The author acknowledges the assistance he received from Anthony Coore in the preparation of this revision. Anthony Coore pointed out to him the scriptural inconsistency of the wave of sheaf offering being waved to Yahweh on the morrow after the first Shabbat on the first month of the year, as was the leaning of the author at the time so pointed out. The correct Shabbat, the morrow after which the wave of sheaf offering is waved to Yahweh is now shown in this revision.

It should also be noted that Anthony Coore does not necessarily agree with all matters presented in this study, or in other publications in the Servants of Yahweh web site.

INSTITUTION OF PESACH AND THE FEAST OF MATZAH

1. Yahweh Set the Beginning of the Year
2. Yahweh's Pesach Sacrificed on the Fourteenth
3. Yahweh's Pesach Eaten on the Fifteenth
4. Why Yahweh Instituted His Pesach
5. The Meaning of Blood on the Door-Posts
6. Day for Eating Yahweh's Pesach a Memorial
7. Matzah to be Eaten for Seven Days
8. A Principle of Yahweh's Law
9. Holy Convocations During Days of Matzah
10. Actions Permitted on the Shabbat
11. Why Yahweh Commanded Observance of the Feast of Matzah
12. The Timing for the Feast of Matzah
13. Ordinance of Matzah Binding on All in the Land of the Congregation of Yisrael
14. The Land Intended for the Observance of the Feast of Matzah
15. No Partiality With Respect to Observance of the Feast of Matzah
16. Why Moshe Commanded the Yisraelites to Stay in their Houses All Night
17. Yahweh's Pesach Intended for Observance in the Land of Promise
18. Moshe and Aharon Left Their Houses at Night
19. Why the Yisraelites Ate Unleavened Cakes
20. The Day the Yisraelites Entered Mitzrayim
21. The Night to be Much Observed to Yahweh
22. No Uncircumcised Person to Eat Yahweh's Pesach
23. No Partiality Within the Congregation of Yisrael

REITERATION OF YAHWEH'S COMMAND

1. The First Month of the Year Called Aviv
2. The Meaning of "Within Your Borders"

APPEARING BEFORE YAHWEH

COMMANDS DURING THE DAYS OF MATZAH

1. Yahweh's Pesach Commences "At Even" On the Fourteenth Day
2. The Feast of Matzah Commences on the Fifteenth Day
3. No Contradiction Between Shemot 12: 18 and Vayikra 23: 6
4. Yahweh's Pesach Eaten on the Fifteenth Day
5. The Lamb Killed on the First of the Two Evenings of the Fourteenth
6. Meaning of Servile Work
7. Reaping the Harvest in the Land of Promise
8. Kohen to Wave Sheaf Before Yahweh
9. No Bread to be Eaten Until Offering of Yahweh Brought to Kohen
10. Wave Sheaf Offering to Yahweh Waved by the Kohen on Day Offering Brought to Him
11. The Shabbatot Referenced to the Waving are Weekly Shabbatot
12. Wave of Sheaf Offering Waved to Yahweh Before the Feast of Matzah
13. The Shabbat Prior to the Day the Wave of Sheaf Offering Was Waved

ADDITIONAL COMMANDMENTS FOR THE PESACH

1. Yahweh Commanded Yisrael to Observe Pesach in the Wilderness
2. Unclean Men Prevented from Observing Pesach
3. Learn from Moshe
4. Yahweh Institutes an Additional Pesach Observance
5. All Qualifying Men Must Observe Pesach at its Appointed Time
6. No Partiality in the Congregation of Yisrael
7. Why Yahweh Commanded Yisrael to Observe Pesach in the Wilderness
8. Yisrael Went Forth Out of Mitzrayim at Night
9. Pesach to be Sacrificed at the Place Yahweh Chooses
10. Pesach to be Eaten at the Place Yahweh Chooses
11. Commencement of the Count for the Number of Weeks
12. Appearance Before Yahweh at His Chosen Place

PESACH OBSERVANCE IN YISRAEL

1. The First Pesach in the Land of Promise
2. Yisrael Did Not Observe the Pesach for Several Years While in the Wilderness
3. Yahudah Observed Pesach in Yoshiyahu's Time
4. Pesach Will Be Observed When the Messiah Rules From the Land of Promise
5. Pesach Observed After the Return from Captivity
6. The Feast of Matzah Observed in Shelomo's Time

PESACH IN CHIZKIYAHU'S TIME

1. The Place Yahweh Has Chosen
2. Pesach Observed in the Second Month of the Year
3. Yahweh is Gracious and Merciful
4. Command for Pesach Observance Came by the Word of Yahweh
5. The Feast of Matzah Also to be Observed in the Second Month
6. Unsanctified Men at Yerushalayim for the Pesach
7. Yahweh Knows the Heart
8. The Feast of Matzah Observed for Seven Days at Yerushalayim
9. The Assembly Made Confession to Yahweh

PESACH IN YOSHIYAHU'S TIME

1. Pesach Observed According to the Writings of Moshe, David and Shelomo
2. Yoshiyahu's Pesach Offering
3. The Kohanim and Levites Performed Sacrificial Duties
4. Pesach Sacrificed Well Before the End of the Fourteenth Day
5. Pesach Eaten on the Night of the Fifteenth Day
6. Pesach Fully Prepared on the Fourteenth Day
7. The Feast of Matzah Observed at Yerushalayim

