Passover/Pesach Day 2 and 3

Day 2 and 3 of Pesach/Passorver

April 16, 2014

“On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt!” — Exodus 13:8

Today is Day 2 of the eight-day Passover celebration. The Torah reading for today is from Leviticus 22:26–23:44 and Numbers 28:16–25, and theHaftorah is from 2 Kings 23:1–9; 21–25. Because the first two days during Passover are non-working days, these devotions were prepared in advance for you.

The focal point of Passover is the seder, a ceremonial meal held the first night of the holiday where we tell the Exodus story through reading texts and performing various rituals. The seder is based on a book called the haggadah, which literally means “the telling.” The haggadah contains all the text, verses, prayers, customs, and rituals that bring the Exodus story to life. However, for all the richness of the haggadah, there is one glaring omission. There is not one mention of Moses in the entire text. Moses is at the center of the Exodus story – how could it be that he isn’t even mentioned in this sacred text?

The Sages explain that the omission of Moses is quite intentional. In the text of the haggadah, we learn that every year on Passover each participant has an obligation to see himself or herself as having personally left Egypt. We are to feel as though we were enslaved and God freed us, just as He did the Israelites thousands of years ago.

The verse commands us: “On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’” If Moses were at the center of the Exodus story, we might relegate the story to a different time and place – far removed from our own lives. But God wants the story to be universal and eternal. It’s not about Moses — it’s about you and me and every person who has a personal relationship with God.

The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mitzrayim, which literally means “narrow place” or “place of restriction.” The Hebrew word for Pharaoh, Paroah, can be rearranged to spell po ra, which means “here is evil.” Egypt and Pharaoh are universal and eternal themes that present themselves in the lives of every human being.

We all go through difficult times — times of pressure, oppression, and evil. And we all experience our own personal salvation from God. The story of Passover is the story of us all, and every year we are to commemorate the events that occurred not only thousands of years ago, but that continue to play out in our own lives today.

This year, find your own Passover story. Make it personal and meaningful in a new way. Where have you experienced your own Egypt? What narrow straits has God saved you from? God has come through for us in the past and He will do so again in the future. Just as God heard the prayers of Israel, He will hear our prayers. Just as God intervened on behalf of Israel in Moses’ time, He will do so in our lives.

Yeshua is our unblemished Passover Lamb

April 17, 2014

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” — Exodus 14:13–14

Today is Day 3 of the eight-day Passover celebration. The Torah reading for today is from Exodus 13:1–1 and Numbers 28:19–25.

One of the most encouraging messages of Passover is that when things seem most hopeless, there is always room for hope. The climax of the Passover story occurred when the children of Israel were sandwiched between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. The Sages teach that going right or left wasn’t an option, either. According to tradition, God had placed wild beasts emerging from the wilderness on either side of the Israelites. If ever there was a time to lose faith, it was at that moment.

Yet, from that moment of desperation comes one of the greatest moments of salvation – and a message of hope for all time.

Things only seem hopeless when we make the mistake of thinking that we are in control. If we can’t do it, then it simply can’t be done – there is no hope. The doctor can’t operate – so healing won’t come. I don’t earn enough money – so I’ll never get out of debt. When we are so sure that we alone hold the keys to our salvation, it’s no wonder that so many doors seem closed. It’s only when we give those keys to God that miracles can happen and hope can be found.

I love this story about a sparrow who loved to fly high in the sky, innocent and free. One day, the sparrow sensed imminent danger. She looked down to see a hunter pointing a rifle right in her direction. As the sparrow tried to flee from the danger, she noticed more trouble coming from above. An eagle was eyeing her like a piece of candy. The sparrow realized that she had no choices left and decided instead to surrender her life to God. In that precise moment, God sent a snake to bite the hunter, causing him to misfire his rifle, sending a bullet flying toward the eagle, killing it, and setting the sparrow free.

The message: Don’t surrender to life; surrender to God. Don’t give up hope; place your hope in God. Take comfort and encouragement from the words of Moses to the Israelites in their most desperate moment: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today … The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

When all hope seems lost, God will fight for us. When there is nothing left that we can do, God can do anything. We need only to have hope, hang on, and give up our lives to God.

Surrender today!

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein