Tuesday, April 7, 2015

What Every Christian Needs to Know About Passover, by Rabbi Evan Moffic

Well written, simple explanations, plus a Passover Dinner Guide to help you plan a special event for you, your family and some friends.

Rabbi Evan Moffic gives a clear explanation of what Passover means for the Jewish community and why they celebrate it in the ways that they do. I found the information very helpful and enlightening. I was interested in how some of the traditions were developed and the significance they have. Such as, "during the Passover meal, when the plagues are recounted, we let a drop of wine fall from our wineglasses for each plague. For the final plague, we let two drops spill. The drops represent the tears of the Egyptians. They suffered because of their despotic leader, and we respond with empathy." (Found on Page 13)

That was an interesting insight, they respond with empathy. How often do we respond with empathy for one of our enemies or even someone whom we just happen to dislike?

Chapter four, Cleanse Your Spirit and Cleanse Your Kitchen. This is an interesting chapter in drawing some distinctions to the Passover Feast and the preparation leading up to and the Protestants season of Lent leading up to Holy Week. Both are intended to prepare the individual for a Spiritual Experience in remembering the history of the culture and the history of What God Has Done! For the Jew it is the rescuing out of Egypt, for the Protestant it is the rescuing out of a sin nature.

What I found a bit disheartening in Chapter four was what appeared to be a legalistic cleansing of the house by making sure that there is no Leaven anywhere in the home, no where! Yes, the Jew's made bread without Leven for the first Passover, but that was because time was of the essence. Now it seems as though they search out and remove Leaven for weeks to make sure there is none in the home. That seems a bit drastic, but at least Rabbi Moffic explains why they do it and how it helps prepare them.

I liken it to this, once we have come to know of Christ and His work on the Cross do we search our heart and soul for the areas where sin is hiding so that we can drag it up and offer it to the Lord as a sacrifice to cleanse us. The issue are the same, but I fear the legalism that can happen.

All in all this was a great book. I especially like the guidelines in Chapter 10, Celebrating The Passover Seder Yourself. It gives a clear and direct guide on how the dinner should be observed and how the leader should guide the participants. If you have ever wanted to host a Passover Seder this would be a good guide for you.

I'm sorry I posted the review after Holy Week, but I think that it will be a good book for every Christian who truly wants to have a more thorough understanding of Passover.

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