ISSUES 17-3 final for web.qxd:issues 15-6 v5 Qrk5 3/27/08 2:54 PM Page 2 Volume 17 3

Transcription

1 Volume 17 3

2 (continued from page 1) The number four plays a significant role in Judaism. There are the four species of plants for Sukkot; four kingdoms in the book of Daniel; four Torah portions in the tefillin; four Matriarchs in the book of Genesis. At Passover, we find this number in abundance. In the course of the seder we have four sons, four cups of wine, four expressions of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7) and perhaps the most famous four of all the Ma Nishtana, known in English as the Four Questions. As the seder developed over the centuries, the Four Questions underwent many changes. 1 For example, one question originally dealt with the reason for eating roasted meat at the seder. After the destruction of the Temple, that question was replaced with one about reclining. 2 Today, the Four Questions, phrased as observations, are asked by the youngest child in the family: WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER NIGHTS? ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS, WE MAY EAT EITHER CHOMETZ OR MATZOH; ON THIS NIGHT, ONLY MATZOH. ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS, WE EAT ALL KINDS OF VEGETABLES; ON THIS NIGHT, WE MUST EAT MAROR. ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS, WE DO NOT DIP EVEN ONCE; ON THIS NIGHT WE DIP TWICE. ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS, WE MAY EAT EITHER SITTING OR RECLINING; ON THIS NIGHT, WE ALL RECLINE. In response, the father then explains the Passover story. There are other questions that the rabbis could have chosen as well. In the spirit of rabbinical adaptation, here are some additional questions that both children and adults might ponder. WHY DO WE PLACE THREE MATZOT TOGETHER IN ONE NAPKIN? Traditions concerning these three matzot abound. One is that they represent the three classes of people in ancient Israel: Priests, Levites, and Israelites. 3 Another teaches that they symbolize the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A third is that they are a depiction of the Three Crowns : the crown of learning, the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship. And a fourth option is that two of the matzot stand for the two Sabbath loaves which are also a symbol for the double portion of manna that fell on the Sabbath in the wilderness. The third matzoh then represents the special Passover bread called the bread of affliction. 4 If those are not enough to keep one s imagination occupied, there are still others. Some suggest that the three matzot stand for the three measures of the fine meal which Sarah prepared for Abraham s angelic guests (Genesis 18). The reason for this interpretation lies in the rabbinic tradition that the three angels visited Abraham on the night of Passover! 5 Out of all these explanations, which comes closest to the original reason for having three matzot, or is there yet another? WHY IS THE MIDDLE MATZOH, THE AFIKOMAN, BROKEN IN THE COURSE OF THE SEDER? What, if anything, is symbolized when we break the middle matzoh? Are we breaking the Levites, or Isaac, or the crown of learning, or one of the angelic guests cakes, or the bread of affliction? If any of these explanations is correct, why is the matzoh hidden away, buried under a cushion, and then 2 A MESSIANIC S I JEWISH PERSPECTIVE P E E ISSN PRINTED IN THE U.S.A EDITOR: SUSAN PERLMAN DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS: PAIGE SAUNDERS COVER PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO/STUDIOVANCASPEL (MODIFIED) ISSUESAMJP@AOL.COM WEB:

