Why Sabbaths or Sabbath plural "shabbatot"

Martin Rozestraten had a personal chat with Uriel ben-Mordechai from Jerusalem

He is a Hebrew linguist and Bible teacher

This is his answer why there is spoken about sabbath in plurial form.

tee mee'ah tohn sabbah'tohne -- the first of the shabbatot. Why "first"? Why plural "shabbatot"? Verse 6 provides the answer. Sha'ul apparently was in Philippi for Pesach. Just after Pesach, he traveled to Troas, a journey of about 400 km. It took him less than 5 days to complete the journey. There are 7 shabbatot between Pesach and Shavu'ot, that the Torah commands us to count off, during this period. That year, Pesach probably fell on a Shabbat or Sunday. Less than 5 days later, he arrived in Troas, and on the first of those 7 Shabbatot after Pesach, he met with brothers in Troas and shared a meal with them, and later taught them until after midnight.

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• Shabbat Chol Hamo'ed Pesach (thejc.com)
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• Shabbat Nachamu (thejc.com)
  The Shabbat after Tishah b’Av is called Shabbat Nachamu, meaning the Shabbat of comfort. It is named after the first words of the haftarah from Isaiah 40, “Comfort, comfort my people”.
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• Q & A: Pirkei Avot (Part I) (jewishpress.com)
  some readers might mistakenly conclude that Pirkei Avot is only studied between Pesach and Shavuot. Such is not the case. In fact, halacha specifies that we study Pirkei Avot all through the summer (Rema, Orach Chayim 292:2): “We are accustomed not to organize a study session [on Shabbat afternoon] between Minchah and Ma’ariv, but we do recite Pirkei Avot in the summer [i.e., from the first Shabbat after Pesach until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah] and Shir Hama’alot [a collection of chapters of Tehillim that includes Borechi Nafshi (Psalm 104) and the series of Shir Hama’alot (Psalms 120-134)] in the winter.”
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  Haggadot available in the 19^th century had the traditional text accompanied by one or more commentaries. For example, I have sitting next to me a printed copy of a scanned-in Haggadah printed in 1878 in Vilna by the brothers Romm (as in the Vilna Romm Talmud). That text has commentaries from Isaac Abravanel and the Maharal of Prague. The original purpose of the Haggadah text we now know was not to serve as a kind of Siddur for the Seder. The point? Ideally, the Maggid (the person leading the Seder) would use the text and commentaries as a jumping-off point, telling the story, relating bits of interpretation, and asking questions. So the telling of the Pesach story was intended to be interactive and elucidated by texts put in conversation with one another, even centuries apart in age—not unlike traditional Talmud study.
  
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14-15 Nisan and Easter

Today many people in the western world celebrate Easter with luscious chocolate eggs, fragrant hot cross buns and newborn chicks, Easter bunnies, yellow ribbons, and have a lot of decoration that have more to do with fertility rites and nature coming back to life instead of picturing the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

The Feast of Easter itself is a moveable celebration, and can fall anywhere between 22 March and 25 April.
But the date in which the faithful celebrate Christ's resurrection has been surrounded in controversy from early Christian times

Lutz Doering, a reader in New Testament and an expert in calendars and festivals from the University of Durham, confirms: "According to the New Testament, Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. However, it is unclear on what day or date the earliest Christians celebrated Easter."

The Resurrection of Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In history can be found many examples of the first Christians celebrating on 14 Nisan the death and resurrection of Christ. After Jesus’ sacrifice, the apostle Paul assured the early Christian community at Corinth that they have been saved “for Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Various Christian communities followed the “14 Nisan” rule and just asked their local Jews when Passover started, but after controversies in the second and third centuries, many Christians ended up settling the matter at the Council of Nicaea in 325.

Dr Doering explains that there is evidence that, in the middle of the 2nd Century, some Christians celebrated Easter on 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan - that is, on the preparationnight for the Jewish Passover. They were hence known as Quartodecimans, from the Latin word for '14'.

