The Liturgical Calendar

The Significance of the Passover Celebration

The significance of the Passover celebration is covered in Deuteronomy 16 of the Bible. The feast was significant because it commemorated the day that ADONAI, their God, freed them from slavery in Egypt.

The Passover Holiday

The Passover holiday falls in the precise month of Aviv on the calendar. The Jewish Bible used the term "Pesach" to refer to the Passover holiday. Aviv is the month of March or April in the current calendar (Berlin et al.). In addition to the Passover feast, there were several feasts listed in the book of Exodus that were connected to it.

The Marking of the Passover Feast

In the Passover feast, the Israelites were to mark it by slaying a lamb and eating it as a family to remember the day when God delivered them from slavery. Also, celebrating the Passover feast signified the remembrance of the 10th plague that was performed by Moses in the land of Egypt. The significance of the 10th plague is that it marked the defeat of Pharaoh and it was the time he made the decision to release Israelites from slavery. The 10th plague was the last plague which caused the firstborn of every animal and first-born to every family to die (Berlin et al.). The bones of the slain lamb were not to be broken and the meat was to be roasted.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The feast of unleavened bread is mentioned in the book of Exodus Chapter 12 verse 15 through 20. The feast signified the sanctification of the nation of Israel as the chosen people. Yahweh their creator was holy and therefore his people were to be holy as He is. The act of showing holiness and cleansing from all forms of sin was through partaking the feast of the unleavened bread. During the feast, bread to be eaten was to be baked and no yeast was to be added to the wheat flour. The feast of the unleavened bread signified the hurry the Israelites were in when they were moving out of slavery in Egypt (Berlin et al.). The feast lasted for seven days and eating bread containing yeast was considered a sin.

The Feast of First Fruits

The other feast that relates to the Passover was the feast of First Fruits when the first proceeds from the farm were given as a sacrifice to God. The feast is mentioned in the book of Exodus Chapter 23 from verse 19. The feast signified the rebirth of Israelites as a free nation. The feast of first fruits was celebrated immediately after the first Passover feast in a year. Farm produce from every crop was to be burned to given thanks for God's blessings to the nation of Israel (Berlin et al.). Also, the farm produces were to be taken to the synagogues for the servants of God to have food to eat.

The Merging of Feasts

The Passover feast, the feast of first fruits, and the feast of the unleavened bread were merged into one feast, the Passover feast. During the Passover feast, all the rites from the three feasts were to be carried out by the Israelites. The impact of centralizing the related feasts was to add more weight to the event and increase its significance to the nation of Israel. Carrying out all merged event in a single period made the celebration of the event effective since families could plan accordingly for such an important event that happens once a year.

Work Cited

Berlin, Adele, Marc Zvi Brettler, and Michael A. Fishbane. The Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. Oxford University Press, USA, 2004.