PESACH IN YAH'SHUAH'S TIME

1. The Terms "Pesach" and "Matzah" Used Interchangeably
2. Yah'shuah and His Disciples Kept the Pesach
3. Yah'shuah Commands the Breaking and Eating of Matzah
4. Yah'shuah Commands the Drinking of the Fruit of the Vine
5. Yah'shuah's Reckoning of the Pesach was Different from that of the Yahudim
6. The Terms "Matzah" and "Pesach" Used Interchangeably
7. Yah'shuah Arrived to Eat the Pesach at Evening
8. Yah'shuah Observed the Pesach a Day Before the Yahudim Did
9. The Women Bought Spices After a Shabbat
10. When Did Yah'shuah Rise?
11. Why the Women Did Not Anoint Yah'shuah's Body on the Sixth Day of the Week
12. Did the Father Raise Yah'shuah on a Shabbat?
13. Yah'shuah's Family Attended the Pesach Annually at Yerushalayim
14. The Terms "Feast of Matzah" and "Pesach" Used Interchangeably
15. Kefa and Yahchanan Prepared the Pesach
16. Yah'shuah Ate Pesach "When the Hour Had Come"
17. Yah'shuah Not to Eat the Pesach Again Until Fulfilment in the Kingdom
18. Yah'shuah Not to Drink Again of the Fruit of the Vine Until Kingdom Comes
19. Yah'shuah Buried Before the Onset of the Yahudim's Shabbat
20. Yah'shuah Travelled to Yerushalayim to Observe the Pesach
21. The Yahudim's Pesach Distinguished from Yahweh's Pesach
22. Purification Prior to the Pesach
23. Yah'shuah Was Known to Observe the Feast
24. Distinction Between Yahweh's Pesach and the Yahudim's Pesach
25. Yah'shuah Washes His Disciples Feet After Eating Yahweh's Pesach
26. The Meaning of Yah'shuah Washing His Disciples Feet
27. A Blessing for Yah'shuah's Disciples
28. The Time When Yahweh's Pesach Was Eaten
29. Unclean People Prohibited From Eating the Pesach
30. Yah'shuah Tried, Killed and Buried on the Yahudim's Preparation Day

THE FEAST OF WEEKS IN YAH'SHUAH'S TIME

1. Yah'shuah Appeared to His Disciples Over a Period of Forty Days
2. The Feast of Weeks Immediately After Yah'shuah's Ascension
3. When the Sheaf of Wave Offering Was Waved On the Year Yah'shuah Died
4. Two Scriptural References Confirm the Day for Waving the Sheaf of Wave Offering to Yahweh

CONCLUSION

• Shemot (Exodus) 12: 1-51

Verses 1 and 2 show that the month Yahweh spoke of was to be the first month of the year for the Yisraelites. Yahweh therefore instituted the commencement of the year for the Yisraelites.

Verses 3 to 6 show that the lamb that was to be eaten was to be taken for keeping on the tenth day of the first month. It was to be kept until the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fourteenth day of the first month, at evening, these lambs that had been kept for eating were to be killed.

Verse 8 shows that the flesh of the lamb was to be eaten "that night", the night following the evening on the fourteenth day, when the lamb was to be killed.

Verse 10 shows that the Yisraelites were not to let portions of the lamb to remain until morning, but if portions of the lamb remained until morning they were to burn those remaining portions with fire. In other words, the flesh of the lamb was to be eaten "that night", the night following the evening on the fourteenth day, when the lamb was to be killed.

Verse 11 shows that the manner the lamb was to be eaten was with loins girded, with shoes on the feet, and with staff in the hand, and eaten in haste. The implication being that the Yisraelites were about to set out on an urgent journey and had to be fully ready to depart for this urgent journey. This particular meal, on the night following the evening on the fourteenth, is called Yahweh's Pesach.

Verse 12 gives the reason why Yahweh instituted his Pesach, together with its accompanying instructions. He was to go through the land of Mitzrayim on "that night", the very night the Yisraelites were to eat the Pesach, and would strike all the firstborn in the land of Mitzrayim, both of man and animal. Against all the mighty ones of Mitzrayim he would execute judgements.

Verse 13 explains the command given in verse 7, where the Yisraelites were commanded to take the blood of the slain lamb and put it on the two side-posts, and on the lintel, of the houses where the lamb was to be eaten. The blood was to be a token on those houses where they were. When Yahweh was to see the blood he would pass over them, passing over the houses where the Yisraelites were. There would be no plague on the Yisraelites, to destroy them, when he would strike the land of Mitzrayim.

Verse 14 shows that the day in which they ate Yahweh's Pesach was to be a memorial to the Yisraelites. They were to keep that day a feast to Yahweh throughout their generations. They were to keep that day a feast by an ordinance forever.

Verse 15 shows that matzah was to be eaten for seven days. On the first day of the seven yeast was to be put away out of the houses. The reason for so putting away yeast out of the houses on the first day of the seven was to prevent the people eating leavened bread over the seven days when matzah was to be eaten.

In this it is seen that the main command was the avoidance of eating leavened bread during the seven days of eating matzah. The lesser command was to remove yeast out of the houses, to ensure that it was not used to leaven bread, thereby leading to the eating of leavened bread.

In this a principle of Yahweh's law can be drawn. When Yahweh prohibits us from taking a particular course of action, we should also avoid taking other courses of action that facilitate the performance of the prohibited course of action. For if these facilitative courses of action are not taken, the prohibited course of action will not be taken, thereby ensuring our compliance with Yahweh's command.

Verse 16 shows that in the first day of the seven days when matzah was to be eaten a holy convocation was to be held. And on the seventh day of these seven days another holy convocation was to be held. On these days when holy convocations were held no work was to be done, save only that essential for preparing food to be eaten, presumably food to be eaten on these days.

A principle one can draw from this command is that it was permissible to undertake, on these first and seventh days, actions that would sustain life. It was, of course, possible to go through those days without eating anything. In other words, their fasting on these days would not endanger their lives. Nevertheless, to facilitate a more comfortable existence for them on these days, an existence more comfortable than when one fasts, they were allowed to undertake such work as necessary to facilitate preparation and eating of food. It would therefore appear to be within Yahweh's law to undertake such actions as are necessary, on the first and seventh day of the seven days for eating matzah, that would make one's existence more comfortable than a state of afflicting one's body. Such as when one's body is afflicted during fasting. Therefore, if one's body was afflicted in some other manner, it appears to be within Yahweh's law for one to undertake such actions as are necessary to relieve that affliction on one's body.

