73
The Israelites prepare for the tenth
plague of Egypt in this 1639 engraving
by Johann Sadler. By marking their
homes with animal blood, they show
God which houses to avoid.See also: The Exodus 74–77 ■ The Ten Commandments 78–83 ■
Entering the Promised Land 96–97EXODUS TO DEUTERONOMY
ancient rite a whole new meaning,
as it came to commemorate the
victory of the Israelites’ God over
Egyptian gods and God’s ongoing
covenant with His chosen people.
God tells the Israelites to take
part in the ritual of the Passover
when they enter the land He has
promised to them, and to carry this
out for generations to come. As God
has protected the firstborns of the
Israelites, their lives now belong to
God, and this ritual observance
honors that. Passover can also be
seen to represent the idea that
Israel is God’s firstborn, whom He
will continually protect.The bread of the Israelites
As well as eating the meat of the
sacrificed lambs, according to
God’s instructions the Israelites ate
unleavened bread. This meant that
it contained no yeast and therefore
had not “risen.” Such was the rush
accompanying the Israelites’
departure from Egypt that there
was no time to bake the bread with
leavening yeast. Consequently, thePesach and Judaism
The Hebrew name for
Passover, “Pesach” is one
of the most important Jewish
holidays. As with two other
major holidays, Shavuot and
Sukkot, Pesach originally
required Jews to make a
pilgrimage to the Jerusalem
Temple to sacrifice an animal.
When the Romans destroyed
the Temple in 70 ce—most
scholars believe it stood on
the site of the Dome of the
Rock, the Muslim shrine in
the heart of Jerusalem—the
original stipulations of Pesach
had to be altered. These days,
most Jewish families celebrate
the holiday at home, an
arrangement similar to the
original biblical tradition of
holding the Passover in
individual homes.
The term “pesach” may
also refer to the lamb or goat
that was designated for
sacrifice during the holiday
(in recognition of God’s
original orders). Known as
the Korban Pesach, today this
ritual sacrifice remains a
central symbol of Passover.
It is commemorated in a set
of scriptural and Rabbinic
passages and the presentation
of zeroa, a symbolic meat-
based food placed on the
ceremonial Passover “seder
plate” but not eaten. The
seder plate also contains an
egg to symbolize sacrifice.Passover is also known as the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, and during
this time Jews discard all traces of
yeast from their homes and eat
entirely unleavened foods. God
also prescribes the eating of bitter
herbs during Passover as a symbol
of the Israelites’ bitter lives as
slaves in Egypt.
Over the centuries, a number
of other elements were added to
the ritual of Passover, including
special wines, foods, prayers,
and blessings. Its significance in
Jewish culture is inestimable: all
subsequent acts of deliverance in
the Israelites’ history were seen
as consequences of the Exodus
(see pp. 74–77) and celebrated
as extensions of the Passover. The
holiday serves as a reminder of
the drama and significance of the
Exodus for God’s chosen people. ■US_072-073_The_passover.indd 73 13/10/2017 12:22