THE PASSOVER (Pesach)
The Passover is the day Christ Jesus was crucified.
The Passover is NOT a Sabbath and is NOT a High Holy Day!
The Feast / Festival of The PASSOVER (Pesach, or Chag ha Av'iv, the "Festival of Spring" and Z'man Cheiruteinu, the "Time of Our Freedom") commemorates the night when (in Egypt) each Israelite family killed a pre-selected lamb, painted its blood on the lintel and door-posts of their dwellings, roasted the lamb, prepared to depart Egypt before eating, ate the lamb in haste with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, were protected from the death of their first-born by the lamb's blood, and actually began the journey to depart from Egypt very early the next morning - which was still the day of The PASSOVER.
Christ Jesus celebrated a PASSOVER Seder Feast (The so-called "Last Supper") the evening before His Crucifixion - which occurred the next morning, during the daytime portion of The PASSOVER, Nisan 14, 3791 on the Hebrew calendar.
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Basic Information Concerning The PassoverEven though the Sons Of Israel had been in Egypt for 430 years, The Passover (Pesach) celebrates freedom from their most recent 200 years of subjection in forced servitude to a succession of various Pharaohs.
But The Passover was just the start of a process, the beginning of a journey which eventually led to genuine, everlasting, legal and physical freedom from Egyptian bondage, which was fully realized at the crossing of the Red Sea a few days (3 days?) after the end of The Passover.
Pharaoh was asked to let the Hebrew people go, but he stubbornly refused and tried to negotiate lesser alternatives to a complete departure of Israel from Egyptian dominion and control.
It took 10 plagues to convince him, and in the end Pharaoh unconditionally let the People of Israel leave Egypt. But since God had purposely hardened Pharaoh's naturally stubborn heart, it really only took one [1] plague - the last one - to convince Pharaoh to permit the Hebrews to leave Egypt completely.
Then, when Pharaoh considered the matter, he felt remorse over the loss of such a massive number of slave laborers, plus he considered the immense value of all the goods, flocks and other booty with which the Hebrews had absconded, so Pharaoh had a change of heart and personally led his army after the Hebrews to retrieve them by force.
Hemmed-in (trapped) between the mountains and the sea, with no way to escape Pharaoh and his advancing army, HaShem (The God of Abraham) parted the waters of the sea and the People of Israel walked across the dry seabed, escaping to safety and freedom.
Pharaoh himself, along with the army of Pharaoh, was destroyed by drowning when God caused the parted waters to close upon them.
EXODUS 15:1 - (Last Part) ".... the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."
EXODUS 15:19 - "For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea." (KJV)
NOTE: The word "horse" is singular in the Hebrew-language text of Exodus 15:1 and 15:19.
The earlier death of Pharaoh's son (sole male heir to the Kingdom of Egypt) during the tenth plague, combined with the death of Pharaoh himself, resulted in breaking (or voiding) of the "Title Deed" Pharaoh's dynasty had once held as legal owner of the Sons of Israel as subjects and slaves.
The Hebrews were now truly safe from Pharaoh and authentically free from bondage. For by exiting the Sinai Peninsula to cross the Red Sea at the Gulf Of Aqaba, not only were they completely departed from all lands within Egyptian dominion and control, but there was no longer any human remaining alive who could legally claim ownership of the Sons Of Israel.
Despite this simple and rather clear story, a tremendous amount of
PASSOVER CONFUSION
has developed since the time of the Exodus.
Because, today's Hebrews are
Unclear On The Concept
Today's Hebrews labor under the delusion that The Passover (Pesach) is to be celebrated on the 15th of Nisan.
WHEREAS: The Hebrew's Holy Scriptures have NOT been re-written.
Leviticus 23:5-6 |
IN THE BIBLE:
The Passover begins at sundown, 14 Nisan - Exodus 12:6.