Verse 17 shows that the Yisraelites were commanded to observe the feast of matzah, the seven days for eating matzah, including the first and seventh of these days when holy convocations were held. The reason for so observing the feast of matzah, especially the first day of this feast, is also given. For on the first day of the feast of matzah Yahweh would bring the hosts of Yisrael out of the land of Mitzrayim. The feast of matzah therefore commemorates Yahweh's deliverance of Yisrael out of the land of Mitzrayim, and the first day of the feast marks the day when Yahweh delivered Yisrael out of the land of Mitzrayim. Yahweh therefore made it an ordinance forever, that the Yisraelites observe the first day of the feast of matzah, and the entire seven days of the feast of matzah.

Verse 18 gives the duration of the feast of matzah, including the time for commencement and conclusion of the feast. It commences "at evening" on the fourteenth day of the first month, and ends "at evening" on the twenty-first day of the first month.

Earlier on, in verse 6, it was seen that the lamb for Yahweh's Pesach was killed "at evening" on the fourteenth day. Verse 8 showed that "in that night", the night following the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month when the lamb was killed, the lamb was eaten, eaten together with matzah. It therefore appears that the first commanded day for matzah to be eaten commences with the time for eating Yahweh's Pesach, the night after the evening when the lamb was killed. Yahweh's Pesach is therefore eaten on the night of the first day of the seven days of matzah, with the eating of matzah incorporated into Yahweh's Pesach.

It also appears that on this very day when Yahweh's Pesach was eaten, when matzah was also eaten, the first day of matzah, Yahweh was to deliver the Yisraelites out of the land of Mitzrayim.

In Vayikra (Leviticus) 16: 29-31 it is seen that Day of Atonement was to be observed on the tenth day of the seventh month of the year, according to its statute. Vayikra 23: 27-32 again reiterates that the Day of Atonement was to be observed on the tenth day of the seventh month of the year. It then clarifies what is meant by the tenth day, being from even on the ninth day, from even to even. It should therefore be clear that even on the ninth day is the end of the ninth day, which is the beginning of the tenth day.

Likewise in Shemot 12: 18, with respect to the feast of matzah. By Shemot 12: 18 stating that the feast of matzah runs from evening on the fourteenth day of the first month until evening on the twenty-first of the first month, it is clear that the duration is from the fifteenth day of the first month until the twenty-first day of the first month. For the evening of the fourteenth day is the beginning of the fifteenth day, and the evening of the twenty-first day is the end of the twenty-first day, which is the beginning of the twenty-second day. It is therefore confirmed that the feast of matzah runs from the beginning of the fifteenth day of the first month of the year, until the end of the twenty-first day of the first month of the year.

Verse 19 shows that the feast of matzah was to be binding on all living in the land of the congregation of Yisrael, both those to be born in that land, and those who were to be sojourners in that land. In other words, the ordinance of matzah was to be a law of the land inhabited by the congregation of Yisrael.

It should be noted that ordinance of the feast of matzah was to be applicable in the land of the congregation of Yisrael, where the Yisraelites would be natives in their own land, and not where they would be sojourners. At the time this ordinance was issued, they were sojourners in the land of Mitzrayim, while those native to this land were the Mitzrim. It should therefore be clear that when Yahweh gave this ordinance of the feast of matzah, he intended that it be the law ruling for the congregation of Yisrael in the land they called their own, the land he was taking them to inherit after delivering them out of the land of Mitzrayim. It therefore appears that the land intended for the observance of the feast of matzah was not Mitzrayim, but the Promised Land of inheritance.

Verse 19 also shows that with respect to observing the ordinance of the feast of matzah, there was to be no partiality between the sojourners and those who were natives born in the land. The same ordinance of not eating anything that was leavened, and of eating matzah, was applicable to all during the feast of matzah. Yeast, therefore, had to be removed from the houses of everybody in the land, out of the habitations of everybody in the land.

Verses 22 and 23 show that Moshe commanded the Yisraelites to remain in their houses all night until morning, for Yahweh would that night be passing over their houses marked with blood on the lintel and side-posts, and would slay the firstborn of Mitzrayim. It therefore appears that after Yahweh would have passed over the houses of the Yisraelites, and would have slain the firstborn of Mitzrayim, it would no longer be necessary for the Yisraelites to remain in their houses. For the reason why they would be staying indoors in their houses would already have passed. It therefore appears that Moshe was playing it safe, so to speak, in ensuring that all Yisraelites would definitely be indoors at the time Yahweh would pass over their houses and the destroyer would slay the firstborn of all Mitzrayim.

Verse 25 shows that Moshe made clear to all the Zakenim of Yisrael that Yahweh's Pesach was to be observed in the land which Yahweh was to give them, the land of promise. They were to keep the service of Yahweh's Pesach in the land of promise, the land Yahweh was to give them. Yahweh's Pesach is therefore seen to have been intended for observance in the land of promise, the land Yahweh was to give to the Yisraelites. And this intention was so from the time it was instituted in the land of Mitzrayim.

Verse 31 shows that after Yahweh had struck the firstborn of Mitzrayim, while still night, Moshe and Aharon went outdoors, for they answered Paroh's urgent call at night. In other words, after Yahweh had struck the firstborn of Mitzrayim, it was no longer prohibited to remain indoors, seeing that the reason why they were to remain indoors was no longer applicable, having already been fulfilled.

Verse 33 shows that the Mitzrim were urgent with the Yisraelites, to send them out of the land of Mitzrayim "in haste", thinking that they would all be dead if the Yisraelites continued remaining the land of Mitzrayim.

Verse 34 shows that the Yisraelites took their dough before it was leavened. It should be noted that it was already the first day of the feast of matzah, when nothing that was leavened was to be eaten, at least in the land of promise.

Verse 39 shows that the Yisraelites baked unleavened cakes of the unleavened dough that they had brought forth out of the land of Mitzrayim. The reason the dough was unleavened was the Yisraelites had been thrust out of Mitzrayim in haste, and they had no time to wait for the dough to be leavened. They had also not prepared for themselves any food, having been thrust out of Mitzrayim in haste. It was therefore a hasty departure out of the land Mitzrayim.

