THE PASSOVER – PART 4 OF 7

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THE PASSOVER – PART 4 OF 7

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This is Part 4 of a seven (7) part series to help you understand the Biblical roots of the Passover. Also, to help you understand WHY and HOW the Passover being celebrated today is different from that given to Moses in the instructions by God in Exodus Chapter 12. HOW did the changes come about and WHY? You will have a deeper understanding and love for your LORD after this study!

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THE PASSOVER – PART 4 OF 7

On the Passover table we find a number of interesting things, the meaning of which I will explain as we go along. There are dishes of grated apple, bitter herbs, unleavened bread, salty water, and an egg.

The grated apple turns its color into red representing the clay that the Israelites used to make bricks in Egypt. The bitter herbs are to remind them of the bitterness suffered as slaves under Pharaoh. (Jewish people usually make a mixture of bitter herbs into a paste and make little sandwiches for everyone to eat, including the little children, to impress upon them the bitterness they suffered in Egypt.

The unleavened bread is to remind them of the haste with which they had to depart from the land of slavery. The dish of salty water, in which the sop is dipped, represents the tears shed in Egypt, and also the Red Sea. This is also called the dish of reconciliation, or forgiveness. This dish was given by our Lord first to Judas (who was betrayed him) for Jesus was still willing and ready to forgive if Judas would have turned from his evil.

The egg is a “type” or picture of the grave and resurrection. Looking upon this egg the Jews are reminded that we are mortal and will someday be placed in the grave; but because there is life in the egg, they have hope of resurrection from the grave.

Everything on the table has a double meaning. Firstly, it points back to Egypt, to the deliverance of the forefathers from the land of bondage. Secondly, it points forward to the coming of the Messiah who will deliver them from their present bondage and provide them with an earthly kingdom.

No lamb is found on the Passover table, but only a bone, a shin bone: a pure lower unbroken joint of the front leg of the lamb is used. On the table at each place are glasses or cups of wine, and in the center of the table are four (4) special glasses or cups. Kosher rules specify that the wine must be red. The two glasses on the right are called “The cup of Elijah” and “The cup of Blessing”. The two cups on the left are called “The cup of Redemption” and “The Cup of Glory”. The two cups on the right point back to Egypt; the two on the left point forward to the final deliverance of the Jews and Messianic glory.

These four cups of wine also represent the fourfold promise, as recorded in Torah, Exodus 6:6: “Wherefore, say unto the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD and will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you from your enemies, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with judgment’.”

At the head of the table, in a beautiful cover, are three (3) special Passover cakes. During the early part of the feast, the MIDDLE one, the second of the three, is broken in halves. On half is partaken by all the members of the family at the beginning of the meal. The other half is treated with special regard and reverently wrapped in a cloth and hidden away, or buried … usually between the two pillows on which the head of the family reclines … until the end of the meal.

The half, which is hidden away, is no longer considered just unleavened bread. It is called “APHIKOMEN’” and symbolizes the PASSOVER LAMB itself. The Feast and ceremony of the Passover last until midnight, when at the very last act of the Feast, the cake called APHIKOMEN is brought forth and eaten of by all the members of the family. It is, however, given out so that one small piece is left over, which is put away on the highest shelf in the house until the next year.

The customary explanation for the presence of the three cakes is that they represent the three groups in Israel: the Priests, the Levites, and the Israelites. But if that is the case, why is the middle cake broken, wrapped and hidden away (or buried) and then brought forth from the hiding place and shared among the members of the family? Why, also, is it called by the mysterious name APHIKOMEN? What has all this to do with the Levites?

In our next lesson on the Passover, Part 5, we will find the answer!

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