Another View of Passover

Post date: Apr 10, 2020 12:36:53 AM

Jews have observed a spring festival long before the Exodus of Egypt. It began when Jews were still tribes of shepherds wandering in the desert. In the first month of Spring, they observed a festival at the full moon on the 14th or 15th day of the month. There was a sacrifice before nightfall. The animal was roasted and all of it had to be consumed in the middle of the night. It was forbidden to break any of the bones of the sacrificial animal or to leave any uneaten meat on it by the time daybreak came. The tent posts were dabbed with the slain animal's blood.

The ceremony was not tied to any sanctuary or priestly function. It was a family festival conducted by the head of the family.

When Jews settled in various areas, they still observed a spring festival, but it related to the cutting of the grain (barley) and ended with reaping of the wheat. Before the start of the barley harvest, the Jews would get rid of all the sourdough (which was used instead of yeast) and all the old bread. This included all the leaven of last year's crops. It was done as a safeguard against an unproductive upcoming year .

The real importance of the holiday centered in the ceremony of the Omar, the first sheaf of newly cut barley that was offered to the priest on the first day of the harvest as a sacrifice/gift to God.

As Jewish life evolved, Jews forgot the meaning and spirit of the old customs and ceremonies. The idea of observing harvest and nature lost its appeal. They had a greater desire to observe a holiday in the Spring, a holiday that would symbolically represent the social strivings of the day. The memory of the exodus from Egypt was fresh on the minds of Jews and that exodus occurred in the first spring month of the year. It became the great motive and the concepts of nature and freedom was a good fit. This is how Pesach became the festival of freedom. It symbolized the deliverance from slavery and its awakening to a new life.

All the former customs were re-interpreted after sacrifices became obsolete.

In this most extraordinary year, Passover has taken on yet a new meaning - this plague we are suffering through will pass over us in time.

Chag Sameach!