This group saw Easter as a "Christian form of Passover, celebrated at the same time as Jewish neighbours would get ready for the Pesach meal" like we all still should do, remembering the first Passover and the second Passover.

Those in favour of the Roman leaders and not wanting to go against their will, preferred to celebrate on the Sunday after Passover, not to have as such a connection with the Jews and being more in accord with the heathen feasts of the seasons, having the celebration of Spring.

So several Christian churches started to coincide their celebration with the traditional feasts of Springtime and basically tried and created their own “Christian Nisan” — figure out the full moon after the spring equinox — but also add on an extra rule, which is that Easter should fall on a Sunday, though originally the Passover feast was always on a different day.

The problem also was that full moon is not everywhere at the same moment. So it was easier to take the first  Sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox, so that everywhere in the world could be celebrated the same event on the same day. In principle, that still means that Western Easter should fall within Passover, but since Hillel II’s reforms in the 4th century, the Jewish calculations for Nisan are based on a formula and not on astronomy — see Gauss’s formula for the date of Pesach. Thus, in 2008, Western Easter fell on March 23, while Passover didn’t start until April 20.

But there is also a problem with the name the festival is be known today as well.

Normally God did ask to remember the Passover for ever. Jesus also celebrated it as a good faithful  believer. The Exodus was to be taken at heart and to be remembered for ever. At first the followers of Jesus, mostly Jews, kept to their Jewish feasts and so the group of 'The Way' like the followers were called, celebrated the Passover on the same date as the Jewish community. The day before the actual seder meal the Christians also came together to remember the Last supper of their master, rabbi Jeshua (Jesus Christ).

But the name in the English-speaking world is something else again. The word “easter” is probably a modified version of either “ostara” or “eostre“, which is a Pagan festival, based around the March equinox. It was the celebration of the goddess of fertility Eostra, Estra or Esdra and Ishtar the pagan Babylonian and Assyrian deity of fertility and sexuality, later adopted by the Romans, and formally introduced into Christianity by Emperor Constantine. Also the cross, the sign of Tamuz, the god of evil was taken over to become a symbol of bringing Jesus to his end. Jesus was namely impaled on a wooden stake, which was not in the form as it is known today and certainly should never be adored

Sasha Volokh questions also the difference between dates and does find it not at all obvious why Christians should differ as to the date of Easter. "We can observe the spring equinox using astronomy. We can observe the full moon using astronomy (though that might differ by a day or two depending on where one is in the world). And everyone has the same Sunday. So why should there be any (significant) difference?"

According to her:

The answer is that “Sunday” really does mean “Sunday,” but “full moon” doesn’t necessarily mean “full moon,” and “spring equinox” doesn’t necessarily mean “spring equinox.” The equinox rule is the biggest factor in the East-West date divergence. For purposes of calculating Easter, we use March 21 instead of the true date of the equinox, which could be March 19 or March 20. (The complexities behind “full moon” will be in a later post.) So we immediately see how the Western and Eastern churches can differ: March 21 is considered to fall on a different day depending on your calendar, and March 21 in the Julian calendar is what we in the West would call April 3.
Sometimes there’s no full moon between March 21 and April 3, so the relevant full moon for Easter-computation purposes is the same. For instance, in 2011, there were full moons on March 19 and April 18, so both calendars celebrated Easter on (Gregorian) April 24, the Sunday after (Gregorian) April 18. But sometimes there is a full moon between March 21 and April 3, so the relevant full moons will be about a month off. For instance, in 1997, the full moons were March 24 and April 27, so the Western churches celebrated Easter on March 30, the Sunday after March 24, while the Eastern churches celebrated Easter on April 27 itself (which happened to be a Sunday).

