The
First Day of Passover reading is Exodus 12:21-51.
My focus is on Ex
12:21-28, Ex 12:43-49.
This
Torah reading starts off with Moses calling the elders of Israel and
instructing them to select, take, and slaughter the Passover lamb
(which could be a sheep or a goat, but had to be without defect and
had to be a male in its first year (Ex 12:5)). And then they were to
take hyssop, dipped in the Passover lamb’s blood, and put the blood
around the lintel and the two doorposts, and remain in their homes
until morning. This was a protection (see Isaiah 31:5) and a
covering for the children of Israel, to differentiate them from the
Egyptians, and protected them from receiving the Plague of the
Firstborn. This is the plague whereby all Egyptian firstborns, man
and beast were killed.
Could
God not have found another way to differentiate the Israelites from
the Egyptians? I am certain He could have, however, He required
obedience and faith from His people. This was the moment where God
was going to absolutely distinguish Himself from all of the Egyptian
gods (small “g”). Certainly, HaShem was not simply showing
Himself to the Egyptians at this point, but also making it absolutely
clear to the Israelites as well, so that they knew who it was that
they served.
The
blood that was put on the doorposts was actually the blood of a false
Egyptian god (small “g”) and thus it was highly unlikely that any
Egyptian would also place this blood on their own doorposts, even if
they wondered what it was that the Israelites were doing.
Egyptians
engaged in star worship and the Zodiac sign for the month of Nisan
(the first month of the year) was Aries, the ram, which would have
been represented by sheep. The full moon observed during Passover
would have been the height of the month for the Egyptians (and thus,
theoretically, “Aries” would be at “full power”). HaShem
truly was putting His stamp on events and ensuring that everyone,
Egyptian and Israelite alike, knew that He and He alone was and is
God. Rambam in “The Guide for the Perplexed” states “Scripture
tells us, according to the Version of Onkelos (Onkelos was a famous
convert to Judaism who lived 35-120 CE), that the Egyptians
worshipped Aries, and therefore abstained from killing sheep, and
held shepherds in contempt. (Ex 8:26, Gen 46:34) … Some sects among
the Sabeans worshipped demons, and imagined that these assumed the
form of goats, and called them therefore “goats” This worship was
widespread. (Lev 17:7)…. (Rambam continues) “Thus the very act
which is considered by the heathen as the greatest crime, is the
means of approaching God, and obtaining His pardon for our sins. In
this manner, evil principles, the diseases of the human soul, are
cured by other principles which are diametrically opposite. This is
also the reason why we were commanded to kill a lamb on Passover, and
to sprinkle the blood thereof outside on the gates…. Thus they were
rewarded for performing openly a service every part of which was
objected to by the idolaters.”
The Lord
then instructs the Israelites that they and their children will
“observe this thing for an ordinance for ever” even when they
enter the Land, that it is to be kept and observed forever (Ex
12:24-25). They are to teach their children about the passover and
about how “the Lord passed over the houses of the children of
Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our
houses” (Ex 12:27). “And the children of Israel went and did so;
as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.” (Ex 12:28
and Ex 12:50) This was important enough to be repeated twice. The
Israelites were at this time obedient to the Lord and went and did
His word, they followed His instruction and did as He had commanded
through Moses and Aaron. This denoted action on their part, like the
action of putting the blood around the lintel and the doorposts, they
had to act in faith in order to be saved.
As we
celebrate Pesach and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we must remember
that it is a personal story that applies to each one of us. Have we
removed all of the chametz from our homes and our hearts? Have we
applied the blood to our doorposts? Do we have any idols in our
lives that we need to deal with and slay? Are we committed and ready
to draw near for another year?
“And
the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: 'This is the ordinance of the
passover: there shall no alien eat thereof; but every man's servant
that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall
he eat thereof.” (Ex 12:43-44) “All the congregation of Israel
shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will
keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and
then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is
born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One
law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that
sojourneth among you.” (Ex 12:47-49)
To me,
this year, with this being the first year I am personally observing
Pesach, this was what stood out to me: “no alien shall eat
thereof”, “no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof', “one law
shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that
sojourneth among you”. To me, it seems as though this is the
annual observance of the renewal of the covenant. Yeshua, at the
last supper, on Pesach, says to his disciples “for this is my blood
of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins” (Matthew 26:28). “And He (Yeshua) took bread, and when He
had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them (His disciples),
saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in
remembrance of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my
blood” (Luke 22:19-20). So, here we have, on the anniversary of
the day that the children of Israel were to keep the passover, a new
anniversary. A command to remember annually the renewed covenant and
Yeshua's blood poured out for “many”. This is a time to renew
your commitment. And Jews around the world ask themselves on this
evening, “Are you in or are you out?”.
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