PESACH OBSERVANCE - WHEN, HOW? by Ya'acov Wolfaardt
This article is regarded by many as controversial. If you are offended
by this article, I cannot blame you! Many years ago I would also have been
offended by it, but by the mercy of the Most High Elohim, He opened my eyes to
this teaching ("Torah" in Hebrew). One thing that we should all reconsile in our own minds before we think of teaching, is that the Scriptures has a specific order
regarding teaching. The first and foremost teaching we should adhere to is the
Torah itself, that is the first 5 books written by
Moses (Moshe). The teaching that Yahushua our Messiah gave runs parallel with
the Torah, and does not contradict it whatsoever - His teaching enhances the
Torah. In the light of this background regarding teaching, please read this
article with an open mind.
In years
gone by, and even today many believers are stumbling over this question. There
are at this stage basically 3 mind sets or doctrinal viewpoints on when the
14th of Aviv, "between the evenings" is.
Does the
evening of a day belong to the beginning or the end of a day:
Most
believers that observe the festivals or set appointments of Yahueh are also
Sabbath observant - if not all. Most of these believers hold to the viewpoint
that shabbat is celebrated
(a festival unto Yahueh) from evening 'till evening, i.e. Friday sunset until
Saturday sunset. From this background these believers are in a mind set of
observing all of Yahueh's appointments from evening
'till evening, although this is not commanded in Scripture for all these
appointments. This is true for 3 of the set-apart days of all the appointed
times, i.e. (1) The 1st day of Unleavened bread, (2) the last day of Unleavened
bread and (3) Yom Kippur, which is not a festival, but a High Sabbath.
Scripture says that we should observe Yom Kippur on the 10th day of the 7th
month, Wayyiqra / Leviticus 23:27. When does the 10th
day start? From the following passage it is quit
clear to me which part of an evening should be associated with the day, meaning
the evening at the beginning, or the evening ending a day. It says in v. 32,
"It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings (to
fast). On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you
observe your Sabbath." Yet, in verse 27 we read that we should observe Yom
Kippur on the 10th day. So, the evening of the 9th day belongs to the end of
the day, and not the beginning of the day - at least from what we read in this
passage. For this same reason it should be clear to us what Scripture teaches
concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread. "In the 1st month, on the 14th
day of the month at evening, you eat unleavened bread, until the 21st day of
the month at evening." Shemoth / Exodus 12:18. My understanding of this
passage, as illustrated with Yom Kippur is that we should therefore eat
unleavened bread from the end of the 14th day (evening) until the end of the
21st day (evening). This is not so obvious though if you hold to the view that
the evening is the beginning of a day - therefore the dispute whether one
should observe Pesach at the beginning or the end of the daylight hours of the
14th day. Scripture says, "In the 1st month, on the 14th day of the month,
between the evenings, is the Passover of Yahueh." Wayyiqra
23:5. To some "between the evening of the 14th" means at the
beginning of the 14th (from the tradition of evening to evening Sabbath
observance), and to others it means at the end of the 14th day, understanding
this passage in the light of the Yom Kippur issue illustrated above.
I will
not further discuss the viewpoints of whether the evening of a day belongs to
the beginning or end of a day due to the so-called fact that many believers
observe Sabbath from evening 'till evening. For the past 25 to 30 years this
dispute has not been resolved.
Before we
can resolve Dispute No. 1, which is critical for correct observance of Pesach,
I wish to introduce a 2nd viewpoint regarding Sabbath observance. To some this
will be a stumbling block. The issue at stake is this - Does a day start in the
evening as we have been taught through traditional Sabbath observance? Where do
we read in Scripture that we should observe Sabbath from sundown 'till sundown?
In fact, nowhere! If you open your understanding to the following thought, the
evening of the 14th will no longer be a stumbling block.
In
Shemoth / Exodus 16 we read the following pertaining to the re-institution of
the Sabbath day among the estranged Yisraelites. I
quote from verses 22 to 30 with my own comments inserted in brackets.
And it
came to be, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as
much bread, two omers for each one. (This
happened on the morning or the 6th day.) And all the rulers of the congregation
came and told Mosheh. And he said to them, "This
is what Yahueh has said, 'Tomorrow is a rest, a Sabbath set-apart to Yahueh.
That which you bake, bake; and that which you cook, cook. And lay up for
yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until morning.' "
(The morning of the 7th day). And they laid it up till morning, as Mosheh commanded. And it did not stink, and no worm was in
it. And Mosheh said, "Eat it today, for today is
a Sabbath to Yahueh, today you do not find it in the field. (Why did He do
this? Was it not to show them that the Sabbath starts in the morning of the 7th
day?) "Gather it six days, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath,
there is none." (They found manna every morning, but not on the morning of
the 7th day - Shabbat). And it came to be that some of the people went out on
the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And Yahueh said to Mosheh, "How long shall you refuse to guard My commands and My 'torah'? (They wanted to go out on the
morning of the 7th day to gather manna, but found none. Yahueh taught them here
that they will not have to seek food on Shabbat.) "See, because Yahueh has
given you the Sabbath, therefore He is giving you bread for two days on the
sixth day. (The morning of the 6th day until the morning of the 1st day - 2
full days). Let each one stay in his place, do not let
anyone go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on
the seventh day. (They only went out on the 1st day of the week after the
Sabbath to gather manna.)