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Please do find more about this:

1. Impaled until death overtook him
2. Swedish theologian finds historical proof Jesus did not die on a cross
3. Why 20 Nations Are Defending the Crucifix in Europe
4. Easter: Why is it so early this year?
5. Orthodox Easter: What’s up with that? + Orthodox Easter: What’s up with that? — Part 2
6. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
7. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
8. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
9. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
10. 14 Nisan a day to remember #5 The Day to celebrate
11. A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
12. High Holidays not only for Israel
13. Festival of Freedom and persecutions
14. Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
15. A Great Gift commemorated
16. Proclaiming shalom, bringing good news of good things, announcing salvation

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A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life

Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them: “These are the words which the Lord has commanded, that you should do them” (Exodus 35:1)

English: Moses speaks to the children of Israel, as in Deuteronomy 31:1, illustration from "The Boys of the Bible" by Hartwell James, published by Henry Altemus Company, 1905 and 1916. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The people who believed in a Divine Creator came already together at regular times in the time of Moses and the time before him. Moses was warned by his father in law that he could not do things on his own.

“17 and Moses’ father-in-law said to him, the thing that you do [is] not good. 18 you will surely wear away, both you and this people that [is] with you. for this thing [is] too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone. 19 listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and god will be with you. you be for the people toward god, that you may bring the causes to god. 20 and you shall teach them ordinances and laws, and shall make them know the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21 and you shall look out of all the people able men, such as fear god, men of truth, hating unjust gain. and place [such] over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” (Exodus 18:17-21 MKJV)

Today we also do find many people in church communities to be burned out, and the people right along with their supposed leaders. Today there are a lot of priests and church-leaders who are not really there for the people before God. They also are afraid or do not bring the many matters of concern to God. Though their job is to teach the common people the rules and instructions of God and to show them how to live, what to do. Many of those church-leaders do not fear God any-more or do not look up to men of integrity, men who are incorruptible — and do not appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. Many churches have gone far off track of what the bride Christ had offered.

Now we have been celebrating Chag Ha Aviv – Passover, our spring holiday – also named Chag HaMatzot the holiday of unleavened bread with so many other chosen people by God, we could and can take time to meet with many people who believe in the One and only One God of gods, Jehovah.

This 7 or 8 days of holy time coincides with what many Christians call the Holy Week. For us it is also a holy week.

As the Jews eat their “bread of procrastination” it is also for us a time to reflect on our faith. On 14 Nisan, Tuesday the 26th in the evening, after sundown, all over the world serious bible students came together to remember two special moments in history.

In Belgium people could follow the Memorial Meal in several languages (a.o. Dutch, French, German, English, Mandarin, Afrikaans, Congolese, Arabic, Albanian) and hear the readings from the Scriptures in their own language or a language they also know. Somehow they could find a language which could suit them and which they could follow so they should not have a had a language excuse.
There should also not have to be an excuse to delay the coming together, because we have 8 days time to come together to share the Good News with friends, colleagues, brethren and sisters in Christ.

As Rabbi Avi Katz Orlow wrote: "We all have ways we can grow; matzah is there to flatten us out and remind us that this growth might not fit neatly into our schedule." For him Jews are not destined to be the doormat of history. When the situation calls for it they need to be ready to risk their own safety and security to stand up for those who need our help.

Jews and Christians must be brave enough to end fights without going into fighting themselves. But even in those situations we need to know when to call it quits and move on. The armour we do have to put on is the armour of love, which was demonstrated by Jeshua (Jesus)

The Matzah has the focal point on freedom and on 14 Nisan we could say we have a remembrance of Liberation Day. First of all there where the Chosen People, Israel, the People of God, who were blessed by the Creator and shown the way to safeguard themselves for the destruction of the firstborns which came over the land of Egypt because the people of Egypt did not wanted to listen to the God of gods. Secondly there is the night Jesus prepared a meal with his disciples, washed their feet as a humble servant, broke unleavened bread and said thanks to the Most High Elohim. On that night he was going to be betrayed and brought to a judgement bringing death he let us know that we have something to look forward and that he was willing to serve as a mediator between God and men, being the Lam of God, bringing blood of life, the Blood of The Everlasting Covenant.

