Passover
Passover and the Death of James the Just
The most important detail we receive is that James’ death took place right before Passover. Although neither Jewish nor Church literature preserves an actual date for James’ death, it seems from Josephus’ and Eusebius’ information we may conclude that James was martyred in 62 CE during the week before Passover.
10-minute read
What Is One Little Goat Doing in My Haggadah?
Just when you think the Passover seder is over, it’s time to start singing some more. One of the most famous after-seder songs is Chad Gadya, which means “one little goat.” It starts out like a silly nursery rhyme, but by the end it takes a dark, mysterious, and prophetic turn.
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7-minute read
Pesach Miracles: A Purpose beyond Belief
The Torah clearly indicates that the miracles surrounding the Exodus were for a particular purpose. God desired that all involved would know him. Exodus 14:31 confirms the success of that plan, as Israel believed in God and his servant Moses. Understanding the Hebrew text reveals that something much more significant than belief took place there.
7-minute read
Jerusalem Passover 1948
Passover 1948 promised to be a dismal one in Jerusalem under the siege and Arab blockades, but the tenacious commitment of Rabbi Shlomo Goren, a surprise visit from an Elijah-type character, and a few miracles transformed the holiday into a significant and memorable occasion in the saga of Jerusalem.
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8-minute read
A Different Night: The Timing of the Seder
In Judaism, time flows like a rolling wave that loops back on itself even as it pushes forward. That means that instead of commemorating the redemption, we have a brief opportunity to re-live it. Instead of rehearsing a future event, we experience a foretaste of it.
8-minute read
So You're Hosting Your First Passover Seder?
Planning a Passover Seder can be daunting, especially if you have never done it before. We've put together a concise list of planning tips that can ease the stress and help keep you organized. Plus, we have a brand new Haggadah that was designed with you in mind!
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7-minute read
Shabbat HaGadol: The Day the Redemption Began
On Shabbat HaGadol, the Sabbath before Passover, we read from the Passover Haggadah. But it is not just a rehearsal for the upcoming seder; it’s a celebration of freedom in its own right! Learn about the miracle of redemption that took place even before the exodus from Egypt.
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7-minute read
Passover and Non-Jews: A Universal Exodus
There is ample evidence that, for the earliest Gentile believers, the celebration of Passover was an important holiday celebrated by all believers in Messiah—both Jewish and Gentile. Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians to a predominately Gentile audience who attended both synagogue and weekly gatherings of believers.
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12-minute read
The Significance of Passover
In March 1953, Messianic Jewish luminary Rabbi Daniel Zion shared a word with the Messianic Community in Jerusalem during their Sabbath service for the week of Passover: Shabbat Chol HaMoed. These are his words.
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8-minute read
Dry Bones: Hear the Word of the LORD!
We have been resurrected in Yeshua from the death of sin and brought into the fullness of life in HaShem. As disciples of Messiah we have individually experienced the prophecy of the valley of dry bones. Passover and the exodus from Egypt symbolize this for us. Just as the Israelites left the slavery and death of Egypt, so we have left the slavery and death of sin.
6-minute read
Ten Tips for a Smooth-Sailing Seder
Passover Seders take a long time. That is a scientifically proven fact. But there is no sense in making them drag on longer than they need to be. And even though they do take a lot of time, they don't have to feel like an eternity.
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12-minute read
Be the Example
Sitting on my kitchen floor, wiping out a cabinet the night before Passover last year, I thought about how much we need examples. We need people who have gone before us and learned how to do this, but sometimes we don’t have them. We might need to be the ones to clear the path and be that example for someone else.
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7-minute read
Shabbat HaGadol
Judaism considers the Festivals of Passover and Unleavened Bread as the prototype for the final redemption. The tradition of setting a place at the seder table for Elijah the prophet reflects the ardent belief that Messiah will bring redemption at Passover. As the anticipated herald of the Messiah, Elijah will need to be present as the festival begins.
5-minute read
Passover in Israel
As we clean our homes, we realize that we must clean our souls from any dirt that may be hidden. As we scrub our drawers and table tops, we realize that we must also look inward and deal with the lurking evil so relentless and so easy to miss, or explain away.
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9-minute read
Let My People Go
The exodus from Egypt is the Bible's paradigm for what salvation looks like. The salvation from Egypt is the Torah's clearest picture of what salvation is and how it works. In those events, God was planting a seed, foreshadowing the Gospel, showing us how it is that He saves His people. The exodus story sets up the pattern.
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14-minute read
Passover and Gentiles: A Universal Exodus
In the days of the apostles there were many God-fearing Gentiles who celebrated Passover along with the Jewish people. Even rabbinic literature made room for non-Jews at a seder. In the Second Temple Era, Gentiles were not permitted to eat the actual Pesach sacrifice, but they were allowed to participate in the rest of the meal.