So, if we
understand the Sabbath to commence on the morning of the 7th day rather than
the evening of the 6th day, we have no problem in the association of the even
part of a day - it will always be at the end of the day, as shown in Scripture
regarding Yom Kippur (Wayyiqra / Leviticus 23:27,32).
I don't expect anyone to simply grasp this new teaching - no, study it for
yourself and ask the Ruach ha Qodesh to show you if
this is Truth from Yahueh. Should you wish further assistance in this regard,
you are welcome to order further studies from us.
What does
"between the evenings" mean?
We read
in Shemoth / Exodus 12:6b. "Then all the congregation of Yisrael shall kill it between the evenings." We also
find this in Wayyiqra 23:5. "In the first month,
on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the Passover to
Yahueh." Once again, there is not consistency in the teaching as to what
this phrase means - between the evenings. It is very important to know exactly
what this means, otherwise we will not observe Pesach
at the correct time.
There are
a number of views on this. One viewpoint is that it is the time period between
sunset and darkness. Another viewpoint is that it is the time period from
sunset until sunrise. A third viewpoint , according to
Jewish tradition, is from around 3pm until sundown. Some translations took the
liberty to translate it as "at twilight", "sunset" or
"afternoon", which clearly reflects the different viewpoints on this
phrase.
The term
"between the evenings" is most critical as to when the Passover lamb
was/is to be slaughtered. To fully understand this, it will be best to take a
closer look at times in Scripture when the Passover was observed. The first
occurrence was when Yisrael departed from Mitsrayim.
They had
to kill the Passover lamb "between the evenings". Shem. 12:6.
They had
to take the blood of the lamb and put it on the doorposts and lintel before
midnight, otherwise the Messenger of Yahueh would kill the firstborn. Shem.
12:7, 13, 29. From this we at least now know that "between the
evenings" cannot be later than midnight - otherwise the firstborn of Yisrael would have died with those of Mitsrayim.
Devarim / Deuteronomy 16:6 sheds
more light on when "between the evenings" could be. It reads,
"...there you offer the Passover in the evening, at the going down of the
sun, at the appointed time you came out of Mitsrayim." This verse clearly
explains that the offering (more correctly slaughtering) of the Passover lamb
takes place at the going down of the sun.
The Passover
that Yahushua ate with His 12 was also at evening. Mt. 26:20 reads, "And
when evening came, He sat down with the twelve." This was just after they
asked Him where they should prepare the Passover, v. 17-19. The same event is
recorded in Mk. 14:14-17 and Lk. 22:7-15.
Some
historical background shows that from Josephus's, Wars of the Jews, vi, ix, 3,
the slaughtering of the animals for Pesach took place between the 9th and 11th
hour, i.e. 3 pm 'till 5 pm. "So these high priests, upon the coming of their
feast which is called the Passover, when they slay their sacrifices, from the
ninth hour to the eleventh, but so that a company not less than ten belong to
every sacrifice,..."
The same
term "between the evenings" is used relating to the quails Yisrael received at evening. Way / Ex. 16:12. In practical
terms they must have received the quails during the late daylight hours. Would
Yahueh give them quails after dark ? They needed the
daylight to catch and prepare the quails before they could eat them.
Should we
observe Pesach only once a year?
According
to all Scripture in the Tenach (Old Testament), the
Passover should be observed on the 14th day of the 1st month (Aviv). This is
clear from all the texts we have quoted above. If one wish to observe it any other
time of the year, it cannot be called "Pesach". The Torah of Yahueh
determines that we only observe Pesach on 14 Aviv. What about the institution
of the bread and wine at the "Last Supper" - where Shaul quotes, "This cup is the renewed covenant in My blood. As often as you drink it, do this in remembrance
of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you proclaim the death of the Master until He comes." 1 Cor.
11:26. When did Yahushua institute these figurative emblems? It was during His
Pesach meal with His Talmidim (taught ones). He
simply said here that every time (once a year at Pesach) you drink this cup,
you will remember that I died for you. This passage does not say they we should
observe it more often.
Should we observe Pesach as a family; with the congregation; with
unbelievers, or how?
To
determine this, we should have a look at the Scriptures where Pesach was
instituted for the first time, and occurrences thereafter.
Shem. /
Exod. 12:3 says, "...a lamb for a household." Verse 4 says, "And
if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next to
his house take it according to the number of the beings, according to each
man's need you make your count for the lamb."
