The Jerusalem Passover
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump.
Since you truly are unleavened.
For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
I Corinthians 5:7

 

      The story of Passover* does not end with the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. In fact, that was only the beginning, The ultimate fulfillment of this Festival season occurred some fifteen hundred years later in the city of Jerusalem, in the land of Judea, when a Jewish Rabbi was nailed to a stake and died. In reality, the Egyptian Passover (although a great event in itself) was a mere type and shadow of the Jerusalem Passover, an event that would have worldwide, rather than merely regional, significance. [ *In most cases the word ‘Passover is being used in a generic sense, meaning the entire season from Nisan 10, when the lamb was chosen, through Nisan 21, the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. When specific days are referenced, it will be done by date (i.e. 14th, 15th, etc.) or by name, such as “day of Passover,” (14th) or “First Day of Unleavened Bread” (15th). ]
      To many people in Western society, the land of Israel seems like a far off and rather unimportant place, It is only about the size of the state of New Jersey, It has large amounts of desert and no appreciable natural resources and it’s inhabitants are constantly fighting with one another, So why all this fuss about Israel?
      To those who know history, this little land is the focal point of all human endeavors, for this is where God chose to dwell with His Bride after bringing her out of the land of Egypt. This is the promised land. Here we find the crossroads of the ancient world and the city of Jerusalem, which today is claimed as sacred by three major religions.
      It was here, in the land of Canaan, that God raised up the nation of people that He married, They were His chosen people, despite all of their sins, and weaknesses.

      “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD’”
(Jer. 31:31-32)

      It was now time for a New Covenant (Brit Chadasha), one that would make provision for the fact that the Bride (the children of Israel), in her natural state, was not perfect like her Husband. This meant the Brit Chadasha would not only have to provide a way for the Bride’s past sins to be completely forgiven and forgotten, it would also be necessary for a way to be made so that the Bride could eventually become totally perfect as well. Total perfection, while not required while the Bride is still dwelling in the house (earth) of her natural father (HaSatan = the Satan) in the betrothed state, will be required prior to the culmination of her wedding to the Messiah. The Jerusalem Passover makes provisions for these factors.
      This is not to say the previous marriage contract (Ketuvah) was set aside, rather it was enhanced to make provisions for those areas where the Bride failed in fulfilling the first Ketuvah.

      “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the LORD I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
(Jer. 3 1:33)

~ Passover Observance ~
~ Between Egypt and ~
~ Jerusalem ~

      Before dealing with the Jerusalem Passover, which brought into existence the Brit Chadasha, it would be good to take a brief look at the history of the Passover observance as given in the Scriptures.

* Passover in the Wilderness *

      One year after the Exodus, the children of Israel celebrated the first anniversary of that great event. The previous year had been full of events, some great, some not so great. The major event had been the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai on the day that was to become the Festival of Shavu’ot (Shaw-voo’oat), commonly called Pentecost. It was here that God married the nation of Israel, moving them from a state of betrothal (their status since the cutting of the Covenant Between the Parts), into the fullness of marriage. They had been ‘stolen’ from the house of their wicked adoptive father, Pharaoh, and taken to Mt. Sinai for the wedding ceremony. The Torah was the wedding contract, called a Ketuvah (Kehtoo-vah). It spelled out the conditions under which they were to live as husband and wife.
      The marriage had its problems. First the Bride did not want to hear the voice of her Husband (God) at Mt. Sinai, but asked that Moshe become a mediator between them.
      Then, while Moshe was up on the mountain receiving the Ketuvah document, along with further instructions about how the Bride was to behave, she committed spiritual adultery with the golden calf. Eventually the relationship was patched up and a replacement Ketuvah was written by the Husband (God). The Bride (children of Israel) was then asked to contribute to the building of the Mishkan (Meesh-kahn), the Tabernacle, where the Husband (God) would dwell and where they could meet together. The Bride proved herself worthy by contributing with great generosity to this project.
      As spring rolled around and Nisan 1 was approaching, the time came to set up and dedicate the brand new portable home, the Mishkan.

      “‘On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.’”
(Ex. 40:2)

      A series of sacrifices were offered by each of the twelve tribes and then came the Passover.

      “Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: ‘Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight (between the two evenings), you shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.’
      “So Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover...”
(Num. 9:1-5)

      Some of the people were ritually unclean and they could not partake of the Passover, so provision was made for them to partake of it one month later, in the second month of the sacred year (Num. 9:6-14)

* Passover in the Promised Land *

      There is no record that Passover was observed during the remainder of the time the children of Israel wandered outside the promised land. The next recorded Passover took place thirty-nine years later, after they had entered the land. The striking thing about this Passover is that all of the males who had been born in the wilderness had to be circumcised before they could partake. Since no uncircumcised male could eat the Passover, it is evident they were not celebrating it during their wanderings in the desert.