Under direction of the Orthodox Jews, modern-day "cultural" Hebrews insist on merging the one (1) singular day of The Passover (Pesach) into the 7-day-long Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag ha Matzoh). And, also under the direction of Orthodox Jews, today's Hebrews insist that The Passover is to be celebrated on the 15th day of Nisan, on the first-day-Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Today, many Hebrew / Jewish-related Web sites state:
"The Passover (Pesach) is an eight day celebration beginning on the 15th of Nisan."
And, they go on to state:
"The first Passover Seder starts on the 14th, after sundown, which makes the date, officially, the 15th of Nisan."
- Are they saying that there is more than one (1) Passover Seder?
- And, are they saying: As the 14th day begins the date is magically changed to the 15th day?
- This is quite convoluted, and makes absolutely no sense at all from a Biblical perspective.
- Everyone on earth who is clear on the concept of how calendars function is also clear on the fact that calendar days last for 24 hours (each!), and that any day called "The 15th" would not begin until the FULL-LENGTH day called "The 14th" officially ends.
- But not the Orthodox Jews (today's Pharisees), for where God specifies "The 14th" day the Orthodox Jews insist on "The 15th".
The Hebrew's OWN! Holy Scripture (Torah, "The Law") clearly states that The Passover begins at the very start of the 14th day, at sundown (dusk).
About which, see: Exodus 12:6; and following.
In Egypt, all of The Passover events originally occurred during the first twelve (12) hours after the sundown (dusk) start of the 14th day.
The Hebrews began to depart Goshen, in Egypt, sometime near the beginning of the daytime portion of the 14th day, around or after sunrise (dawn).
- The commandment for The Passover was given by God BEFORE the Exodus began.
- All Biblical mentions of The Passover date declare that The Passover lasts for one (1) day. About which, see: Lev. 23:5-6.
- In Egypt, before the 14th day ended, Israel had departed the Land of Goshen, beginning the march that led them completely out of Egypt.
- On the 15th day (the day AFTER The Passover), Israel was on-the-march.
The three High Holy Days established by God are:
1 - The first day of the Feast Of Unleavened Bread (Chag Ha Matzoh) - 15 Nisan - The day after The Passover.
2 - Pentecost (Shavu'ot) - On a Sunday, very late in spring, fifty days from the first Sunday following (after) The Passover.
3 - The first day of the Feast Of Tabernacles (Sukk'ot) - 15 Tishri - Five days after Yom Kippur and fifteen days after Rosh haShanah.
These three God-ordained High Holy Days are Annual High Sabbaths, "Pilgrimage" Sabbaths.
On God's ecclesiastical calendar, there are no OTHER High Holy Days!
About which, see: Ex. 23:14-17 --- Lev. Chapter 23 --- Deu. 16:16
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AMONG TODAY'S "CULTURAL" HEBREWS:
There have been marked and tremendous departures from God's scriptural commands, for the days and dates kept and observed today are different from those days and dates established before and during the Exodus. The days/dates kept and observed at the time of Christ Jesus, recorded in the Christian Bible's New Testament, largely agree with those days/dates established before and during the Exodus.
Although Moses would have, likely, expressed a wholesale rejection of the theology of the sect of the Pharisees, Moses would have recognized and, probably, would have accepted (most of) the Hebrew's ecclesiastical calendar at the time of Christ Jesus. But Moses would never tolerate today's Orthodox Jewish ecclesiastical calendar due to its eccentricities, its many egregious departures and deviations from God's original commands recorded in Torah.
The one [1] single day of The Passover (Pesach) is on 14 Nisan, Exodus 12:6; while the first annual "Pilgrimage" Sabbath is on 15 Nisan - and is called "The Feast Of Unleavened Bread" (Chag haMatzoh). The 7-day-long Feast Of Unleavened Bread begins on the day AFTER The Passover, they are separate and distinct days, just as they occur on different dates.
- The Passover begins on the 14th day of Nisan, at sundown (dusk), at the very beginning of that day.