3 taken out and eaten by all, and in the Sephardic ritual, eaten in memory of the Passover lamb? WHERE IS OUR PESACH, OUR PASSOVER SACRIFICE, TODAY? The Torah commanded that a lamb was to be sacrificed and eaten every Passover as a memorial of the Passover lambs that were killed on the first Passover night when we left Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:1-8). That command could only be obeyed while the Temple still stood. Since its destruction in 70 A.D., the Jewish people no longer have sacrifices though some have advocated that the sacrifice still be made in Jerusalem even without a Temple. 6 The Passover sacrifice, like other sacrifices, involved the forgiveness of sin. Some believe that the pesach had nothing to do with forgiveness. But both the rabbinic and biblical understanding is otherwise. In the Midrash Exodus Rabbah 15:12 we read, I will have pity on you, through the blood of the Passover and the blood of circumcision, and I will forgive you. Similarly, Numbers Rabbah 13:20 cites Numbers 7:46, which deals with the sin offering, then adds, This was in allusion to the Paschal sacrifice. Clearly at least some rabbis after 70 A.D. regarded the pesach as effecting atonement. Leviticus 17:11 confirms that it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 7 Today, however, we have only a shankbone, the zeroah, as a reminder of the Passover sacrifice, and a roasted egg, the chagigah, in memory of the festival offerings. Rabbinic teaching is that without the Temple, we cannot offer sacrifices for sin; and so atonement comes by repentance, prayer, deeds of charity (tzedakah), and fasting. But nowhere did God say that we could dispense with sacrifices which acted as substitutes or stand-ins for us, taking the consequences of our sin upon themselves. Where then is our pesach today? These three questions are not as traditional as the four, but they are certainly worth pondering. Possible answers suggest themselves as we examine the remarkable development of the seder in history. WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS SYMBOLIZED WHEN WE BREAK THE MIDDLE MATZOH? THE SEDER CELEBRATED BY JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES The Last Supper might better be titled the Last Seder. As the gospels describe it, it was a Passover meal and seems to have included many of the same seder elements as we find in the Mishnah, the compilation of various rabbinic traditions put in writing about 200 A.D. In the New Testament accounts, we find references to the various elements of the seder: 8 the First Cup, or Cup of Sanctification (Luke 22:17); the breaking of the matzoh (Luke 22:19); the Third Cup, the Cup of Redemption (Luke 22:20); reclining (Luke 22:14); perhaps the charoset or the maror (Matthew 26:23); the chanting of the Hallel Psalms (Matthew 26:30). In particular, the matzoh and the Third Cup were given special significance by Jesus: And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. (Luke 22:19-20) What did he mean by this? (continued on page 6) ISSUES is a forum of several Messianic Jewish viewpoints. The author alone, where the author s name is given, is responsible for the statements expressed. Those wishing to take exception or those wishing to enter into dialogue with one of these authors may write the publishers and letters will be forwarded. UNITED STATES: P.O. BOX , SAN FRANCISCO, CA CANADA: 1315 LAWRENCE AVENUE EAST #402, TORONTO ON M3A 3R3 UK: KENTISH TOWN ROAD, CAMDEN TOWN, LONDON NW1 9PX SOUTH AFRICA: P.O. BOX 1996, PARKLANDS 2121 AUSTRALIA: P.O. BOX 925, SYDNEY NSW

4 A Seder To Remember Iwas excited to be on the West Coast and to see my older brother Steve. Dad had been there earlier when Steve found an apartment, and had returned to New York with the good news that my brother had found a place with a nice Jewish landlady who would keep an eye on him. However, Steve told us that he d begun going to Friday night Bible studies. That surprised me, but I expected he would explain more during my spring break visit. So when Steve greeted me at the airport, after saying hello, I immediately asked, What is this about Friday nights and Bible studies? He replied briefly that he believed the Messiah had come. Curiosity turned to cold fear. Had my brother gone meshuggah? Oh... really Steve? I asked. Who do you think the Messiah is, anyway? He responded Jesus! I was horrified! And here I was stuck on the West Coast, at Passover time with my non-traditional brother, only to discover that my brother s Jesus-believing friends were having a seder. This was less than ideal, but I did not want to miss Passover, so I agreed to go with him. I have to say that Jewish celebrations are my favorite childhood memories and Passover at my grandparents house was probably the most memorable. Every year, my grandfather read the Exodus story to us while my grandmother prepared the feast. Her matzah ball soup and brisket was something to look forward to! But finding the afikoman was the most exciting part of the evening. If I found it before anyone else did, I d be rewarded with some pocket change, or candy it didn t matter, it was just the fun of looking for it and being filled with anticipation. Passover was not a particularly spiritual experience for me. I grew up knowing about God, but I rarely spoke to God myself. I went to Hebrew school every Tuesday and Thursday after regular school, plus every Sunday morning. I learned to read and write Hebrew, and could recite the traditional prayers. Like my brother, I was bar mitzvah. And as with him, it marked the end of my regular synagogue attendance. Except, of course, on Yom Kippur. That was a family tradition, and as such, I never questioned it. I was attending high school at the School of Performing Arts at the time I made the trip to see him. It was very intense work, and I was looking forward to spring break. Since Steve wasn t coming home for Passover, I would go to him. And now that I knew he was having Passover with Jesus-believing friends, so would I. I heard things that night that I had never heard before not in Hebrew School, not in synagogue, not from my mom or dad, not anywhere! And what I heard was from an amazing source: the Jewish Scriptures Isaiah, no less. Isaiah predicted a servant who was going to suffer in the place of others, to atone for their sin. At the seder, they compared him to the Passover lamb, whose blood caused death to pass over our ancestors houses so Rob (left) and Steve in a recent photo 4

