Title Passover and Jewish Faith
Grandpa, the oldest in the family, greeted those who were seated at the table, and then announced that we would all start praying for the Passover from now on. I thought it was a simple prayer for a meal and closed my eyes, but my grandfather noticed and brought us a book. It was a fairly thick book written in Hebrew, but at first glance it looked like a Bible or not.
But the prayer continued without knowing how to end. A child at the table yawned in boredom several times before finally nodding to sleep. Eventually the mother intervened and took the child to the bathroom, poured a bowl of cold water on his head, and put him back on the table. Thus, the continued Passover prayer was finished almost at 4 am.
The only food I ate that day was a few pieces of unleavened bread, bitter greens, half a boiled egg, a chicken bone, and four glasses of wine. But the lessons I learned and felt that day are still not erased from my mind. Because that night was different from many of the previous nights.
Although it is true later, the contents of the prayer book (Passover Hagada) we read together on this day recalls the time when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea from the days when they lived in pain as slaves in Egypt, the event of their exodus across the Red Sea, and the difficult times they lived in the wilderness. It can be seen that the didactic and educational elements of trying to reproduce the previous experience as the current event are highly emphasized.
Why is it that the Jews, who have won the most Nobel Prizes in the world and have much to be proud of than anyone else, are still reliving this incident about 3,500 years ago and that is a “shameful” past in every family?
Passover preparation
Preparations at home for the Passover are very tense, and in order to keep the feast according to the instructions of the Bible, all hametz (enzymes) left in the house must be completely removed (Exodus 12:15-20, 13) :7). It's time for a spring cleanup after all. Special dishes and food from which the hamets have been removed must be prepared for the festival. A pot of boiling water is prepared on every street, and the dishes and utensils taken out of the household are brought and boiled in the boiling water. To completely eliminate Hamets.
All bread factories close their doors about a week before the start of the Passover and stop producing bread completely. And they produce matzah (unleavened bread) to be used for the Passover. All Jewish stores and many supermarkets only serve food that is approved for use on the Passover, while corners selling items containing enzymes are blocked from access. Jewish cookbooks contain unleavened meals or Passover recipes made with potato powder instead of flour.
Festive rites are just as important in the home as in the synagogue. Undoubtedly, the most popular and fascinating festive ritual is the Passover meal, or Seder. Its origins come from the Passover sacrificial lamb, which was killed on the eve of the Passover in temple rituals, and worshiped with this meat eaten at home on the evening of the first day of Passover. Hallel (Psalm 113-18), which was read in the temple, is transferred to the Seder meal and recited. Although the sacrificial lamb was no longer available, the mazza and bitter herbs continue to characterize the Passover.
The evening process is centered around haggada, which means ‘telling a story’. Hagada is the name of the book in which the order of worship is recorded. Seder is a participatory event. Everyone participates in reading, discussing, and singing. One of the most intriguing events comes at the beginning, when the youngest child practiced for weeks and then sang in Hebrew aloud in front of adults, the Four Questions. Jews never forget this sentence: Ma Mishtana Ha-Layla Ha-Je, 'Why is this night different from the other nights?' Happy memories of childhood raised in a loving family. Many groping events take place on this night.
Since the time of the rabbis, the custom of drinking four glasses of wine arose in Seder. They represent four stages of salvation, from the Exodus (before the meal) to the Messiah (after the meal). Some drink the fifth cup or place an extra glass of wine “for Elijah the Prophet” on the table.
Today's text is the miraculous event of Oh Byung-Eye who we know well. Unlike the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John reports that this event occurred near the Passover. A large crowd had gathered in the empty fields, but there was nothing to eat. It is similar to the situation of the Israelites at the time of the Exodus. The Lord blessed a child with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, and gave them to share. And 12 baskets left. What the text intends to suggest is that in the past, our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but there was neither excess nor shortage, but we emphasize that today we have more than enough food to eat. He is speaking of Jesus who is greater than Moses.
If the Jewish Passover was the day that the Israelites were freed from slavery, our Lent is the day that mankind was saved. If the Jewish people were saved from the death of their firstborn through the blood of the Lamb put on the doorposts at the Passover, our Passion Day is the event where all of us who deservedly died through Christ's sacrifice came to life. If the Jewish Passover is a day of suffering by eating unleavened bread and bitter herbs, it should be a day where we share in suffering with our marginalized neighbors.
But aren't we having the customary Lent? If Lent is no different from yesterday, what is the difference between Christ and Christ? I hope this is a season of Lent where you will ponder why the sacrifice of Christ is more important than anything else. What is it that we remember and commemorate the suffering and resurrection of Christ?