Through sharing meals we each can connect to the network of Jewish tables, Christian tables and share the connection which was made for the Gentiles by the Nazarene Jeshua, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

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Please do find some of the readings of the service of 14 Nisan:

• In English:
  On the first day for matzah
  Servant for the truth of God
  The Anointed One and the first day of No Fermentation
  For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus
• In Dutch:
  Op de eerste dag voor matzah
  Dienstknecht voor velen terwille van de waarheid van God
  De Gezalfde en de eerste dag van de feestperiode van Ongezuurde Broden
  Voor de Wil van Hem die groter is dan Jezus
• In French:
  Le premier jour de matsa
  
  Le fils de David et le premier jour des pains sans levain
  
  Serviteur pour pour prouver la véracité de DieuPour la Volonté de Celui qui est plus grand que Jésus
  
• In German:
  Diener um der Wahrheit willen Gottes
  Der Gesalbte und der erste Tag des Festes der ungesäuerten Brote
  Am ersten Tag für Mazza
  Für den Willen dessen, der größer ist als Jesus

Please do also find to read about the Last Supper:

1. Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy
2. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
3. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
4. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
5. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
6. 14 Nisan a day to remember #5 The Day to celebrate
7. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
8. High Holidays not only for Israel
9. Festival of Freedom and persecutions

Vindt ook om te lezen rond het Laatste Avondmaal:

In het Nederlands:

1. De Gezalfde en de eerste dag van de feestperiode van Ongezuurde Broden
2. Voorbereidingstijd tot een herinneringsmoment
3. Zalving van Christus als profetische repetitie van de begrafenisrituelen
4. 1 -15 Nisan
5. 14 Nisan, de avond om Christus Zijn predikingswerk te herinneren
6. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #1 Oorsprong
7. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #2 In Jezus tijd
8. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #3 Voor het Overgangsfeest
9. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #4 Een Gedood Lam
10. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #5 De te vieren dag
11. Jezus Laatste Avondmaal
12. Jezus aanbod op het laatste avondmaal
13. Teken van het Verbond
14. Jezus moest sterven
15. Een Messias om te Sterven
16. Lam van God #3c Christus stierf als onschuldig Lam NT teksten
17. Een Groots Geschenk om te herinneren
18. Een Feestmaal en doodsherinnering
19. Geen Wegvluchter
20. Slavernij, Ongedesemd Brood en Feesten

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  Find also:
  
  Timely Growth  + For the Love of Meetings 
  
  
  
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High Holidays not only for Israel

In Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy we saw that the Creator God provided twice in history a Passover lamb.

Map of the Land of Israel as defined in Numbers 34 and Ezekiel 47 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In coming together next Tuesday 26 March we bring glory to God and show how thankful we are for what He provided in this world. The 14th of Nisan, like that day is called according the directions of God, we commemorate two occasions of deliberation: 1. the liberation of God's People Israel from Egypt; 2. the liberation of all people, believers, heathen, non-believers by the sacrificial offer of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.


Many in Belgium know about this day, either from the Jews or from the Jehovah Witnesses. But they should know they are also welcome at our services to see how we honour God and how we share the love of Christ Jesus. As most Jews will gather with family and friends, at a Pesah or Pesach seder, we also will celebrate the liberation of God's chosen people from slavery.

William Blake's Holy Thursday (1794). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The coming days several people may be annoyed that the shops are closed because of a Holy Day . This weekend it starts with the Cypriots and Greeks having free until Tuesday and the 5th of May for their Easter Sunday (Many Orthodox Christian churches, including the Greek Orthodox and the Russian Orthodox churches, celebrate the “miracle of Easter” on the Easter Sunday date in the Julian calendar.) The Jews, Messianic Jews, Unitarian Churches (like Church of God) and non-trinitarian Biblestudents (like the Russell and Christadelphian Biblestudents, Thomasites and Jehovah Witnesses) have coming Tuesday as the 'Preparation' date (14 Nisan) and the Wednesday until Thursday (15 Nisan) as Pesach, on Thursday and Friday the Old Catholics with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, on Sunday and Monday 31st of March and the 1st of April Easter for the Roman Catholics and several Protestant denominations and for the worshippers of the Celtic gods and those celebrating the goddess Estra (hence the name Easter). Also Hindus, Muslims, other believers and atheists may receive two paid holidays though they may not be interested in the reasons of the free days but will enjoy the family time.