5 many years ago. It felt like I was hearing a Christian belief from the Jewish Bible yet it made sense. I kept reminding myself that Jesus is simply not for the Jews! Yet I could not dismiss what I had heard. I had a strong sense that Steve might be right, and I knew I would soon have to declare where I stood, no matter what my parents thought. Not long after this incident, some of Steve s Jews for Jesus friends whom I had met in Los Angeles came to New York. They wanted to meet our parents and I encouraged my parents to invite them over, which they did. The visit actually passed very peacefully. Once again, the believers words about Jesus seemed to ring true. I watched my parents as I listened, and they seemed interested. Eventually, our family was invited to attend a local Bible study at the Jews for Jesus branch. My parents and I showed up faithfully every week. It became clear to me that like Steve, I believed that Jesus was the Messiah. I prayed, asking to have my sins forgiven, and promised to follow Y shua. It turned out that my father had received Y shua too, right around the same time I did! Mom was not happy, but clearly she was struggling with the same issues the rest of us had faced. Eventually, she also came to believe in Jesus, and our family became even closer than we had ever been before. Six years later I married a Jewish woman, Sandy Cohen, whose upbringing was similar to mine. She had become a believer in Jesus just one year after I did. We have three children, Saul, Rose and Joshua. Sandy and I now live in San Francisco with the younger two of our children (Saul is in college in Los Angeles). I look forward to celebrating Passover each year with my family, and with renewed appreciation for the freedom our family has, not only to carry on Jewish tradition and heritage, but to worship God, to trust him and tell others about him, as I believe we were meant to do. Elijah Where Are You? His silver goblet is filled to the brim His place at the table is ready We ve thrown open the door to welcome him Though his yearly absence is steady. But still we wait And still we hope And wonder and hope a bit more Till the youngest among us asks with a smile Could it be that he s at the back door? 5

6 (continued from page 3) THE PASSOVER LAMB The early Jewish believers considered Jesus to be the fulfillment of this annual Passover sacrifice. Paul, the Jewish apostle to the Gentiles who had studied under Rabbi Gamaliel, wrote, Messiah, our pesach, has been sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7). Elsewhere in the New Testament we find allusion to the parallel between Jesus and the pesach sacrifice. John in his gospel notes that Jesus died at the same time that the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple (see John 19:14) 9 and that like the Passover lambs, none of his bones were broken (while in contrast the Romans broke the legs of the two others crucified at the same time [John 19:32, 33, 36]). The Passover lambs had to be perfect, without blemish; Y shua was perfect, without sin (see 1 Peter 1:19). The Passover lambs saved us from the plague of physical death; Y shua saves us from spiritual death. The basic point is this: just as our people were redeemed from Egyptian slavery by a lamb, so now all peoples can be freed from slavery to sin through the Messiah who is called in the New Testament, the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36). This is what Jesus was speaking about at Passover when he called the matzoh his body, and the cup, his sacrificial blood. THE LAST SUPPER MIGHT BETTER BE TITLED THE LAST SEDER. THE MEANING OF THE MATZOH The ceremony connected with the afikoman is shrouded in mystery. We do not know when the practice began of using three matzot, breaking the middle one, and hiding it away. But the meaning of the afikoman itself, as opposed to the whole ceremony, is clearer. In fact, it appears that early on, matzoh in general, and not just the piece called afikoman came to be a symbol of salvation, especially following the destruction of the Temple, when it came to symbolize the Passover lamb. In fact, it may have symbolized the lamb and salvation even in the days of Jesus when the Temple still stood. 10 This gives further clarity to what Jesus meant when he took the matzoh and declared, This is my body. He was claiming to be the Lamb the symbol of deliverance from Egypt through whom salvation would come to Israel. Eventually the specific piece of matzoh called afikoman also came to replace and thus to symbolize the lamb. 11 The word afikoman is usually traced to the Greek epikomion ( dessert ) or epikomioi ( revelry ). David Daube, however, late professor of civil law at Oxford University, derived it from aphikomenos, The Coming One, He That Cometh making the afikoman an expression of hope in the coming salvation to be brought by God and his Messiah. 12 Daube s idea, which revived an earlier notion by Robert Eisler, has been received favorably by a number of recent Jewish writers. 13 The afikoman ceremony had certainly developed by medieval times. 14 Jewish believers in Jesus have long noticed the striking parallels between it and Jesus the Messiah. The afikoman, the middle or second piece of 6