Verse 41 shows that Yisrael was in Mitzrayim four hundred and thirty years, even to the very day. Implying that Yisrael entered Mitzrayim on the very day of the first month they went out of Mitzrayim, that is on the fifteenth day of the first month of the year!

Verse 42 reiterates that the night of the first day of the feast of matzah, when Yisrael went out of Mitzrayim, is a night to be much observed to Yahweh. For Yahweh delivered Yisrael out of Mitzrayim on this first day of the feast of matzah. It is also indicated in verse 42 that the Yisraelites went out of Mitzrayim at night, on the night of the first day of the seven days of matzah. For it is at night that this night is much observed to Yahweh, for Yahweh delivered them out of Mitzrayim. And as Yahweh had already passed over the Yisraelites and struck the firstborn of all Mitzrayim, it was no longer obligatory for the Yisraelites to remain indoors until morning. They could therefore leave their houses at night, after the firstborn of Mitzrayim had been slain, without violating Yahweh's word.

Verses 43 and 44 make clear Yahweh's command that no uncircumcised foreigner was allowed to eat of the Pesach. Only circumcised foreigners could eat of it.

Verse 47 shows that all the congregation of Yisrael was to keep the Pesach.

Verse 48 shows that only circumcised foreigners were allowed to eat of the Pesach. Once they were circumcised they were considered very much a part of the congregation of Yisrael, just as the native Yisraelites, who were already circumcised. In other words, foreigners who desired to partake of the Pesach had to have Yahweh as their Mighty One, and show this profession of Yahweh as their Mighty One by their circumcision. The congregation of Yisrael was to be made up of those who had Yahweh as their Mighty One, whether native Yisraelites, or foreigners who had made Yahweh their Mighty One.

It should be noted that while the command to avoid eating anything with leaven during the days of the feast of matzah was to be applicable to all in the land of Yisrael, whether native or foreigner, it was not so with the Pesach. For the Pesach was limited only to professed believers, those who had professed Yahweh as their Mighty One, and showed their profession by their circumcision.

Verse 49 shows that there was one law for all in the congregation of Yisrael, whether one was native to Yisrael, or was a foreigner who had made Yahweh his Mighty One. The Pesach was therefore intended only for those who worship Yahweh, for those who have Yahweh as their Mighty One. There was to be no partiality among worshippers of Yahweh in the land of promise, the land for the observance of Pesach, with the same law applicable to all worshippers of Yahweh, whether native or foreigner.

Return to Contents

• Shemot 13: 3-10

Verse 3 shows that Moshe reiterated to the Yisraelites Yahweh's command regarding the feast of matzah. They were to remember the day in which they came out of Mitzrayim, out of the house of bondage. For by strength of hand Yahweh brought them out of that place. No leavened bread was to be eaten on this memorial day.

Verse 4 shows that the month in which the Yisraelites went out of Mitzrayim, the first month of the year for them, was called Aviv.

Verse 5 shows that the memorial day was to be observed in the land of promise at the appointed time in the month of Aviv. It should therefore be clear that Pesach and the feast of matzah were to be observed in the land of promise.

Verse 6 reiterates that matzah was to eaten seven days, with a feast being observed on the seventh day of the feast of matzah.

Verse 7 reiterates that unleavened bread was to be eaten throughout the seven days, and that no leavened bread was to be seen with them throughout those days. Neither was yeast to be seen with them throughout those days, within their borders. Tallying this reiteration of Yahweh's command with its initial issue earlier examined in Shemot 12, it appears that the meaning of "within their borders" in this verse appears to be "within their houses". For they were told not to have yeast in their houses during the seven days of the feast of matzah.

Verse 10 reiterates that the feast of matzah was to be kept in the land of promise in its season, that is in Aviv, year after year. It was a perpetual ordinance.

Return to Contents

• Shemot 23: 14-17

Verses 15 and 17 show that male Yisraelites were to appear before Yahweh during the feast of matzah. They were also not to appear before him empty, meaning that they were to present an offering to Yahweh when they appeared before him.

Return to Contents

• Vayikra (Leviticus) 23: 4-16

Verse 5 shows that in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, "at even", is Yahweh's Pesach. In other words, observance of Yahweh's Pesach commences "at even" on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Verse 6 shows that on the fifteenth day of the first month is the feast of matzah to Yahweh, with matzah being eaten for seven days. In other words, the feast of matzah commences on the fifteenth day of the first month.

Verse 7 shows that on the first day of the feast of matzah, on the fifteenth day of the first month, is a holy convocation, with no servile work being done on it.

Shemot 12: 18 shows that matzah was to be eaten from the fourteenth day of the first month "at evening", until the twenty-first day of the month "at evening". This equates to seven complete days of eating matzah. Vayikra 23: 6 shows that matzah was to be eaten seven days, commencing the fifteenth day of the first month. Counting seven days, including the fifteenth day, one sees that the last day for eating matzah, the last day of the feast of matzah, was the twenty-first day of the first month. It therefore appears that the phrase "at evening" on the fourteenth day of the first month in Shemot 12: 18 equates to the beginning of the fifteenth day of the first month, which is also the end of the fourteenth day of the first month. And "at evening" on the twenty-first day of the first month equates to the end of the twenty-first day of the first month, which is also the beginning of the twenty-second day of the first month. It is therefore seen that no contradiction exists between Shemot 12: 18 and Vayikra 23: 6.

Shemot 12: 6 shows that the lamb kept for the Pesach was killed "at evening" on the fourteenth day of the first month, having been kept from the tenth day of the first month. Shemot 12: 8 shows that the flesh of the lamb killed "at evening" on the fourteenth was eaten on the night following the "evening" of the fourteenth, at which time the lamb was killed. The flesh of the lamb was eaten together with matzah, both being eaten on the night following the "evening" on the fourteenth, when the lamb was killed. It is therefore seen that Yahweh's Pesach was eaten on the first day when matzah was eaten, that is the fifteenth day of the first month. For the fifteenth day commences at the end of the fourteenth day, which occurs "at evening" on the fourteenth day.