- Also, would that one were to closely examine Exodus 12:6-14; one would find that the actual 10th plague "Pass-Over" event occurred around midnight on the 14th day (6+ hours after the day of The Passover began, at dusk).
- And, since there is high awareness that Hebrew days begin and end at sundown (dusk), it is quite obvious that, during the original Passover, if one were to wait until the Hebrew's 15th day to begin an observance of The Passover one would be a day late and would suffer the death of all the firstborn within one's household around midnight on the 14th day. An easily avoidable calamity.
- Today's Pharisee-inspired tradition/custom of observing The Passover on the Hebrew's 15th day is foolish and idiotic at best, but would be a deadly error in the day of the Exodus from out of slavery in Egypt. So, what is the rationale for changing the day/date today?
- It is entirely certain that if the consequences, today, were the death of all the firstborn within one's household for not properly observing the correct timing (hour/day/date) for The Passover, all of this current confusion would be eliminated because the erroneous Pharisees would not survive their folly.
- Here, God would have everyone's attention fixed and firmly riveted on the exact timing of the actual 10th plague "Pass-Over" event, while resistive, oppositional, defiant, contentious, free-thinking, free-spirited "Religious" buffoons and bozos who have their OWN! truths, their OWN! opinions, their OWN! beliefs and their OWN! points-of-view (PoV) would ignore God's timing (the specific hour/day/date) and would simply perish. End of problem!
So, if (in Egypt) the lamb was to be killed at sundown (dusk), at the very beginning of the 14th day, and if the blood of the lamb was to be painted on the door posts and lintel of each Hebrew house shortly after that same sunset (after the waning twilight, on the start of the 14th day), and if God, Himself (as the Destroyer - Ex. 12:12) was to come and kill the firstborn of the Egyptians (in all houses without the blood on the door) on that same night (on the 14th day, around midnight) while passing over the Hebrew's houses because of the blood...
.... THEN, HOW? can today's Orthodox Jews (along with the Pharisees of Christ Jesus' day) wait to kill the sacrificial Passover lamb on the afternoon of the 14th day? (21+ hours later! than God's command.) And do this in preparation to celebrate a Passover Seder (feast) on the beginning of the 15th day?
In Egypt, the afternoon of the 14th day would have been TOO LATE! For God, Himself (as the Destroyer - Ex. 12:12), would have already visited death upon all houses that were without the blood on their door the night before (about 15 hours earlier, around midnight).
In the Exodus, Israel began their journey sometime around dawn on the 14th day, and Israel was not collectively involved in the killing of sacrificial lambs and kid goats on the afternoon of the 14th day. And, during the beginning of the Exodus journey, there was no special Feast / Festival or Sabbath on the 15th day, that special feast and High Holy Day had not (yet) been ordained (given) by God in The "Law". THAT! 15th day "Pilgrimage" Sabbath was not commanded until after the 10 Commandments were given at Mt. Sinai, in Midian. SEE: Exodus 23:14-17.
The timing of the current Passover practice (15th day) is simply ridiculous. Because of this current Passover practice, it is strongly suspected that there are far more theological bozos and religiously-oriented buffoons in the world, today, than originally suspected. The teachings and beliefs derived from the Hebrew's Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds (Rabbinical commentaries) are part & parcel of this childish "Religious" foolishness practiced by Orthodox Jews today.
So, if today's "cultural" Hebrews are celebrating Pesach (The Passover) on 15 Nisan (a day late)...
WHAT ARE HEBREWS DOING ON 14 NISAN?
What are the Hebrews doing on God's Pesach (The Passover)?
What are the Hebrews doing on a Feast / Festival day ordained and established by God?
THE HEBREWS ARE FASTING! --- ON A FEAST DAY!
One of the seven man-made (non-Biblical) Fast Days of the Jewish year clearly illustrates the depth of confusion that the Orthodox Jewish Rabbis have experienced for many centuries.
Ta’anit Bechorim - The Fast of the Firstborn - is a fast observed only by firstborn males, commemorating the fact that their firstborn male ancestral progenitors were saved from the (10th) plague on the firstborn in Egypt. It is observed on 14 Nisan, the day before today's Pesach (The Passover).