After the
lambs were slaughtered and roasted, they were to eat it inside their homes -
not outside. Each family observed Pesach at his own house, but if a lamb was
too large for one family, they shared it with their neighbours. Yahueh is
practical and do not wish to waste animals.
Yisrael is the people of the Almighty. All Yisrael is family in Yahueh. If we believe in the atoning
blood of Yahushua, we become His brothers and sisters. Yahushua observed Pesach
with His 12 - they were His brothers and sisters.
Would it
be wrong to invite guests to observe Pesach with you? What does Scripture say
about this? What are the requirements according to Scripture to partake of the
Passover?
No
foreigner (more correctly, son of a stranger) shall eat of it. Shem./ Ex. 12:43.
A
sojourner or hired servant shall not eat of it. Shem. 12:45.
No
uncircumcised shall eat of it. Shem. 12:48.
The same
law (Torah) applies to the native (Yisraelite by
birth) and the stranger (visitor or he who is grafted into Yisrael).
What does
it means to be circumcised in terms of partaking of the Passover? We know that
besides the physical act, circumcision was introduced to indicate that Yisrael went into covenant with the Almighty. In real terms
it therefore means that if we are outside the Faith - the belief in Yahushua , we would rather bring condemnation on ourselves.
This is clearly indicated in the Messianic Scriptures in 1 Cor. 11:27-29,
"So that whoever should eat this bread or drink this cup of the Master
unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Master. But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For
the one who is eating and drinking unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Master. "
Scripture
therefore clearly indicates to us that we cannot observe Pesach with
unbelievers, and it should be observed with other Yisraelites
only - being part of the body of Maschiach.
Should we
still "offer" a Passover lamb?
I have
personally stumbled over this question for over 20 years. I have taken up debates
with fellow believers more than once, and the longer I debated with them, the
more convinced I became of my wrongdoing, of my twisting of Scripture. I have
neglected this command for a total of 20 Passovers, and ask Yahueh for
forgiveness for not fulfilling His command for 20 years.
If we
profess to be part of Yisrael, we should be reminded
of the Torah we should observe - the whole Torah, not just part of it.
Regarding the Pesach, the Torah teaches the following simple command, "And
you shall guard this word as a law for you and your sons, forever." Shem.
/ Ex. 12:24. Torah teaches us, saying, "There is one Torah for the
native-born (Yisraelite by birth) and for the
stranger who sojourns among you."
The word
'sacrifice' and 'offer' brings a misconception regarding the Pesach
"offering". The Hebrew word used has nothing to do with an offering,
but means to slaughter or kill. More correctly translated, we should speak of
the Passover slaughtering. All offerings were done by the priests. They were of
the tribe of Levi. The Passover however was slaughtered by each household, and
roasted and eaten by each household. It was never an offering such as was
performed by the Levitical priests.
The slaughtering
and eating of a Pesach lamb commemorates the coming out of Mitsrayim (land of
sin), where the first-born of Yisrael were spared,
whereas the first-born of Mitsrayim died, and more important, Yahushua who died
for us. In slaughtering a Pesach lamb we most definitely do not return to
offerings, trampling underfoot the blood of Yahushua. No, we enhance His death
- we commemorate that He died for our sins - we think of the cruel death He
died in our stead.
It is
difficult to return to the complete observance of Torah for many. We rather
think of all the possible excuses why we should not observe certain aspects of
Torah than to think of the reasons why we should.
EXCUSES
Some of
these excuses, which I also had for many years include
the following:
"Offering"
a lamb is denying Yahushua as Messiah?
The only
Scripture quoted to support this argument is 1 Cor. 5:7, 8, which reads,
"Therefore cleanse out the old leaven (sin), so that you are a new lump,
as you are unleavened (without sin). For also Messiah our Passover was offered
for us. So then let us observe the festival, not with old leaven, nor with the
leaven of evil and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth."
How can
we deny Him if we observe the Torah? This is not possible. We have seen from
the Torah that with the first Pesach institution, it was to be guarded (or
taught) as a law forever. (Shem. / Ex. 12:24). Why do
we still observe unleavened bread? Why do we still fast on Yom Kippur? Why do
we eat kosher? - because the Torah teaches us to do
so! For the same reason we should still observe the complete Pesach instituted
in the Torah!
We can
only keep the feast in Yerushalayim - where He has
placed His Name ?
Where is
the Name of Yahueh today? We know that He once placed His Name in Yerushalayim, and that is where His Name is supposed to be!
Dev. / Deut. 16:5,6.
Yahushua
said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am
in their midst." Matt. 18:20. If we observe Pesach as believers calling
upon the Name of Yahueh, we are certain that we should observe Pesach as
instituted in the Torah.
If you
were blessed by this article, or if you have previously been under the same
conviction regarding the Passover, please send us email with your testimony in
this regard to orders.books@qodesh.co.za