Читать книгу The Jewish Religion, Ethically Presented - Henry Pereira Mendes - Страница 21
ОглавлениеTHE THREE FESTIVALS.
The Passover or Pesach.
1. The Passover Festival is called in Hebrew, Pesach.
2. It is kept in honor of our Freedom, when we were delivered by God from Egypt, where our ancestors were slaves. (A. M. 2448.)
3. We may not eat or drink anything leavened or fermented during the whole Passover week.
4. The Hagada, or story of the departure from Egypt, is read in the home. The ceremony is called the Seder.
5. During the reading, the following symbols are used—a small piece of lamb bone, unleavened bread and bitter herb, a roasted egg and Haroseth.
6. The lamb bone is to remind us of the Pascal or Passover sacrifice offered by our ancestors on the night of the departure from Egypt, when they ate of the lamb, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, after sprinkling the blood of the lamb on their door-posts.
7. The marking of the door-post with the blood was to prove that they believed in God and not in the gods of the Egyptians, such as the lamb.
8. The unleavened bread reminds us of God’s love in ordering our fathers to get ready the only kind of bread that would be fit for their long journey from Egypt.
9. The bitter herb reminds us of the bitter bondage our fathers had to endure in Egypt.
10. When we contrast our freedom with their bondage we cannot but be grateful to God for His kindness and protection.
11. The great lessons of the Passover are therefore Faith in God, His love for us, our gratitude to Him.
*12. The roasted egg is a reminder of the “Festival Sacrifice,” or the ancient national gathering of our fathers every Passover in Jerusalem.
13. The Haroseth represents the bricks and mortar with which our fathers labored in Egypt, and thus indicates the menial nature of their work.
14. Work is permitted on the middle days of Passover.
15. The importance of the Passover is shown by the frequency with which the deliverance from Egypt is mentioned in the Bible as the reason for many commands concerning our duty to God, to our neighbor and to ourselves.
16. And its importance is strikingly shown by the fact that the deliverance from Egypt is mentioned in the first of the ten commandments.
17. From the history of the Passover we learn these additional lessons:
1. Freedom is mankind’s right.
2. No nation has any right to oppress another.
3. God judges every nation.
4. No nation can allow wrong in its midst without suffering for it.
BIBLE QUOTATIONS.
2. Remember this day, in which ye came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.—Exod. xiii, 3.
The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib; for in the month Abib thou camest out of Egypt.—Exod. xxxiv, 18.
3 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your house.—Exod. xii, 19.
Ye shall eat nothing leavened.—Exod. xii, 20.
Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.—Exod. xiii, 7.
4. And thou shalt tell thy son on that day, saying, this is done because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth from Egypt.—Exod. xiii, 8.
5. And they shall eat the flesh on that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs shall they eat it.—Exod. xii, 8.
7. And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am the Lord.—Exod. xii, 12.
9. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar and brick, and in all manner of service in the field; all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.—Exod. i, 14.
11. And the people had faith; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.—Exod. iv, 31.
Because the Lord loved you and because He would keep the promise which He promised unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, King of Egypt.—Deut, vii, 8.
O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.—Psalm cvii, 1. 2.
12. At the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name therein, there shalt thou sacrifice the Passover, at eventide, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.—Deut. xvi, 6.
13. And they embittered their lives with hard bondage in mortar and in brick.—Exod. i, 14.
14. And on the first day a holy convocation and on the seventh day a holy convocation shall there be to you; no manner of work shall be done on them, save that which everyone must eat, that only may be done for you.—Exod. xii, 16.
15. Ye shall keep My commandments and do them; I am the Lord. Ye shall not profane My Holy Name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel; I am the Lord who halloweth you, that brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord your God.—Levit. xxii, 31-33.
If thy brother become poor and fall in need with thee, then thou shalt relieve him, yea though he be a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury nor interest of him, but fear thy God ... I am the Lord your God who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt.—Levit. xxv, 35-38.
Just balances, just weights, a just ephah and a just hin shall ye have. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.—Levit. xix, 36.
Be ye holy to your God. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God.—Numbers xv, 40-41.
17. Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.—Lev. xxv, 10.
Thou shalt take up this proverb against the King of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased!—Isa. xiv, 4.
With righteousness shall He judge the world and peoples with equity.—Psalm xcviii, 9.
If a nation do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will reconsider the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.—Jerem. xviii, 10.