      “...For no uncircumcised person shall eat it (Passover).”
(Ex. 12:48)

      Thus, once the children of Israel arrived in the land of Canaan, it was necessary for a mass circumcision to take place so that the Passover could be celebrated.

      “So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
      “And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt had been circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.”
(Josh. 5:3-5)

      “So the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight (between the two evenings) on the plains of Jericho.”
(Josh. 5:10)

      Many have wondered why the Israelites did not circumcise their children in the wilderness. Some have speculated that infection might have been a great danger, so it was postponed for the safety of the children. However, it seems to this writer that the real reason they did not circumcise was because the Bride had refused to go home with her Husband. This occurred when the ten spies brought back an evil report about the inhabitants of the land, and the children of Israel listened to them, rather than the good report from Joshua and Caleb. Because of this lack of faith they ceased taking upon themselves the mark of the original marriage covenant (circumcision), until the time came when the Bride was actually ready and willing to move into her new home (the land of promise). Thus, the Bride carried the reproach of faithlessness throughout her desert wanderings by not performing Brit Mila (circumcision) on her newborn children.

      “Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal (rolling) to this day.”
(Josh. 5:9)

* Hezekiah’s ‘s Passover *

      The next recorded Passover occurs during the reign of the ‘good king’ Hezekiah, of the house of Judah. The scripture states that he:

      “...opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.”
(II Chron. 29:3)

      Apparently the Temple had actually been closed up and was not in use when Hezekiah came into power.

      “‘They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel’”
(II Chron. 29:7)

      Not only did Hezekiah have the Temple cleaned up, he also made sure that Passover was properly celebrated. He even went so far as to send letters of invitation to all Israel and Judah.

      “And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. For the king and his leaders and all the congregation in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. For they could not keep it at that time, because a sufficient number of priests had not sanctified themselves, nor had die people gathered together at Jerusalem.”
(II Chron. 30:1-3)

      There were some other problems. Many of the people had not properly sanctified themselves so they were not allowed to perform the slaughter of the lambs at the Temple as was required by law. Therefore, the Levites slaughtered the lambs for the people who were unclean.

      “For there were many in the congregation who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites bad charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD,”
(II Chron. 30:17)

      However, these people then went ahead and ate the Passover lamb while still in their unclean state, which was also contrary to law.

      “...yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. ...”
(II Chron. 30:18)

      But our God is a merciful God. Seeing that the hearts of the people were right, and having the intercessory prayer of Hezekiah go up to the Throne of God on their behalf, YHVH chose to overlook their uncleanness because of their zeal for Him.

      “...But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his father’s, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
      “And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.”
(II Chron. 30:18-20)

* Passover Lambs *
* Slain At the Temple *

      It is extremely important to pause here and take note of the fact that once the children of Israel had come into the promised land they would then have to sacrifice their Passover lambs at a specific place designated by God. No longer could the Passover lambs be slaughtered at the homes of the individuals, rather the ritual slaying now had to be done at the Tabernacle or, later on, at the Temple in Jerusalem.

      “‘Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the LORD your God for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name. You shall eat no Leaven cried bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight (between the two evenings) remain overnight until morning.
      “‘You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you; but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight (between the two evenings), at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt.
      “‘And you shall roast and ear it in the place which the LORD your God chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.’”
(Deut. 16:14)

      This is an extremely important passage relating to the observance of Passover and the slaying of the lamb. Some have claimed this passage does not refer to the Passover lamb but only to the secondary sacrifices offered in conjunction with this Festival season. The primary reason for this opinion is because of the Hebrew word bashal (bah-shahl’), which here is translated ‘roast,’ while in other passages is translated as “to boil.” It is the same word used in Ex. 12:9 where it is translated as ‘sodden’ or ‘boiled,’ and describes the way in which the Passover lamb is not to be cooked.

      “‘Do not eat it raw, nor boiled (bashal) at all with water, but roasted in fire--its head with its legs and its entrails.’”
(Ex. 12:9)

      A check in the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament p. 147, Strong’s #1310; yields the answer concerning the word bashal:
      “(1) to be cooked with fire, Ezek. 24:5.
      “(2) ripened with the heat of the sun, as the harvest, Joel 4:13.”