However, here, the Orthodox Jewish Rabbis are completely wrong, because Pesach is ON 14 Nisan. (See: Exodus 12:6) The Passover is a memorial commemoration established by God (not by mere Rabbis), and Pesach (The Passover) is commanded as a Feast / Festival to honor God ON 14 Nisan.
Since today's Pharisees (the Orthodox Jews) have foolishly moved the date of The Passover (Pesach) to 15 Nisan, the Orthodox Jews falsely IMAGINE that "The Fast of the Firstborn" should be on 14 Nisan, on the REAL date of Pesach. But a reading of Exodus, Chapters 12 and 13, shows that God emphasizes The Passover MUST be observed on the 14th day of Nisan.
And, The Passover (Pesach) is NOT a day of fasting.
Ta’anit Bechorim - The Fast of the Firstborn - should be celebrated on 13 Nisan
to avoid conflicting with the authentic, God-given date for The Passover (Pesach) on 14 Nisan.
For, why would any sensible person fast on a Feast day?
This theological asininity makes absolutely no sense at all.
There is no way for today's "cultural" Hebrews to get around the fact that Orthodox Jews completely reject the specific requirement of observing The Passover on the beginning of the 14th day. Having been ordained by the God of Abraham, The Passover is commanded to be kept, faithfully, on the 14th day, by all who CLAIM to be believers in the God of Abraham.
So, there is no excuse today for confusing the 14th day Passover Feast with the 15th day Unleavened Bread Feast.
There is no GOOD Biblical reason for holding a Passover Seder, or any part of a Passover celebration, on the 15th day of Nisan.
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Background Of The Pharisees
Throughout the life and times of Christ Jesus, there was always a controversy between the Phariseean and Sadduceean way of keeping the important, God-ordained feast / festival days.
At the time of Christ Jesus' Crucifixion, the Sadducees (called: Scribes, in Matthew, Ch. 23) were a priestly sect associated with the high priest in Jerusalem (Caiaphas - See: Acts 5:17), and the Sadducees kept the Hebrew Holy Days according to our present-day Christian understanding from Torah (The "LAW" - The Books Of Moses - The first 5 books in the Christian Bible's Old Testament).
While the Pharisees in Christ Jesus' day were theological misfits within Judaism. The Pharisees were a bunch of disaffected "Religious" legal scholars, a sect of Rabbinical Judaism which had developed during and since the Babylonian Diaspora, in the absence of Hebrew priests, in the absence of Temple worship, in the absence of a Levitical sacrificial system. The Pharisees were a Rabbinical sect whose theology had greatly evolved in those 500 years since the Hebrews were abandoned to unstructured "Religiousity" in Babylon, and who felt the need to invent (conjure-up) a replacement form of "Religion" that is, today, known as "Rabbinical Judaism".
The Pharisees were responsible for development of the various Talmuds (Rabbinical commentaries) in an effort to undertake adoption of the Teaching Ministry of God's Holy Spirit, fruitlessly endeavoring to explain the Law and the Prophets FOR God, in place of God.
Naturally, the misguided opinions of mere men permeate the Talmud, for God, Himself, does a much better job of revealing and accurately explaining His thoughts and intentions without any outside help from a Rabbinical Jewish sect with a trendy interest in exotic "Religious" ideologies, a Jewish sect for whom Hebrew theology was just image-enhancing esoteric theories, a sect who ignored God-ordained scriptural realities.
Those ancient Pharisees are the "Religious" and cultural ancestors of modern-day Orthodox Jews. As a result, the Orthodox Jews (today's Pharisees) give undue precedence to Rabbinical commentaries (Talmud, et.al.) while ignoring the "LAW" (Torah) and their Holy Scriptures (Tanakh).
The following are modern Hebrew "BELIEFS" about The Passover.