It is also seen that for Yahweh's Pesach to be ready for eating on the fifteenth day of the first month, "at evening" on the fourteenth day of the first month, for matzah was to be eaten commencing "at evening" on the fourteenth day, that is the beginning of the fifteenth day, the lamb had to be killed on the fourteenth day, and sufficient time had to elapse for its proper roasting to a degree whereby it no longer remain raw. It is therefore seen that the lamb was killed on the fourteenth, well before the beginning of the fifteenth, which was the time to commence eating the flesh of the lamb. Therefore the time when the lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month, "at evening", was well before the time, "at evening", when the fifteenth day of the month commenced, and matzah was eaten together with the roasted flesh of the lamb. It therefore appears that there were two "evenings" on the fourteenth day of the first month. With one "evening" being the time the fourteenth day ended and the fifteenth day commenced, and the other "evening" being a time period well before this time, when the lamb was killed on the fourteenth!

Shemot 12: 16 shows that no manner of work is to be done on the first day of the feast of matzah except what is necessary for food. It therefore appears that "servile work", as mentioned in Vayikra 23: 7, excludes such work as is necessary for the preparation of food, or for the alleviation of the body being in an afflicted state.

Verses 9 and 10 of Vayikra 23 show that the Yisraelites were to reap the harvest of the land of promise, when they came into it, and to bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of their harvest to the Kohen. It should be clear that this was a command for the land of promise, and not for any other land.

Verse 11 shows that the Kohen was to wave the sheaf before Yahweh, for it to be accepted for the Yisraelites. The Kohen was to wave this sheaf on the day after the Shabbat. Which Shabbat was this?

Verse 14 shows that the Yisraelites were not to eat bread, or parched grain, or fresh ears, until the day they brought the offering of Yahweh their Mighty One. This was to be a statute forever throughout their generations in all their dwellings. Shemot 13:7 shows that the Yisraelites were to eat unleavened bread during the seven days of the feast of matzah. For the Yisraelites to have been compliant with the command to eat unleavened bread throughout the seven days of the feast of matzah, the wave sheaf offering to Yahweh must have been brought to the Kohen before the commencement of the seven days of the feast of matzah.

It should also be noted that the wave sheaf offering to Yahweh was to be brought to the Kohen in the month of Aviv, the month of "fresh ears". Therefore no bread was to be eaten in the month of Aviv until the wave offering to Yahweh had been brought to the Kohen.

Verses 15 and 16 show that the Yisraelites were commanded to count seven complete Shabbatot, commencing their count with the day after the Shabbat, from the day that they brought the sheaf of wave offering to Yahweh, bringing it to the Kohen for waving on that day. For verse 11 shows that the sheaf of wave offering was waved on the day after the Shabbat. The count was to end on the day after the seventh Shabbat, being fifty days commencing with the day the sheaf of wave offering to Yahweh was waved to him by the Kohen.

If the above analysis is correct, and the scriptures referred to above are correctly translated, it appears that the Shabbat, the day after which the sheaf offering was waved, was to be a weekly Shabbat, and not an annual Shabbat, such as the holy days during the feast of matzah when no servile work was to be done. For the count of fifty days was also to end the day after the seventh Shabbat of the count. As the only Shabbatot of Yahweh allowing for such a calculation as given are weekly Shabbatot, the last Shabbat prior to the end of count must also be a weekly Shabbat.

As the Yisraelites were not to eat bread in the month of Aviv prior to the waving of the sheaf of wave offering to Yahweh, and as they were commanded to eat unleavened bread during the seven days of the feast of matzah, the waving of the sheaf of wave offering was therefore to occur prior to the commencement of the feast of matzah, to facilitate the eating of unleavened bread during the seven days of the feast of matzah. The Shabbat, the day prior to the one in which the wave of sheaf offering was waved to Yahweh, must therefore have been one before the feast of matzah, such that come the first day of the feast of matzah, the day when Yahweh's Pesach was eaten, the wave of sheaf offering would already have been waved to Yahweh.

Which Shabbat before the feast of matzah was the wave of sheaf offering waved to Yahweh?

It appears that the last day a Shabbat could fall, allowing for the wave of sheaf offering to be waved to Yahweh prior to the commencement of the feast of matzah, was the thirteenth day of the first month. For if the thirteenth day of the first month was a Shabbat, the day following it would be the fourteenth day, on which the wave of sheaf offering would be waved to Yahweh. This would still allow for the sacrificing of the Pesach on the first evening of the fourteenth day of the month, and the eating of matzah on the fifteenth day of the month, immediately after the end of the fourteenth, that is the second evening of the fourteenth.

It also appears that there would be at least two Shabbatot in the month of Aviv prior to the fourteenth day of the month, unless the only Shabbat prior to the fourteenth day occurred on the seventh day of the month. Therefore, if the only Shabbat prior to the fourteenth day of the first month occurred on the seventh day of the month, there would be no difficulty in determining which Shabbat was the day prior to that of the waving to Yahweh of the wave sheaf offering. But if the first Shabbat on the month of Aviv fell on any previous day of the month, there would be at least two Shabbatot that would facilitate observance of the command to wave to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering and also to eat matzah with Yahweh's Pesach. In such cases, where there are at least two Shabbatot in the first month of the year that would allow for proper observance of Yahweh's commands, which Shabbat of these two was Yisrael to use in determining when to wave to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering.

It should also be remembered that Vayikra 23: 14 states that the Yisraelites were not to eat any bread or parched grain or fresh ears in the month of Aviv prior to offering to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering. Therefore if the Yisraelites were to eat bread, or parched grain, or fresh ears, they had to have offered to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering.

It should also be noted that the Yisraelites were commanded to remove anything leavened from their houses by the commencement of the feast of matzah, as they were not to eat leavened bread at all during the feast of matzah. It is therefore clear that the Yisraelites were expected by Yahweh to be eating bread, and leavened bread at this, right up to the commencement of the feast of matzah. Might this therefore suggest that the wave of sheaf offering to Yahweh was intended to be waved early on in the first month, in order to give the Yisraelites opportunity to eat bread? For if the wave of sheaf offering was not waved until the fourteenth day, the last day it could possibly be waved while remaining compliant with the commandment, the Yisraelites would have gone fourteen days without eating bread in the month of Aviv?