For followers of the One and Only One God of gods  יהוה {Jehovah} it should be the most important time of the year, and not to celebrate the goddess of fertility, Estra, but to think of the liberation of the people God has given His creation.

In Belgium everybody knows  Israel “the place,” and Israel, “the people”but not many do know the position that Israel has to take in the universe. Also we, as Christians should be more aware of the function of Israel and what the position and role shall be for Jerusalem.

14 Nisan is a day when so many in Antwerp shall go into festivity days. Many Jews shall also invite non Jews to a dish with nice things for a special celebration. But we as Christians can also invite other believers to share our faith and to tell them about the liberation of the People of God and what we do expect from the bloodletting of the lamb. The mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael, loving Israel, calls us to love both the land of Israel and Klal Yisrael, the people of Israel. Loving Israel links us to both the land and the people. We should show respect for the people who got first priority by God. But we should also love all those who are created in the image of God. That means that we also should be loving to people who believe different things than us, or who say they do not believe (though they perhaps mean that they do not believe that there exist a Divine Supremacy God Creator).

Like we should teach our children about “Israel” we also should teach others about the Divine Creator, Israel and the promises God has given the world. Such holidays are good opportunities to do that. We should make use of it.

Though many have tried everything to get rid of Israel it is still a large family spread all over the world. They are a diverse group with different opinions, cultures, lifestyles, levels of observance, and beliefs. However, they are still all one family with responsibilities to each other. Those who want to become under the custody of the Creator God should also be prepared to take others under their care and should unite with each other as children of God, feeling to be part of the one Big Family.

Having been an enslaved and pursued people the Jews should know what it is to be put aside or to be discriminated. The Festival of Liberation coming in a few days time, they should, as we should, take some time to consider what cruelty can be done to people and how God can protect people and give them plural chances to make something good of their life.They should have esteem for their Liberator and show their gratitude to that Protector to others. Their children should come to understand and adopt as part of their vocabulary and their growing Jewish identity  ensch, brakhah, Torah, mitzvah, boker tov, Shabbat, tzedakah, shalom , and Israel and Klal Israel. Young children may not fully comprehend what something happening “long ago” means, but they can have an understanding that what they do now has been done for a long time. First, it happened in Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. And now, today, Jews living all over the world continue to observe these mitzvot/practices. This must be important if their family, their teachers and friends give it such meaning.

Others around them should also get to know why those festivities are. And those who are willing to be partakers of the Kingdom of God with Israel as the capital, should show their respect to that Jewish tradition and follow the Law of God.

The same as the Jews connect with those they care about when they share a Passover Seder with family and friends, we should take the occasion of 14 Nisan, the preparation day to the 15 th of Nisan and Pesach, the Passover Meal, to invite others to share a meal with us and to share our prayers and songs to God.

By the action of the Jew Jeshua from Nazareth, Jesus Christ, those following him have become part of the people of God. And as such they also should like the Jews, communally give voice to our shortcomings and our wishes for peace and good health in the coming year during the High Holidays.

Simon Ushakov's icon of the Mystical Supper. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Like Jesus who came together with his talmidim to prepare themselves for the celebration of the Passover meal at twilight on the fourteenth day of Nisan as ordered in the Law of Moses, we come together according the ordinances given by God and by the request of His son to remember that evening of Jesus his Last Supper. As followers of Christ, believing in his death and resurrection, accepting his offer for us, we believe we have now also become part of those chosen by God to be part of His family. And for this we are very grateful and wish to let the world know about the Wonders God did for His people.

Passover in 2013 will start on Tuesday, the 26th of March and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 1st of April.
In the USA, Passover ends one day later, so in 2013, Passover will end on Tuesday, the 2nd of April.

