Passover has been described as the holiday of release: "On the seasonal plane, it marks the release of the earth from the grip of winter. On the historical plane, it commemorates the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt. On the broad human plane, it celebrates the emergence from bondage and idolatry." (T. Gaster, Festivals of the Jewish Year, p. 31) One interpretation of the Torah (Pentateuch) detects two celebrations of the spring: A shepherd would sacrifice a Paschal lamb on the 14th of the month Nisan, while a farmer would celebrate the blessing of grain by eating unleavened bread. Exodus 12:8 describes the ritual meal combining both of these elements and adding a third motif: "They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs." (NJPS) Beyond combining the celebration of the shepherd and of the farmer, the Torah presents a further change: God's presence in nature is reinforced by God's involvement in human history. This involvement is interrelated with human action. The Israelites are to show their faith in God by preparing themselves for the Exodus before the tenth plague: "This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a passover offering to the Lord"(Ex. 12:11). God's response to their faith is protection during the tenth plague, followed by the Exodus, the splitting of the Red Sea, and the Sinai revelation. Similarly, the unleavened bread is given a historical explanation: "The Egyptians urged the people on, to make them leave in haste, for they said, `We shall all be dead.' So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks upon their shoulders" (Ex. 12:33-34). Eating the unleavened bread (matza, in Hebrew) reminds the Jews of God's redeeming them from slavery in Egypt and of their seizing the opportunity for freedom. THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF PESACH It is difficult for a modern Jew to identify with the experience of offering an animal sacrifice. The last Passover sacrifice offered by a Jew was in the year 70 CE (AD), several months before the Temple was destroyed by the Romans. But believe it or not, there are still Samaritans who preserve this ritual every year at their shrine on Mt. Gerizim, overlooking Nablus in the mountains of Samaria. This 2,500-year-old sect is one of the most unique in Israel and indeed world-wide. It is, however, easier to understand the significance of eating unleavened bread. We are surrounded by the creations of our civilization and have become dependent on them. How helpless we are when our car breaks down, when there's a power outage or when the water main bursts. One of the first advances in food technology was the discovery that yeast will cause dough to rise, allowing bread to be created. By denying ourselves this technique one week a year, we start off the agricultural year by reminding ourselves that there is more to life than our technology. We become conscious of how dependent we are on God for the daily miracles of life. What is the significance of the Exodus for modern man? We start with the references to the Exodus in the Torah itself: "You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt" (Ex. 23:9). "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt..." (Lev. 19:34). "When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not pick it over again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Always remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment" (Dt. 24:21-22). There are two alternative life-lessons that one learns from going through a hard time. The first option is toughness and self-defence: "After what I've been through I won't trust anybody; I'll rely only on myself and help only myself." The second option is: "I remember what it was like at the bottom. I'll do my best to help others out." The memory of our history as slaves must be an incentive for the second option, to help "the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow."
Articles on Judaism: http://www.whatsjew.com/articles/
By: Rabbi Jonathan Matt
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