It should also be noted that this command of waving to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering was specifically for the land of promise, and not for some other locality.

Return to Contents

• Bemidbar (Numbers) 9: 1-14

Verses 1 to 3 show that Yahweh spoke to Moshe that the children of Yisrael keep Pesach in its appointed season, keeping it is the wilderness of Sinai. Why did Yahweh ask the children of Yisrael to observe Pesach in the wilderness, yet when he instituted it he clearly suggested that its observance be for the land of promise?

Verses 6 and 7 show that there were some men, who by reason of being unclean, on account of the dead body of a man, were kept back from observing Pesach at its appointed time. They therefore came before Moshe to enquire why they were being kept back from observing Pesach.

Verse 8 shows that Moshe did not then have an answer to give to the men. He therefore went to consult with Yahweh, that Yahweh may reveal what was to be done in that case. In this we should learn from Moshe. Whenever we are faced with a difficult matter, a matter new to us or one beyond our competence in its resolution, we should go to Yahweh that he may give us his answer. We should then act on the answer Yahweh gives us.

Verses 9 to 12 show Yahweh's answer to Moshe. If one is unclean by reason of a dead body, or is on a journey afar off, he shall still observe the Pesach to Yahweh. In the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month, he shall observe it.

Verse 13 shows that the man who is not barred from observing the Pesach, by reason of uncleanness or being on a far journey, yet refrains from observing the Pesach, shall bear his sin. He shall be cut off from the congregation of Yisrael, because he did not offer the offering of Yahweh in its appointed season. It is therefore imperative that all qualifying people observe the Pesach in its appointed season.

Verse 14 shows that the same law that was to apply to the native Yisraelite was to apply to the sojourner who had become part of the congregation of Yisrael. In other words, all in the congregation of Yisrael were bound by the same law, whether native born or foreigners. Therefore a foreigner, who had become part of the congregation of Yisrael, had to ensure that he observed Pesach at its appointed time and place. If he could not observe it in the first month of the year, he had to ensure that he observed it in the second month of the year. This is the law of the Pesach.

It also appears that the reason Yahweh commanded Yisrael to observe this Pesach in the wilderness, despite Pesach having been intended for observance in the land of promise, was for the revealing to Yisrael of additional provisions with respect to the Pesach. For the provisions for those who could not observe Pesach in the first month of the year were not issued when it was instituted in the land of Mitzrayim.

• Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16: 1-17

Verse 1 shows that Yahweh the Mighty One brought forth the Yisraelites out of Mitzrayim at night. It was the night of the fifteenth of Aviv, the first month of the year, that Yahweh brought them out, after he had struck the firstborn of Mitzrayim.

Verse 2 shows that the Pesach was to be sacrificed at the place Yahweh was to choose, to cause his name to dwell there.

Verse 3 calls matzah, with which the Pesach was eaten, the bread of affliction.

Verses 5 and 6 show that Yahweh prohibited the Pesach from being sacrificed in other localities in the land of promise, except at the place Yahweh the Mighty One was to choose, to cause his name to dwell there.

Pesach was also to be sacrificed "at even, at the going down of the sun". When was the "going down of the sun"?

Verse 7 shows that Yahweh's Pesach was also to be eaten at the place Yahweh was to choose, to cause his name to dwell there. It was not to be eaten in other localities in the land of promise. In the morning of the fifteenth day of the first month, after completion of the commandment of the Pesach, the members of the congregation of Yisrael were to depart from the place Yahweh was to choose, to cause his name to dwell there, and were to return to their tents or houses in the land of promise. They were therefore to be at the place Yahweh was to choose, to cause his name to dwell there, only for as long as was necessary to observe the Pesach according to its statutes.

Verse 9 shows that the count for the number of weeks commenced with the time the Yisraelites put the sickle to the standing grain. It is submitted that this is also the same day that the wave of sheaf offering was brought to the Kohen for waving to Yahweh on the same day.

Verses 16 and 17 show that the male Yisraelites were to appear before Yahweh at the place he was to choose, to cause his name to dwell there, at the feast of matzah. They were not to appear empty before Yahweh. Every man so appearing before Yahweh was to give Yahweh an offering, as each was able, according to the blessing Yahweh the Mighty One had given him.

Return to Contents

• Yah'shuah (Joshua) 5: 10-11, 1-9

The Yisraelites kept their first Pesach after crossing the Yarden River, and began to observe the feast of matzah, all according to commandment. For it is also seen that they did not eat unleavened cakes and parched grain until the day after the Pesach, that is on the fifteenth day. They therefore ate unleavened cakes, as commanded, on the first day of the feast of matzah.

It should also be remembered that they were not to eat any bread, or parched grain, or fresh ears, until they had brought the sheaf of wave offering to the Kohen to wave to Yahweh. As they ate unleavened cakes and parched grain on the first day of the feast of matzah, it is submitted that the wave of sheaf offering was waved to Yahweh on the morning of the fourteenth day of the month, the same day that Yahweh's Pesach was later sacrificed.

It was earlier seen that the last day that the wave of sheaf offering could be waved to Yahweh, and still allow for unleavened bread to be eaten during the days of matzah, was the fourteenth day of the first month. It is here seen that on this fourteenth day of their first month in the land of promise the wave of sheaf offering was waved to Yahweh. The thirteenth day of the month must therefore have been a Shabbat, in order to have facilitated the waving of sheaf offering on the fourteenth, to have facilitated the eating of unleavened cakes and parched grain on the fifteenth.

Now why did the Yisraelites wait until the last qualifying Shabbat before waving the sheaf of wave offering on the morrow after it? Could they not have waved the sheaf offering on the seventh day of the month, seeing it was already the first month of the year?