      Basically the word means “to cook,” and, like the English word, it includes various methods of cooking. The usage in Ex. 12:9 says specifically do not cook it in water, i.e. do not boil it. Deut. 16:7 just says to cook it and eat it, the manner of cooking is not prescribed since the method of cooking was established in Exodus 12. The children of Israel already knew the correct method of roasting the lamb on an upright pomegranate stake.
      The second objection to the idea that this passage includes the Passover lamb, is because it says in verse 2; “...you shall sacrifice the Passover ... from the flock and the herd...” Notice it says that it comes from the “flock AND the herd,” not “the flock OR the herd.” The Passover lamb is always taken from the flock (sheep or goats) and never from the herd which includes cattle. The answer is quite simple. The Passover lamb is always from the flock. However, when the assembly of people is too large for everyone in the family group to be able to have a morsel from the lamb, then a second animal is also offered so there will be sufficient meat for all. This secondary sacrifice is called the chagigah (khah-gee-gah), and it could be from either the flock or the herd, and it could also be kept overnight and eaten the next day.
      All of the other parts of this Deuteronomy passage specifically point towards the Passover lamb itself, and say that it is not to be slaughtered at home.

* Josiah’s Passover *

      The next recorded Passover observance comes during the reign of another ‘good king’ of the house of Judah, King Josiah. Josiah was only eight years old when he began his reign, which lasted thirty-one years. The country had just gone through seventy-seven years of ‘evil kings’ (Manasseh and Amon) during which time the country had completely degenerated into idolatry.
      Josiah was sixteen years old when he began to seek God and when he was twenty years old he began to rid the country of it’s idols. At age twenty-six, Josiah initiated a program to repair the Temple. It was during this process that the Torah was found hidden away in the rubble. It was read to Josiah the king, who tore his clothes in despair realizing how badly the nation of Judah had drifted from God. Josiah then made a covenant with God:

      “...to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.”
(11 Chron. 34:3 1)

      “Now Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.”
(II Chron. 35:1)

      The Priests and Levites were all set in order to do service at the Temple in their respective positions. Then Josiah gave them their instructions concerning Passover:

      “‘And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the lay people, and according to the division of the father’s house of the Levites. So slaughter the Passover offerings, (note the added word) sanctify yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.’
      “Then Josiah gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover offerings for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand cattle; these were from the king’s possessions.
      “Also they roasted (bashal) the Passover offerings; (note the added word) with fire according to the ordinance but the other holy offerings they boiled (bashal) in pots, in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them quickly among all the lay people.”
(II Chron. 35:5-7,13)

      Please notice the first usage of the word bashal is in the context of cooking with fire. The second time it is translated as ‘boiled’ because the object in which they were to be cooked were ‘pots.’ Obviously you do not ‘roast’ in a pot, or ‘boil’ in fire. The lambs were ‘roasted’ with fire, while the herd animals were boiled.
      This Passover included much singing (v.15) and celebration.

      “There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet...”
(II Chron. 35:18)

      It must have been a night to be much remembered.

* The Passover of Ezra *

      The last of the Passovers, mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, was held at the completion of the second Temple in the days of Ezra.

      “And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. For the prints and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
      “Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven clays with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel”
(Ezra 6:19-22)

      It must be remembered that some of the Jews who had been among the original captives actually returned to Jerusalem seventy years later, for it is said that those who had seen the glorious Temple of Solomon wept when they saw the new Temple for it was very modest.