This year it was a little bit difficult to consider which day to be taken, because their where different opinions and some confusion in the world, having some Jews and Bible students taking the 14th Nisan Tuesday the 26th and others like in Israel celebrating Passover on the sunset in Jerusalem of Monday, the 25th of March.

We accordingly invite you for our Memorial Meal on 14 Nisan or Tuesday the 26th of March at 7.30 pm.

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You may find more information about Easter and 14 Nisan:

1. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
2. Religious Practices around the world
3. Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites
4. The Weekend that changed the world
5. A Great Gift commemorated
6. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
7. Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
8. A Messiah to die
9. The Song of The Lamb #3 Daniel and Revelation
10. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
11. Festival of Freedom and persecutions
12. Seven days of Passover
13. 1 -15 Nisan
14. Day of remembrance coming near 
15. Pesach
16. Korban Pesach
17. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
18. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
19. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
20. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
21. A Jewish Theocracy
22. Observance of a day to Remember
23. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
24. Observance of a day to Remember 
25. Pesach and solidarity 

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 Also of interest:

Faith Without Obedience

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• This day in History...the 10th of Nisan
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• GENTILES are Gods Chosen People as well?
• Why Orthodox Jews Are Opposed to a Zionist State
• Loving the Other Israel
• Seven days of Passover
• Faith Without Obedience

Festival of Freedom and persecutions

A group cannot be called am [nation] if there is no solidarity says Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Am is indicative of a readiness to share, a sense of compassion. The Jews were taken out of Egypt and were freed not because of their spiritual grandeur, but simply because they were charitable to one another; there was a feeling of solidarity among them, and they were prepared to follow the instructions of the God of Mozes.

Soon the Jews will be celebrating the Festival of Freedom. For us Christians that is also an important occasion to remember.

We have to remember all the wonders God brought unto the earth to show His Greatness. Though even today the Wonders of God on this earth can be seen every day, not many people do want to see them or do not believe in the Hand who is behind all those blessings.

Today we are confronted with a lot of wars going on all over the world. When we hear and see how many earthquakes and natural disasters are coming over the world where children oppose their parents and religions fight against other religions, than we have the free choice to either see the signs God is giving to the universe or to ignore what is happening as a prophesied element in the history of the creation.

The climax of the Exodus story is the construction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem:
If He had brought us into the land of Israel, and had not built for us the Beit Habechirah (Chosen House; the Beit Hamikdash) Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

The central importance of Holy Temple in the Passover story and in Judaism must never be forgotten:
Thus did Hillel do at the time of the Beit HaMikdash: He would combine Passover — lamb, Matzah and Maror and eat them together, as it said: “They shall eat it with Matzah and bitter herbs.”

The nexus of the City of Jerusalem, the Holy Temple and the Kingdom of Israel in Judaism must never be forgotten:
Have mercy, L-rd, our G-d, upon Israel Your people, upon Jerusalem Your city, upon Zion the abode of Your glory, upon the kingship of the house of David Your anointed, and upon the great and holy House which is called by Your Name.

Jerusalem will be fully rebuilt:
Rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our days. Blessed are You, L-rd, who in His mercy rebuilds Jerusalem. Amen.

Lots of Europeans recoil the way “Israel” the country is setting up a wall and is discriminating other people. Often they forget that those secular Jews and the fundamentalist Jews are not presenting a proper picture of the active believing Jewish people, the People of God.

In Belgium we are confronted enough with real religious Jews, who act totally different from those we see battling in Israel. Though some Jews over here also may take on an attitude of considering themselves a more important and 'clean' people than the heathen population.Because many cut themselves off from the civil world they often have like many Muslims a wrong idea about Christians and Christendom. They should not forget how it where many Christian believers in the 1930ies and 1940ies saw what was happening in Europe and tried to save those who also believed in the God of Israel.
At the same time it where their own brethren in the New World who perhaps where not so interested in those Jewish brethren of the Old World. If in the 1940s those American Jews had responded to the call for help that came across the ocean from the ghettos in Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic lands, they might have saved hundreds of thousands of Jews. Rabbi Soloveitchik  also thinks that the Jewish community did not respond to that call. "I thought at the time that the Jewish community was falling apart," he says," that there was no sense of solidarity, of being together, of suffering together." Today he agrees: "It was a terrible crime on our part…and we have not purged ourselves from the great crime we committed, tolerating the destruction of six million Jews."

