THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: Passover (Pesach)

Passover (Pesach)

חג פסח

Significance: Remembers the Exodus from Egypt

Observances: Avoiding all leavened grain products and related foods; Family or

communal retelling of the Exodus story

Length: 8 days (Some: 7 days)

assover is the oldest continuously observed holiday in the entire human race, and has been observed for over 3500 years without interruption. Wherever the Jews were dispersed, they still observed the Passover. The high point is the seder. Experiencing this wonderful Jewish meal and interactive “happening” is to live through all the varied themes of the Passover festival.

The perpetuation of the Passover can be traced to Exodus 12:25-27; "When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, what does this ceremony mean to you? 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....."

v The most obvious theme of the festival is redemption. In the Exodus story, the Jews were redeemed physically from slavery. While Pesach (the Hebrew word for Passover) is “z’man heyruteinu,” the season of our freedom, it is also a festival that speaks of spiritual redemption. Jews were freed from mental as well as physical slavery. It was as a physically and spiritually free people that the Jewish nation prepared to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai.

v The notion of spiritual redemption is in part demonstrated by the fundamental Jewish idea that in every generation every individual is obliged to view him or herself as though he or she had actually gone forth from Egypt. Egypt is “Mitzraim” in Hebrew. It stems from the root “tzar,” which means narrow or constrained. In order to leave Egypt, each individual must break out of personal narrowness, becoming free to achieve his full spiritual potential. Another explanation of the root “tzar” is calamity. In this view, “Mitzraim” represents the country of calamities that befall the Jews.

v The seder includes many allusions to a future messianic redemption. One of the clearest symbols of the presence and hope of future redemption is the Cup of Elijah that is placed on every seder table. Contained within the salvation from Egypt are the seeds of future redemption, as the Torah states, “This same night is a night of watching unto the Lord for all the children of Israel throughout their generations” (Exodus 12:42).

v What is the Passover Seder?

The Passover Seder is the festive meal celebrated on the first two nights of the Passover holiday for Jews who celebrate Passover for 8 days. For Jews who celebrate Passover for 7 days, the Passover Seder is celebrated only on the first night of the Passover holiday.

v What does the Passover Seder" mean?

The word "Seder" means "order" in Hebrew. The Passover Seder is a strict "order" of 15 steps that are performed at different points in the Passover Seder meal. These 15 steps were established by the ancient rabbis in the Talmudic period who lived from about the beginning of the Common Era to about 200 C.E.

v Why celebrate the Passover Seder?

Simply put, it is a commandment from G-d as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible to observe the time that G-d helped the Hebrews to be taken out of slavery in Egypt. The Passover Seder is a reflection of that observance. The Passover Seder is a ritual meal that is a symbolic fusion of many ancient practices performed by Middle Eastern peoples, including the Hebrews. Each food in the Passover Seder represents, or symbolizes many different concepts and events that took place in the Passover story of the Hebrews' Exodus from Egypt, but at the same time there are also symbolisms from other ancient, pre-Passover of Egypt practices performed by the Hebrews and many other ancient peoples of the Middle East. There are also spiritual symbolisms connected with each Passover Seder food on top of the concepts and events that took place in the Passover of Egypt story. to be cont’d