It should be remembered that the Yisraelites were to observe the statute of waving to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering in the land of promise. Yah'shuah 4: 19 shows that they crossed the Yarden River on the tenth day of the first month. They therefore could not have observed this statute on the seventh day of the month, as they had not yet entered the land of promise. Therefore, in this first year, the only qualifying Shabbat was the one of the thirteenth, facilitating the waving of the sheaf offering on the fourteenth, facilitating eating of unleavened cakes and parched grain on the fifteenth. The Yisraelites therefore appear to have been compliant with Yahweh's statute as they entered the land of promise.

Based on this experience, should one then say that the Shabbat nearest the Pesach, but prior to it, should be the one for reference with respect to the waving to Yahweh of the wave of sheaf offering, even when there is another qualifying Shabbat in the same month?

Seeing that this is indeed a scriptural witness one can indeed say so!

Nevertheless, it must be remembered that the people were not to eat bread, or parched grain, or fresh ears, all from the produce of the land, until they had waved to Yahweh the wave of sheaf offering. In this case it is seen that the people continued to eat bread, even after they had crossed the Yarden River. For they continued to eat manna from heaven until the day they had eaten of the produce of the land.

In other words, Yahweh continued to see to it that the people were nourished with bread - manna from heaven. Nevertheless it was not bread from the produce of the land, but from heaven. The people had therefore been compliant with Yahweh's command, and Yahweh made it possible for them to be so compliant, for he continued to feed them with manna until the day they could legally eat unleavened cakes and parched grain, both from the produce of the land.

It should therefore be seen that if the people have bread from heaven, bread that is not from the produce of the land, they can indeed eat it in the first month prior to the waving of sheaf offering. But if they do not have bread that is not from the produce of the land, such as manna, they should not eat other bread. For other bread comes from the produce of the land. They should therefore wait until they have obeyed Yahweh's statute of waving to him the wave of sheaf offering before they eat bread, or parched grain, or fresh ears.

It should also be noted that the Yisraelites did not observe the Pesach for several years while they were in the wilderness. For after the men of war, who were circumcised, had died in the wilderness, their children did not observe the Pesach, for they were not circumcised. And the Pesach is to be observed only be those men who are circumcised. Also, at the time of the institution of the Pesach, it was intended that the Pesach be observed in the land of promise, at the place that Yahweh was to choose, to place his name to dwell there. It should therefore not be a surprise that the Yisraelites did not observe the Pesach for several years while they were wandering in the wilderness.

• 2 Melakhim (Kings) 23: 21-23

Yoshiyahu ensured that Pesach was observed in Yahudah after a long time of non-observance.

• Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 45: 21-24

Speaking prophetically, it is seen that Pesach will be observed in the land of promise after Yah'shuah returns to rule from that land. In verse 21 the seven-day feast of matzah is called Pesach. The feast of matzah can therefore also be called Pesach.

• Ezra 6: 19-22

Pesach and feast of matzah were observed after the return from captivity.

• 2 Divre Hayamim (Chronicles) 8: 12-13

The feast of matzah was observed during the time of Shelomo.

Return to Contents

• 2 Divre Hayamim 30: 1-27

Verse 1 shows that Chizkiyahu, king of Yahudah, communicated with all Yisrael and Yahudah, that they should all go to the house of Yahweh at Yerushalayim, the place Yahweh had placed his name to dwell for all time, to observe the Pesach to Yahweh, the Mighty One of Yisrael.

Verse 2 shows that this Pesach was to have been observed in the second month of the year, rather than in the first month of the year. For, verse 3 shows, the people had not prepared themselves for observance of the Pesach in the first month of the year. They therefore sought to observe it in the second month.

Verse 9 shows that Chizkiyahu, and the princes of Yahudah, understood that Yahweh is gracious and merciful.

Verse 12 shows that the command of the king and princes, to observe Pesach in the second month of the year, came by the word of Yahweh.

Verse 13 shows that the assembly at Yerushalayim came to observe not just the Pesach, but the entire feast of matzah. Noting from verse 12 that the command from the king and princes had gone forth by the word of Yahweh, we should note that those who justly fail to observe Pesach and the feast of matzah in the first month of the year should observe them in the second month of the year. For this is Yahweh's command, as this command went forth at the word of Yahweh.

Verse 17 shows that many in the assembly who had come to Yerushalayim to observe the Pesach had not sanctified or cleansed themselves to so partake of the Pesach.

Verses 18 and 19 show that despite many not being clean, as was required for the observance of the Pesach, they did eat of it. For Chizkiyahu the king had prayed to Yahweh to pardon their iniquity, for they had set their heart to seek Yahweh the Mighty One, even though they had not been cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.

Verse 20 shows that Yahweh listened to Chizkiyahu, and healed the people. It should be noted from this case that Yahweh considered the heart of the assembly to be more important to him than the cleansing according to the purification of the sanctuary. For these in the assembly who were unclean for purposes of the sanctuary nevertheless had clean hearts, for they set themselves to seek Yahweh the Mighty One. Yahweh therefore pardoned their iniquity, as their heart was set to do right, even though they had not yet reached the point of doing right in their actions. It should therefore also be noted that once we set our heart to truly seek Yahweh the Mighty One, when we sin, as we inevitably do, Yahweh, who is gracious and merciful, will forgive us our iniquity. We simply need to acknowledge our sin, confessing it before him, and ask him to pardon us and heal us, forgiving our sin. And he will do so.

Verse 21 shows that the assembly kept the entire feast of matzah, all seven days of it, at Yerushalayim. They did not return to their houses on the first day of the feast of matzah, the morning after eating of Yahweh's Pesach. During those seven days they kept the feast with gladness, praising Yahweh day by day, and singing with loud instruments to Yahweh.

Verse 22 shows that during the seven days of the feast of matzah the assembly made confession to Yahweh the Mighty One of their fathers. They presumably made confession for their sins. It should therefore be noted that the feast of matzah is a time for making confession of one's sins to Yahweh the Mighty One, that we may repent of these sins and that Yahweh may forgive us our sins and heal us, for he is gracious and merciful.

Verse 23 shows that the people, of their own volition, kept the feast another seven days.