7 matzoh, is broken, wrapped in a linen cloth, and hidden away behind a pillow. In Christian theology, Jesus is the second person of the Trinity 15 who became man; he too died, was wrapped in linen burial cloths, and buried. The afikoman is then retrieved, or brought out of hiding, parallel to the resurrection of Jesus. For all we know, the Ashkenazic practice of having children steal the afikoman may have something to do with a rabbinical refutation of the resurrection, implying that Jesus body was stolen. In fact, the afikoman ceremony may be a rabbinic refutation of the EARLY ON, MATZOH CAME TO BE A SYMBOL OF SALVATION message of salvation in Jesus. On the other hand, it may have been a transformation of a ceremony that originated with Jewish believers in Jesus. Or it may have developed as a separate way to express the hope of Messianic redemption. 16 One Jewish writer gives evidence that in the medieval Jewish community, the afikoman was symbolic of the Messiah whose arrival was hidden. 17 This same writer remarks, From a phenomenological perspective, it is hard to miss the similarity between the different stages in the afikoman ritual and the crucifixion of Jesus: his being outfitted with shrouds, then being hidden away in a cave until his resurrection. 18 While the historical details of the afikoman ceremony remain to be uncovered, those who believe Jesus is The Coming One, the Lamb of God, find that the ceremony illustrates him in a remarkable way, as it may well have done for Jewish believers down through history. Followers of Jesus recognize that there is still a pesach sacrifice, none other than the Messiah himself who redeems us from sin as we were once redeemed from Egypt. Rich Robinson ENDNOTES 1. David Daube, The New Testament and Rabbinic Judaism (Salem, NH: Ayer, 1992 [reprint; orig. 1956]), p Mordell Klein, ed., Passover (New York; Paris: Leon Amiel, 1973), p Nahum N. Glatzer, The Passover Haggadah, rev. ed. (New York: Schocken Books, 1969), p Klein, p Jeffrey M. Cohen, 1,001 Questions and Answers on Pesach (Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996), p Klein, p For the reference in this paragraph, see Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 3rd ed., 1965), pp The full-fledged seder as we know it today did not develop until after the loss of the Temple in 70 A.D.; however many basic elements were present earlier. 9. Some might wonder how the Last Supper could be a Passover seder (as reported in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke), if Jesus was not crucified until the time the Passover lambs were being killed in preparation for the upcoming seder (as reported in the Gospel of John). Some scholars propose that two different calendars were in use at the time among different Jewish groups, with John using one calendar and the other three Gospels, another calendar. 10. See Lawrence A. Hoffman, A Symbol of Salvation in the Passover Seder, pages in Passover and Easter: The Symbolic Structuring of Sacred Seasons, ed. Paul F. Bradshaw and Lawrence A. Hoffman (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1999), and on this point, see p Ibid., see pp. 118 and Daube, He That Cometh (London: London Diocesan Council for Christian-Jewish Understanding, 1966). 13. E.g., Deborah Bleicher Carmichael, David Daube on the Eucharist and the Passover Seder, Journal for the Study of the New Testament 42 (1991): 45-67; Israel J. Yuval, Easter and Passover as Early Jewish-Christian Dialogue, pp in Passover and Easter: Origin and History to Modern Times, ed. by Paul F. Bradshaw and Lawrence A. Hoffman (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1999); Yuval, Passover in the Middle Ages, Origin and History, p Disagreeing with Daube are Lawrence A. Hoffman, Symbol of Salvation, p. 126 n. 22; and Joseph Tabory, Towards a History of the Paschal Meal, Origin and History, p. 79 n. 50. Yuval believes Daube s thesis has not been given sufficient consideration. 14. Yuval, Passover in the Middle Ages, pp. 145 ff. 15. On the Jewishness of the Trinity or Tri-Unity of God, see the articles listed at For the idea that the traditional Jewish Haggadah developed in dialogue and in opposition to Christian understanding, see Yuval, Easter and Passover As Early Jewish-Christian Dialogue, pages in Origin and History. Yuval, however, does not specifically mention the three matzot nor the breaking and hiding of the afikoman. 17. Yuval, Passover in the Middle Ages, pp Ibid., p Phenomenological refers to an approach that describes religious phenomena without judging as to their truth. 7