~ Passover in the Days ~
~ Of the Second Temple ~

      During the time that the children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon, a number of changes took place in their approach toward YHVH their God and the Torah. Before the captivity there were long periods of idolatry, even to the point where some Israelites sacrificed their children to the god Molech. Therefore in order to preserve their religion and culture, the Jews in Babylon became very strict in their approach to keeping the obligations of the Torah. They understood that they had been sent into captivity because they; (1) did not keep the Sabbath holy (set apart), (2) fell into various forms of idolatry, (3) did not care for the poor among them, and (4) did not teach Torah to the people. Of course there were other reasons as well, but these constituted their primary offenses.
      When the house of Judah went into captivity, many people were left in the homeland, only the upper classes were actually deported to Babylon. As a result, Babylon became a center of Jewish learning until well after the time of Yeshua. in fact, in Yeshua’s day there were more Jews in Babylon than in Jerusalem, and there continued to be Jewish scholars and rabbis studying and teaching in Babylon as late as 500 C.E.
      So, when the remnant returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls and the Temple, they found that a good number of Jews were still living in the land. These people became known as the am-ha’aretz (ahm-ha’ ah-retz’) the people of the land. They were largely uneducated and poor, and they became dependent upon the teachers in the newly formed synagogues for their understanding of Torah.
      Ezra is credited with reshaping Jewish thought and worship after the return from exile. It was during this period that the Sanhedrin (the Supreme Court of Judah) was formed. It was originally called the Great Assembly and was organized in a manner similar to the seventy elders of Israel who functioned in Moshe’s day. It was the responsibility of the Great Assembly to provide proper judgments and interpretations of the scriptures. They did not have authority to write new scripture or to rewrite existing scripture, only to interpret it. New laws could only be written if they were not contrary to scripture. This was just like it is today, where new laws can be written as long as they are within the confines of the Constitution.
      It was during Ezra’s time when the Scriptures that we know today as the Old Testament were first gathered into a codified form, although there would not be a final rendering of these scriptures until after the fall of the second Temple.
      Ezra is usually credited with having begun the synagogue concept. Originally synagogues were considered to be houses of study, since worship was always conducted at the Temple in the form of sacrifices and prayers. However, the synagogue quickly became the center of Jewish life in the smaller communities. No longer would the Jewish people have to perish for lack of knowledge. It is interesting to note that there was actually a synagogue within the Temple itself, so the synagogue influence was felt even there. Archeologists have uncovered numerous ancient synagogues throughout the land of Israel, including one in Capernaum where Yeshua Himself may have taught.
      As time progressed, Jews began to divide into various sects. The main ones were the Sadducees (made up primarily of priests and Levites) and the Pharisees (who were the rabbis that controlled and taught in the synagogues). Other sects included the Essenes, the Zealots, the Boathusians and the Sacarii (a group of professional assassins within the Zealots). The am-ha’aretz (people of the land) usually did not belong to any particular sect but tended to follow the Pharisees, because of their regular synagogue attendance in the outlying communities which were run by the Pharisees. Like today, the main concern of the am-ha’aretz was just making a living.
      During this period of time, Passover became the pilgrimage Festival of choice among the Jews living in the Diaspora. While there were actually three pilgrimage festivals; Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, it was generally agreed that more people came to Jerusalem for Passover than for the other two. The reason for this probably being the rich symbolism of religious freedom, expressed in the story of the Exodus, which was recounted at that time of year.

* Going Up to Jerusalem *

      As Passover approached, the observant Jews and their families (if they could afford it) would begin coming to Jerusalem. Whenever a Jew made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem it was said that he was ‘going up.’ The word in Hebrew is aliyah (ah-lee-ah) and is used today to describe a Jew moving to Israel. Anciently this term was used because Jerusalem and the Temple are on the tops of a series of mountains. It does not matter from which direction one comes, it is necessary to ‘go up’ in order to reach the Temple.
      As the pilgrims moved toward the city (their numbers swelling), they would sing the fifteen Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120 through 134), corresponding to the fifteen steps that led from the Court of the Women to the Court of the Israelites on the Temple grounds. What a magnificent sight and sound it must have been. Thousands of pilgrims singing as they went up to Jerusalem to worship God as they were instructed to do by the Torah.
      Upon arriving in Jerusalem they would have to be ritually cleansed before they could enter the Temple grounds. This was accomplished by their being immersed (baptized) in one of the many immersion pools (singular = mikvah; plural = mikvaot) that had been constructed outside the south wall of the Temple Mount. It was also necessary that each participant be ritually pure in order to partake of the Passover lamb.

      Meanwhile, the shepherds were arriving with the flocks of sheep and goats that had been born and raised near Bethlehem by the Levitical shepherds. After the dusty trip the flocks would be washed in the waters that ran through the Kidron valley which ran along the eastern side of the Temple Mount.

      It is said that as the number of pilgrims grew over the years, it became necessary to extend the boundaries of the city of Jerusalem so that all the pilgrims could eat the Passover within the defined city limits. In Yeshua’s day this boundary had been extended to include the nearby town of Bethpage, but not quite as far away as Bethany where Yeshua stayed at the home of Simon the leper.

