaspora. There are some quarters who believe the 22nd day of Nisan/Abib is similar to the Eight Day of the Sukkot festival. We keep two Yom Tovs (Yamim Tovim) in our observance of the Feast's Holy Days outside of Israel. But in Israel, we keep only one Yom Tov for the 1st day and the seventh day.
No work should be done during the Holy Days of the Chosen People of Israel, whether it is one Yom Tov or two Yom Tovs. The days in between are called Chol Hamoed.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also known by the name of the Feast of the Passover for we can eat lambs and Matzot for the entire duration of this Festival. The Jewish people customarily partake of two consecutive Passover Seders during the first two nights of the Feast when they observe it for eight days. But that is only traditions that we keep and follow to honor our loving Jewish fathers (rabbis).
We love to eat especially on Holy Days.
We are Jews. We will rule the world very soon when our Promised Messiah comes again.
(This article has been posted first in kahalnewjerusalem.org and edited for publication in newjerusalem.name website.)
May 19, 2012
Tzedakah
An act of charity (tzedakah), love and kindness can wash away sin and bring you closer to HVHY.
"Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God" (Acts 10:4, NKJV).
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