8 In Vaysechvoos, as for Jews everywhere, Pesach was a very special occasion. Each house was made spotless and bright. All chometz was removed and all the special Passover dishes and utensils were brought out. The families eagerly awaited the celebration with its lengthy and elaborate telling of the Exodus story. The youngest sons spent hours in practice, chanting the mah nishtana. The girls helped their mothers with preparations for the delicious Passover meal. So it was in each home in the shtetl of Vaysechvoos as Passover approached. Sholem, the son of Shimon the butcher, was walking home from cheder when he happened by one of his friends, Duvid, the son of Lazar the Boot Maker. Duvid was a few years older than Sholem. He was already working as an apprentice in the craft of boot making. Sholem, Duvid asked quietly, do you really believe that Eliahu Ha Navi could come this Passover to announce the coming of Messiah? Sholem wondered if Duvid s question was sincere. Duvid may be testing me, he thought. If I say yes, he may laugh and call me a baby for believing fairy tales. On the other hand, he continued, if I say no, and he really is serious, he may run and tell the rabbi and then I will really be in trouble. After a while, Sholem answered, Well, Duvid, it really doesn t matter what I think, does it? Pleased with himself for evading the question, Sholem continued home, dismissing the matter from his mind. The night of the first seder came at last, and as the men made their way home from the synagogue to begin the celebration, they passed a stranger in the shadows along the road. They sauntered by him, engrossed in conversation, each wishing him a good yontif, but paying little attention to him otherwise. The stranger did not speak and soon was the only one left out in the cold spring night. Sholem s mother had laid out with all the Passover finery. The wine cups all shined with the brilliance of newly polished silver. The seder plate, handed down from Sholem s great grandmother, Zlata, seemed to convey its rich history to all who were seated around the table. The pillows at each seat were filled with genuine goose feathers. And what could one say of the meal to come? After all, if the town butcher didn t eat the finest meat available, who would? Yes, Sholem was to celebrate the Passover with much splendor. All that night the stranger stood outside the house of none other than Shimon the Butcher waiting for the traditional invitation, Let all who hunger, come and eat, for he was hungry, but, more than that, he knew that if only Shimon s son, Sholem, would see him, then faith would be kindled in the heart of this small boy. And if Sholem would believe, then who knew but that the heart of every person in the village might also be stirred. And with that faith, what miracles might come to Vaysechvoos? Then the time came for the family to stand and sing, Eliahu Ha Novi, Eliahu Ha Tishbi This was the signal for Sholem to open the door to invite Eliahu, Elijah the Prophet, to enter. As he approached the door of his home, Sholem thought again about the question his playmate Duvid had asked. Did he really believe that if he opened the door Eliahu would be standing on the outside, waiting to come in, to take his place at the table, to herald the coming of Messiah? He thought of the answer he had given Duvid, It really doesn t matter what I think, does it? Sholem left the kitchen and walked to the outer room and to the door. He gripped the latch, but his hands froze upon the handle and the muscles in his arms grew suddenly weak. It really doesn t matter what I think, echoed loudly in his thoughts once again. It doesn t matter at all. His hand dropped from the handle of the big wooden door. He shook his head and ran back to his family in the kitchen. There s no one, Papa, he said, matter-of-factly. No one is outside. The stranger remained outside the door until all the lights went off in the house of Shimon the Butcher. Then, grieved beyond telling, he sadly left the little village of Vaysechvoos. The next morning Sholem was the first to awake. Although the Passover feast had afforded the rest of the family a heavy night s sleep, he had slept poorly. Still wearing his nightshirt, Sholem left his bed and tiptoed to the door hoping that a breath of spring air would clear the sleepiness from his mind. Instead he found himself distressed. Somehow, he reasoned, it would be better to go back to sleep than to be troubled by restless thoughts of a door and of an ancient prophet whose message of hope brought no peace to his heart that Passover season. GLOSSARY: Pesach: Passover Chometz: Leavened bread 8 Ma Nishtana: Four Questions Cheder: primary school Good yontif: Happy Holiday