These are man-made traditions and customs that were not derived from the Hebrew's Holy Scriptures (Torah, Tanakh) but emerged during, and have evolved since, the Babylonian Diaspora. They have been greatly expanded upon in the Talmud (Rabbinical commentaries).
These "BELIEFS" do NOT follow the original Biblical commands of God, but have developed into modern Hebrew
traditions and customs that Moses would neither recognize, acknowledge nor tolerate.
The Passover (Pesach) is observed for seven (7) days in Israel, and for eight (8) days outside of Israel - beginning on the 15th day of Nisan.
BUT: The Hebrew's OWN Holy Scripture (Torah) clearly states that The Passover lasts for one (1) singular day - the 14th day.
In Israel, the first and the seventh days are celebrated as full Sabbaths. The five days in between, called the Intermediate Days (Chol Ha-Moed) are celebrated as half Sabbaths.
BUT: The Passover - on the 14th - lasts for one (1) singular day, while the 1st and the 7th day Sabbaths of the 7-day-long Feast of Unleavened Bread are not part of the day of The Passover. And, is there really something known as a "Half" Sabbath? Or is this simply another example of "Religious" foolishness on the part of Orthodox Jews?
Outside of Israel, Passover is an eight day Feast / Festival. The first two days and the last two days are celebrated as full Sabbaths, and the four Intermediate Days are celebrated as half Sabbaths (Chol Ha-Moed).
BUT: In Israel, outside of Israel, this is all bogus! God established a calendar that modern Hebrews blatantly ignore. Also, God originally established Sabbaths on day #1 and day #7 of the 7-day-long Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag ha Matzoh), which Sabbaths are to be on 15 Nisan and 21 Nisan.
Where do the Orthodox Jews derive their authority to invent extra (added) Sabbaths and the mysterious "Half" Sabbaths? Apparently, Orthodox Jews reside in a "Religious" fantasy-land and imagine that mere men are authorized to re-write the Hebrew's Holy Scripture to establish and inaugurate Sabbath days where none had existed before, where God had NOT specified Sabbaths.
The example of moving The Passover to the 15th day of Nisan, along with the example of today's Jewish tradition / custom of inventing extra (added) Sabbaths, gives cause to suspect that modern Hebrew religious authorities, the Orthodox Jews, have never even read their OWN Holy Scriptures because they give undue precedence to Rabbinical commentaries (Talmud, et. al.) while ignoring the "LAW" (Torah) and their Holy Scriptures (Tanakh).
Among scripturally astute individuals, much amusement is derived from noting the differences between the beliefs and practices (the customs and traditions) of modern-day "cultural" Hebrews as opposed to what The God Of Abraham has revealed to them in the Holy Scriptures.
The Hebrews possess the "Oracles Of God", yet the Hebrews cannot make any sense out of them at all.
For even if Hebrews actually DO read their own Holy Scriptures,
it is obvious that they do not understand what they are reading.
About which, SEE: Second Corinthians 3:14-16
By moving The Passover to the 15th day of Nisan, the Orthodox Jews have placed The Passover on an Annual High Sabbath Day (A High Holy Day), on one of the God-ordained "Pilgrimage" Sabbath Days.
BUT: God did not originally make The Passover a Sabbath day, and even the Christian Bible's New Testament declares that The Passover is a "Preparation" day, the day BEFORE an Annual High Sabbath Day. (See: John 19:31 --- And, see also: Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:42)
Because The Passover has been erroneously relocated to the 15th day of Nisan, modern "cultural" Hebrews follow the dictates of Orthodox Jews (today's Pharisees) and treat The Passover AS IF it were a Sabbath, but The Passover is NOT a Sabbath day - The Passover never was a Sabbath day.
Apparently, Orthodox Jews also labor under the delusion that mere men are authorized to move The Passover to a Sabbath day where The Passover had never originally existed, to a new day/date which God had NOT specified and which Moses would never have accepted.
WHO are YOU going to believe? God, MAYBE?
