Exodus 12:1-14 Click here for Bible Verses
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Today’s passage is Exodus 12:1-14. Let’s go!
Exodus 12:1-14 (NIV)
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,
2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.
5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.
6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.
7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire–head, legs and inner parts.
10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.
11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn–both men and animals–and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD–a lasting ordinance.
1. What is Passover?
Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew) is one of the most important festivals in the Jewish Calendar. It commemorates the freedom
of the Israelites after 400 years of slavery in Egypt.
2. When is Passover?
Passover falls on the 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan.
3. How long does Passover last?
It lasts for seven days in Israel and 8 days outside of Israel. This year Passover begins on 19th April and ends on 26th April.
The first Seder is eaten on the 18th after the sun has set.
4. Do Jewish people work during Passover?
Working is not permitted on the first 2 days of Passover nor on the final 2 days of the festival. Therefore, this year, 19th &
20th April and 25th & 26th April. You may expect a number of Jewish staff to be on leave these days or for students to be
unavailable for exams. Jewish staff are likely to bring their own food during these days, in observance with the traditional
dietary laws and may not want to attend meals/drinks events.
5. Why does Passover start on a different day each year?
Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. In
accordance with the Hebrew Bible, Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew calendar’s festival year. Passover is very often
close to Easter as Jesus’s last supper was actually a ‘seder’.
6. Where does the name ‘Passover’ originate from?
The Pharaohs in Egypt enslaved the Israelites and would not release them in spite of many requests from Moses. Finally
Moses warned the Pharaohs that they would be subjected to plagues by God if they do comply. The plagues were: blood,
frogs, lice, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and slaying of the first born.
As the 10th plague was aimed at killing the first born, God told all Israelites to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb so
that the Angel of Death could pass over these houses and not plague them. Hence the reason why the festival is called:
“Passover”. The pharaohs eventually gave in and asked the Israelites to leave. They left in such a hurry that they didn’t let
their bread rise. This is why Jewish people eat unleavened bread called Matzah during Passover.
7. What else is eaten during the Passover celebrations?
During the 8 days of Passover Jewish people cannot eat anything leavened or fermented. Some branches of Judaism also
avoid legumes (e.g. beans, soy, rice and corn). Apart from fresh food, everything else is sanctified for eating during Passover
and carries a special label.
8. Should any foods be avoided?
It is traditional to have a completely separate set of crockery and cutlery which is only used for Passover. In the run up to the
festival, houses are cleaned thoroughly, and all traces of food not “Kosher le Pesach” is used up or “sold”. It said that this is
the origin of “spring cleaning”.
9. What other celebrations take place?
During the first two evenings, a special meal, called the “Seder” (‘order’) tells the story of how the Israelites fled from Egypt
from a book called the Haggadah (‘Narration’).
It is customary to lean during the meal, commemorating freedom from slavery. A special plate is prepared, which includes a
shank bone, charoset (symbolising the cement) and salt water (symbolising the tears of the slaves). Four overflowing glasses
of wine are drunk and everybody takes part, especially the youngest child, who will ask four questions, including “why is this
night different to all other nights”. The whole table will say “Next Year In Jerusalem”, and the evening will end with singing.
It is customary to finish the meal by midnight, but the singing can go on much later.
10. How can I wish a Jewish person to have a ‘Happy Passover’?
You can say ‘Chag kasher v’sameach’ which translates as ‘may you have a happy and kosher Passover