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11-minute read
Parashat HaChodesh: Transcending Time
A great freedom will come with the ultimate redemption. If time equates to freedom, then ultimate freedom will come in a world where time itself is an unlimited resource. The only way to achieve this is with eternal life, a life that transcends time. This is one reason why Shabbat is a “foretaste of the age to come.”
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6-minute read
Why the New Haggadah Is Only $2 Each*
A Passover Seder is a uniquely eye-opening event. We developed The Master’s Table: A Passover Encounter for Christians to reach out to as many people as possible with the beauty and truth of God’s appointed times, his commitment to Israel, and the true Jewish identity of Yeshua the Messiah. Now we need your help.
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5-minute read
A New Moses for a New Exodus
Yeshua “fulfills” prophecy in Hosea in that events in his live recapitulate the exodus event. By evoking the larger context of Hosea 11:1 and by creating parallels between the life of Yeshua and story of Moses, Matthew presents Yeshua as a new Moses who leads the nation in a new exodus from Egypt.
8-minute read
How to Make Sure Your Passover Seder Is Biblical
The Bible talks about eating the Passover lamb sacrifice with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, but there are so many parts of the seder that it doesn’t seem to mention. How can we make sure our seder is truly biblical? Can we find the seder in the Bible at all?
7-minute read
Messianic Mythology and Passover
In the Messianic Jewish movement, great truths are being restored to the body of Messiah. However, the same movement is also generating an inordinate amount of balderdash. Balderdash (בלדרדש) is an English word of unknown origin meaning “nonsensical, foolish talk.” Let's learn to separate fact from fiction. Let's not be fooled.
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7-minute read
This Is the Bread of Affliction
The introductory prayer to the seder is an invitation to all who are hungry and needy to eat of the bread of Passover. The Messiah identifies with the very same bread, and promises eternal satiation to all who partake. This invitation makes us recall the bold declaration of our Messiah: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger”
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7-minute read
We Were There
The Jewish people today are to see themselves as present with the people of Israel in ancient times. We were there for the Passover in Egypt, and we were there for the Messiah’s Passover in the land of Israel. And just as we were there that Passover, we were also there during that Shavu’ot that came fifty days later.
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8-minute read
Thoughts from the Upper Room
In this age of historical revisionism some people want to believe that this schism was simply a debate about a day versus a date; but that is simply not true. The early church was rife with anti-Semitism and it deliberately chose to sever the connection between the celebration of Passover and Yeshua’s resurrection.
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11-minute read
Unleavened Bread and Unleavened Deeds
From Exodus 12:17 we learn the importance of being very careful not to allow dough intended for unleavened bread to become leavened. The same verse instructs us regarding how to please God with our actions.
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5-minute read
A Greater Exodus
Jeremiah 16 seems to imply that the redemption that occurred during the Passover in Egypt will no longer be remembered. But will there really be a time when we will no longer tell the great tales of the exodus? If so, this conflicts with other Scriptures that indicate that we will tell of the exodus “all the days” of our lives.
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5-minute read
A Jewish Celebration of Yeshua’s Resurrection
In Messianic Judaism, the resurrection of Yeshua is one of our most treasured truths. How can we give this foundational belief the attention it deserves and yet remain within thoroughly Jewish space? An ancient custom based on the life and death of King David could provide the perfect setting and unite us with the earliest Jewish followers of the Messiah.
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7-minute read
Called by Name
While the Jewish people are promised redemption collectively as a nation, Gentile disciples have been handpicked by the Almighty for salvation. All Gentile disciples of the Master have been specifically called by name to participate in the past and future redemptions.
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6-minute read
A Taste of Freedom
For most of us, participation in a Passover Seder begins with readying our homes and congregational buildings, preparation for what we’ll be wearing and/or whether or not we’ve purchased our dinner tickets prior to the event, then ends with the seder. What more is there that requires devotional preparation?
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11-minute read
The Red Heifer in the Epistle of Barnabas
In Temple times, the special reading of Numbers 19 reminded those in attendance at the synagogue that they needed to prepare for Passover. They needed to undergo the ritual purification with the ashes of the red heifer prior to Passover. Otherwise they would not be ritually fit to eat the Passover sacrifice.
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16-minute read
The Sabbath of the Cow
In Temple times, the special reading of Numbers 19 reminded those in attendance at the synagogue that they needed to prepare for Passover. They needed to undergo the ritual purification with the ashes of the red heifer prior to Passover. Otherwise they would not be ritually fit to eat the Passover sacrifice.
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5-minute read