Friday, April 4, 2008

Parsha HaChodesh

Exodus 12:1-20



This is the fourth of four portions that are read in the weeks preceding Passover. The other three portions are shekalim ("shekels" Exodus 30:11-16), zachor ("remember" Deut 25:17-19 read on the Sabbath before Purim) and parah ("cow" Numbers 19). HaChodesh (the month) is read when the Sabbath coincides with the beginning of the month of Nisan.



"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Ex 12:1 The Jewish year begins in the spring and is marked by the Exodus from Egypt. While the secular year starts in the month of Tishrei with Rosh HaShannah, the spiritual or religious year commences with the month of Nisan. For those who may not know, Nisan begins tonight. And Passover is a mere two weeks away.



On the tenth day of the month every man of a family is to take a lamb for his household-one lamb per household. And if the family is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with
their nearest neighbor. You don't get to pick and choose who you're going to share the lamb with. It's your closest neighbor.



The animals are to be a year old, without defect. In Hebrew, the term is 'tamim', meaning perfect, worthy, or unblemished. And they can be taken from the sheep or the goats.



They are to be taken care of for four days, after which they will be slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the month. And it's done at twilight. The blood is put on the tops and sides of the doorposts of their houses.

The meat is to be eaten roasted over the fire along with bitter herbs and bread without yeast (matzah). God specifically commands that the meat not be eaten raw or cooked in water, but roasted, head and all. It must all be consumed. Nothing is to be leftover till morning. And it is to be eaten in haste, with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. The Israelites had to be ready to go.



"Eat it in haste, it is the Lord's Passover." 12:11 From this and succeeding verses, we get the name for the holiday of Passover. God will see the blood on the doorposts and 'pass over' the hosues of the Israelites when He goes through the land of Egypt and smites all the firstborn of man and beast. In Hebrew, Passover is called Pesach. Pesach comes from the Hebrew root p,s,ch meaning to protect.



In verse 14 we are given the command to commemorate this day and celebrate it as a festival of the Lord for the generations to come. What day? The 14th of Nisan. There are two traditions that have been incorporated into one holiday: The paschal lamb offering and meal and the feast of unleavened bread.



Unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days from the 14th to the 21st of the month. Many Jews, however, will observe the feast of unleavened bread for eight days. This tradition arose as a result of the Babylonian conquest of 585 BC and the Jews were driven from the land of Israel. Since the Jews were not living in the land of Israel, and it was before time zones and satellites and GMT and so forth, those far outside Israel could not be sure when the full moon occurred in Israel. So, an extra day was added just to be sure. Since a festival is to be held on the 1st and 7th days of the holiday, if an extra day is added, it allows for Jews on the far side of the world to have a festival on the same day as Jews in Israel. It's a worldwide celebration of God's deliverance from slavery.



The importance of eating nothing leavened is stressed by the dire warning that anybody who eats anything leavened will be cut off from his people. The same punishment meted out to those who make improper use of sacrifices or violate the Sabbath or abrogate the covenant of circumcision.



It's considered of extreme importance to not eat any leaven for the seven days of Passover. Some go so far as to say you can't have any leaven in your houses at all. And for a few days and nights before Passover, they will go through their houses dilligently searching for any leaven. Me, I just refrain from eating leavening. Interestingly enough, Jews who don't normally keep kosher throughout the year, will strictly adhere to the no leavening rule of Passover. And products that might be considered kosher throughout the rest of the year may not necessarily be kosher for Passover. To be safe, I looke for the "kosher for Passover" phrase on the food that I purchase. (This does not apply to fresh fruits and vegetables, however).



"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.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped. Ex 12:26-27



We are to teach our children the story and meaning of Passover. It is to be handed down from generation to generation. Indeed, each person is to consider as if the Lord Almighty redeemed him/herself from bondage in Egypt. This makes the holiday personal and relevant. And since God personally redeemed me from the house of bondage, I owe God a debt I can't ever fully repay. I owe God. He owes me nothing. For the privilege of being free, I am to be in His service for His glory. Would that I could. What is this too, too solid flesh that imprisons my spirit and has me do the things I ought not to do and doesn't do that which I should? But thanks be to God that He continues to bless us with life, health and the opportunity to do good.



And now, at the end of the chapter, we have the report that God came and struck down all the firstborn in Egypt-from Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner and all the livestock as well. And there was much wailing and weeping throughout the land of Egypt.

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