I bring up this holocaust drama because somehow it was also part of God His Plan and the start of the new Israel. It should also be a lesson for many of us. As Pesach nears, these words should set our consciences aflame. Today, some of the world’s most inspirational Jews suffer continual persecution and brutality. Masked troops destroy their communities under cover of darkness and jail their children without due process, traumatizing families and empowering the enemies of Am Yisrael.

Our world should make a big difference between Zionism and True Israel.

Rabbi Soloveitchik says: "Zionism means defending Jews and building Eretz Yisrael. People who hurt Jews and surrender Israel to Islamist neo-Nazis are not Zionists, no matter how fluent their Hebrew is." But does he not forget that fundamentalist Jews taking over the land of others, though they might think it is given by God, should ask for the land and come to the land to use it as it is instructed by the Most High Elohim Hashem?

All people should be aware that nobody shall be able to hinder God His Plan. Soon we shall be confronted with the reality of the prophesies coming to conclusion.
No matter what happens Israel shall be the Land of the Israelites, Israel God's People.

As on the night the blood of the lambs was brought on the doorposts to give a sign to the messengers of God, we today should give the right sign to God. We should bring the blood of the Lamb on the virtual doorpost of our Faith life. With the Passover the Jews began their unique relationship with God. On Passover God redeemed their but also our ancestors from the slavery of Egypt. And on Passover Jehovah made a commitment to stand by Israel, his chosen people, forever. They should become more aware of that and act to this special position. They should more to seek to fulfil their mission to be “a light unto the nations.”

As God liberated the Judaic slaves from Egypt He will save the slaves of this world, who confine to Him and follow His Instructions. Those that keep to the Law of God shall be saved. They shall be able to look forward to the Greatest Feast of Freedom. The Great Passover.

We should light our candles and be ready to see the light of God and be worthy to welcome the Lamb of God when he, Jeshua (Jesus) returns.

The Seder should be a moment of gathering where all those who know God, love the Most High, are wiling to celebrate the liberation of slavery in Egypt, share the love of God and want to show others that Jehovah is a God of love inviting all to the dish on which Jesus also sat a few hours before his death.

The Seder, like many festive occasions, provides a great opportunity to get others to know the wonders God did, to share family experiences and exchange personal stories of traditions (our own and others) so that it  will help to diminish the fear that comes from difference and misunderstanding which divides this world of people, who are all created in the image of God.

Edgar Bronfman, Sr.  looked at the long book with many different ideas. Jews spend hours discussing its profound teachings. Yet there is one theme that stands out as cardinal concept. 

For not only one has risen up against us, but in every generation they rise up against us to annihilate us, but the Most Holy One, blessed be he, always delivers us out of their hands.

Bronfman  has produced a new Haggadah for himself and other American Jewish critics of how Israel defends itself against it enemies.
Bronfman rewrites the standard, family favorite “Dayenu” song stating

“And if we deliver peace between ourselves, the Palestinians, and our Arab neighbors … that will be enough!”

He concludes with

 “commit ourselves to supporting every idea, every effort, and every carefully crafted plan that seeks to lead Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Arabs—indeed all of the world’s clashing people—out of the dark and narrow straits of fear and violence, out of the strictures of hatred and war, and into the spiritual Jerusalem—the true Promised Land—an open and peaceful place flowing with the milk and honey of justice, compassion, and freedom for all.”

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Please do find to read:

1. A Jewish Theocracy
2. Observance of a day to Remember
3. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
4. Observance of a day to Remember 
5. Day of remembrance coming near 
6. Pesach 
7. Korban Pesach
8. 1 -15 Nisan
9. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
10. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
11. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
12. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
13. Pesach and solidarity 
14. Seven days of Passover

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