But, remember that
there actually are NO Hebrew or Jewish Holy Days,
for there are only GOD'S Holy Days
which the Sons of Israel were commanded to faithfully observe
as their form of worship of The God Of Abraham.
Leviticus 23:1-2 |
God clearly has given the Hebrews a calendar of His own creation,
concerning events over which He governed, and God makes it clear that He definitely will follow His calendar precisely.
We find God saying the following throughout His Word, showing that we can count on this being an absolute fact upon which there will be no change.
Many scriptures say that Yahweh (The God of Abraham) does not change. Two relevant examples are:
Malachi 3:6 - "For I, the LORD, do not change... "
Psalms 89:34 - "My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips."
It also says that we should not have fellowship with those who are prone to change.
Proverbs 24:21 - "My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change"
Consider the following: (Emphasis added)
Exodus 12:40-41 - "Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, TO THE VERY DAY, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt."
Psalm 75:2 - "When I select an APPOINTED TIME, It is I who judge with equity."
Psalm 102:13: You will arise and have compassion on Zion; For IT IS TIME to be gracious to her, For the APPOINTED TIME has come.
Yahweh (The God of Abraham) does not base His selected calendar dates on capricious whims or erratic guess-work, but upon specific dates He has chosen and established for the sons of Israel to faithfully observe.
Consider these passages taken from Exodus, Chapters 12 and 13: (Emphasis added)
12:6 - ".... the FOURTEENTH day... at sunset twilight (dusk)."
Passover
12:11 - ".... it is the LORD'S
."
12:12 - "For I will go through the land of Egypt on THAT NIGHT, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am the LORD."
12:13 - ".... when I see the blood I will PASS OVER you... when I strike the land of Egypt."
12:14 - "Now THIS DAY will be a MEMORIAL to you, and you shall CELEBRATE it as a feast to the LORD; THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS you are to CELEBRATE it as a PERMANENT ORDINANCE."
12:24 - "And you shall OBSERVE this event as AN ORDINANCE for you and your children FOREVER."
12:25 - "When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall OBSERVE THIS RITE."
12:27 - ".... It is a PASSOVER sacrifice to the LORD... "
12:29 - "Now it came about AT MIDNIGHT that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt... "
12:42 - "It is A NIGHT to be OBSERVED for the LORD for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; THIS NIGHT is for the LORD, to be OBSERVED by all the sons of Israel THROUGHOUT THEIR GENERATIONS."
12:47 - "ALL THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL are to CELEBRATE this."
12:51 - "And ON THAT SAME DAY the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts."
13:3 - "Remember THIS DAY in which you went out from Egypt"
13:4 - "On THIS DAY in the month of Abib (Nisan, today)... "
13:5 - ".... when the LORD brings you to the land... which He swore to your fathers to give you... you shall OBSERVE THIS RITE in this month."
13:10 - "Therefore, you shall KEEP THIS ORDINANCE AT ITS APPOINTED TIME from year to year."
What could possibly be more clear and concise?
Anytime God waxes repetitious, attaining a significantly profound level of superfluous redundancy, it is definitely
an occasion to devote rapt attention to whatever it is that God is placing such tremendously intense emphasis upon.
And, here, God is emphasizing that The Passover MUST be observed on the 14th day!
- - - OBSERVED - - -
AS A MEMORIAL!
OBSERVE THIS RITE!
AT ITS APPOINTED TIME!
AS A PERMANENT ORDINANCE!
THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS!
ON THAT SAME DAY!
FOREVER!
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Pesach Resources:
Click Here - Hebrew Passover Vocabulary
Click Here - Four Questions Asked On Passover
Click Here - Passover Blessings - Available Online
In Transliterated Hebrew & In Hebrew Script
Click Here - Judaism 101 - Pesach - Introductory Level
Click Here - Orthodox Union - Pesach - Advanced Level
Click Here - The complete haggadah in Hebrew and English (printable).
Instructional guides and a host of haggadah insights.
