Pesach or Passover is undoubtedly one of the main festivities of Judaism, in which for a whole week, we celebrate the liberation of the Jewish people from their slavery in Egypt.
Matzah is the star of Pesach, it is even referred to as the “festival of unleavened bread”. This bread represents what the people of Israel ate on their escape from Egypt, because the bread never risen in haste. Wine is the secondary protagonist that accompanies the entire ritual, called “seder”, and is taken in 4 different glasses, each one with a special representation.
Matzah, the unleavened bread
As a symbol of Pesach, Matzah also represents affliction and freedom and its preparation and consumption recreate part of the exodus from Egypt, since the Jews were in a hurry to leave and although the bread did not have time to leaven, they ate it anyway.
For a week, Jews cannot eat Chametz (leavened bread or grain) such as pasta, flour, cookies or beer and they have the obligation to eat Matzah accompanied by prayers and songs that commemorate the slavery and redemption of their ancestors.
Matzah is unleavened bread (unleavened) that results in a very thin and hard cookie that symbolizes humility, which, unlike leavened bread, represents superiority. This is prepared with the same flour and water as bread, but from the moment the flour comes into contact with the water, no more than 18 minutes should pass until the dough enters the oven.
Four Cups Of Wine
We drink wine at the Passover Seder because wine is considered a prestigious drink. It is also a drink that symbolizes prosperity, wealth and freedom; all of them Seder night themes.
The four cups of wine represent and correspond to the four expressions of freedom and redemption that the Torah uses to describe the exodus. As it says in Exodus, chapter 6:
6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ”
Therefore the 4 cups represent the following:
“I Will Take You Out” — Cup of Salvation
“I Will Deliver You” — Deliverance Cup
“I will redeem you” — Cup of Redemption
“I Will Take Them as a People” — Cup of Praise
As Yeshua celebrated with his disciples this important holiday of the Jewish people, he took these Passover symbols and gave them new meaning as we can see in Mattew 26:26.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, [a]blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the [b]new covenant, which is shed for many for the [c]remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Therefore we celebrate Passover knowing that Messiah Yeshua was sent as the pure sacrificial lamb for all mankind, and we remember him through Matzah and wine as he decreed at his last supper, the Lord’s Supper.
Passover in our ministry
In anticipation of the Passover festivity, our ministry started our Passover relief project organizing the distribution of the traditional symbols of this celebration, Matzah and wine, as well as a set of blankets, to bless dozens of families including Holocaust survivors, new immigrants, widows and those in need of our city Sderot, who gladly received our help and thanked us for taking them into account.
This is just the beginning of our Passover relief project that will be taking place reaching hundreds of families with food to provide help to these needy families in Sderot and the Gaza border area, especially at this time when one of the most important festivals of the Jewish people.
You can be part of and impact the lives of more people who need help in our city and together show them the way, the truth and the life.
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE
We invite you to be part of our ministry so that together we can bring hope to our border town of Sderot.
Our work would not be possible without the help of partners like you, so we ask you to consider in prayer the possibility of a monthly commitment that will allow us to continue with the Lord’s work here in Israel.
Sincerely yours
Pastors
Michael & Dina Beener
and CLM Israel Team
“City of Life”
Messianic congregation and Outreach Center
Sderot, Israel.
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