* The Slaying of the Lambs *

      On the tenth day of Nisan the pilgrims would purchase their Passover lambs. The lambs would remain with the new owners until the fourteenth day of Nisan when the slaughtering of the lambs took place at the Temple.
      Then, on the afternoon of Nisan 14 the ritual slaughtering of the Passover lambs at the Temple took place. It must have been quite a spectacle. Thousands of people would line up in the Court of the Gentiles and the Court of the Women with their lambs. Usually three men would come with each lamb. Imagine the sights, the sounds, and the smells that must have permeated the entire city.
      The regular evening sacrifices were offered early on Passover day, Nisan 14, so there would be sufficient time to slaughter all of the Passover lambs before sundown. Thus it was that at about the ninth hour (three p.m. our time) the High Priest would slay the first Passover lamb which was designated as being for the entire nation of Israel. As he drew the knife across the throat of the lamb he would say; “It is finished.” Following this ritual slaughter, the assembled priests would line up. All twenty-four courses of the priests were on duty for this event. This meant that all of the priests in the country, who were of proper age and were ritually clean, assisted in this ceremony.
      The gigantic Nicanor Gates that separated the Court of the Women from the Court of Israel were opened and the first division of pilgrims were admitted. When the Court of Israel became full, the gates were closed. Several large groups of Priests stood in two rows each. The pilgrims would step up to one of the Priests. The person making the offering would draw the sharp knife across the throat of the lamb. Then the Priest would catch the blood in a silver or gold basin (both were used). Immediately the bowl was passed to the Priest in the row directly behind him, and from there it was passed from hand to hand until it reached the altar where the blood was thrown onto the base of the altar. The bowl was then passed back along the line for reuse. This allowed for, many lambs to be slain simultaneously, as the double rows of Priests were quite long and there were multiple double rows.
      Immediately after the lamb had been slain, the one offering the animal would step back out of the way so that the next group could bring their sacrifice. Because of the great number of lambs, most men came in groups of three. The men would tie the slain lamb to a pole which was then suspended between the shoulders of two of the men, while the third man would proceed to skin the animal. The skins were given to the Priests as payment for their participation in the offering. Next, the gutting process took place and the parts that were to be burned on the altar were given to the priest designated for that duty.
      Meanwhile, the Levitical Choir would be singing the Hallel, (Psalms 113-118), and when they got to the end they would start over. It is said they were never able to complete the third singing of the Hallel before the division was finished with their sacrifices. At this point the Nicanor Gates were again opened, the first division left, the second division entered, and the entire process was repeated. The third division was always quite small in comparison to the first two. In this manner all of the lambs were slaughtered at the Temple for the thousands of Passover meals, which were to follow after sundown.
      The Passover lamb was then taken to the place which the pilgrims had secured beforehand; and there it was roasted according to law, and served as part of the meal in an extensive ritual called the Seder (Say-der = set order). Since it was spring and the weather was generally warm, many of the pilgrims held their family Seder in places called ‘upper rooms. These were actually housetops that were made private by surrounding them with latticework. It was required by local law that the residents of Jerusalem make available as much room in their home as possible, for the pilgrims to use during this Festival.
      The Passover lambs had to be slain at the Temple and roasted and consumed within the city limits of Jerusalem. If a family was unable to come to Jerusalem they were allowed to hold a Passover Seder in their home, even in the Diaspora. However, they could not have lamb as a part of their meal. This is still true today. Lamb is never served at a Jewish Passover Seder since there is no Temple where it can be legally sacrificed. Although other kinds of red meat would be perfectly legal to serve, most Jews will serve chicken or fish so there can be no question that the meat being served might be lamb.

~ The Passover Seder ~

      Space does not permit a lengthy discussion of the Seder. However, a brief overview is necessary in order to establish the fact that the meal Yeshua shared with His disciples on His last night before the crucifixion was indeed a Passover Seder.
      The modern Jewish Seder is somewhat different than what is believed to have taken place in the first century. However, most historians agree that the basic elements of the Seder were in place at that time, it having merely received embellishment during the intervening years.
      The Seder is divided into fifteen steps or degrees, corresponding to the fifteen steps between the Court of the Women and the Court of Israel and to the fifteen Psalms or Songs of Ascent which the Levitical Choir sang as they ascended these steps, moving upwards towards God. Similarly as the Seder progresses, the participants are ascending a spiritual ladder which brings them ever closer to God. Since man cannot physically ascend all the way into heaven and into God’s immediate presence, it is said that as one nears the end of the Seder (if their heart is right with God) God will descend to meet them at the level they have attained.

* The Fifteen Steps *

      Prior to the beginning of the Seder two or more Festival candles are lit. (This is also done just prior to the beginning of the weekly Sabbath.) It is customary for the woman of the house to light the candles, after which she recites the following blessing:* “Blessed art Thou, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who has set us apart by His commandments, and has commanded us to light the light of the Holy Day.” [ *In Jewish understanding almost every action includes a blessing of God prior to the action that is to take place. For example, one does not bless, the food before beginning a meal, rather one blesses God who gave the food. Following the meal one says Grace After the Meal which involves giving thanks to God for providing the blessing of sustenance. (See Deut. 8:10). Every blessing is begun in the seine manner with the words; “Blessed art Thou, O LORD our God, King (or Ruler) of the universe who...’ Such blessings are called, in Hebrew, Brachah (Brah-khah) which merely means ‘blessing.’ ]

continued...

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