Verse 26 shows that not since the days of Shelomo king of Yisrael had such a Pesach and feast of matzah been observed at Yerushalayim.

Verse 27 shows that the prayer of the Kohanim the Levites, in blessing the people, arose up to Yahweh's holy habitation, even to heaven! Bless Yahweh's people.

Return to Contents

• 2 Divre Hayamim 35: 1-19

Verse 1 shows that Yoshiyahu kept the Pesach to Yahweh in Yerushalayim in the first month of the year.

Verses 2 to 6 show that the Kohanim and the Levites were ordered for service according to Yahweh's command by the writings of kings David and Shelomo, added to those of Moshe.

Verse 7 shows that king Yoshiyahu gave thirty thousand lambs and kids for the Pesach offering, to facilitate the children of Yisrael partaking of the Pesach.

Verses 8 and 9 show that others of the Zakenim of the people also gave Pesach offerings in large quantities. In all, there were at least thirty seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids to be sacrificed for the Pesach! It is evidently clear that this was no small Pesach offering.

Verse 10 shows that when the Pesach service had been prepared, all of the Kohanim and the Levites stood ready to perform their sacrificial duties.

Verse 11 shows that the Pesach was killed, all thirty seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids minimum.

Verse 12 shows that the burnt offering was also dealt with appropriately, as written in the book of Moshe.

Verse 13 shows that the Levites roasted the Pesach in fire according to the ordinance of it, all thirty seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids minimum. They also boiled the holy offerings in various vessels, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people.

Verse 14 shows that after the Levites had finished preparing the Pesach for the people, they turned to doing the same for both themselves and the Kohanim. For the Kohanim had been busy with the burnt offerings and the fat until night. It should be noted that the Levites had plenty of work to do, attending to at least thirty seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids, counting only what the king and the Zakenim of the people offered, not counting what the people brought on their own account. They first served the people. They then served the Kohanim and themselves. Doing all this while the Kohanim were attending to the burnt offerings and the fat. This great work evidently took plenty of time, and proceeded "until night". That it proceeded until night clearly implies that it commenced well before night, commencing "at the going down of the sun", as commanded by Moshe in Devarim 16: 5-6. It is therefore clear that the time for sacrificing the Pesach, "at the going down of the sun", is well before the time it becomes dark. It is time sufficient enough to allow for the slaughtering and proper roasting of over thirty seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids. It is therefore evident that the Pesach was sacrificed well before the end of the fourteenth day of the first month.

What is also evident is that the Pesach was eaten on the fifteenth day of the first month, at night. For the priests could not commence eating the Pesach until night, when they finished their work of the burnt offerings and the fat.

Verse 15 shows that the singers, who sang according to the command of King David, did not leave their place all through the service of the Pesach. For they were attended to by the Levites. Therefore, only when the service of the Pesach had ended, when it became night, could the singers eat of the Pesach. This, again, clearly shows that the Pesach was eaten on the fifteenth day of the first month. The lamb was nevertheless killed on the fourteenth day, well before the beginning of the fifteenth day. For sufficient time was needed to sequentially serve the people, the singers, the Kohanim and the Levites, after having sacrificed the Pesach, and roasted it according to its ordinance.

Verse 16 shows that all the service of Yahweh was prepared the same day, meaning the fourteenth day of the first month. This was the service of keeping the Pesach and offering the burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh.

Verse 17 shows that the children of Yisrael observed the Pesach and kept the feast of matzah seven days, all the while at Yerushalayim, even as Chizkiyahu and the people of Yisrael did in their time. It therefore appears that Pesach and feast of matzah should be kept at Yerushalayim for seven days.

Verse 18 notes that this was a most notable Pesach, for not since the days of Shemuel the prophet had such a Pesach been kept in Yisrael, not even during the days of all previous kings of Yisrael and Yahudah.

Verse 19 notes that this Pesach was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Yoshiyahu.

Return to Contents

• Mattityahu 26: 1 to 28: 20

26: 1-2 shows that Pesach was to take place two days after Yah'shuah was speaking, and that he was to be delivered to be crucified, presumably during the Pesach. Which Pesach was Yah'shuah referring to, that of the fourteenth day of the first month, or that of the entire period including Pesach and the feast of matzah? For Pesach has also scripturally been used to refer to the entire period of Pesach and the feast of matzah, as seen in Yechezkel 45: 21-24.

26: 3-5 shows that the chief Kohanim, the Sofrim and the Zakenim of the people intended to take Yah'shuah and kill him outside the feast period, that is not during the feast of matzah which was impending.

26: 17 shows that the day for preparing the Pesach, the fourteenth days of the first month, was also referred to as the first day of matzah. In this sense matzah included not just the seven days of the feast of matzah, but also the day for sacrificing Yahweh's Pesach, the fourteenth day of the first month. It therefore appears that in common usage the terms Pesach and matzah were interchangeable, with either term used to refer to the entire eight-day period incorporating the day for sacrificing Yahweh's Pesach and the seven days for the feast of matzah.

26: 18 very clearly shows that Yah'shuah would be keeping the Pesach together with his disciples in a certain person's house in the city of Yerushalayim.

26: 19 shows that the disciples did indeed prepare the Pesach. According to the ordinance of it the Pesach was prepared on the fourteenth day of the first month. It is therefore taken that Yah'shuah's disciples did indeed prepare the Pesach according to the ordinance of it, on the fourteenth day of the first month of the year.

26: 20 shows that it was at evening when Yah'shuah and his disciples were at table. The implication being derived is that they ate the Pesach "at evening", as the fourteenth day had ended and the fifteenth day had commenced. As per the commandment it was now the first day of the feast of matzah, and this night was that night which was much to be observed.

26: 26 taken together with the ordinance of the Pesach implies that the bread referred to therein was matzah - unleavened bread. It was therefore matzah that Yah'shuah gave thanks for and broke. The matzah represented his body, for he said, "Take, eat, this is my body".

26: 27-29 shows the institution of a new practice with respect to the drinking of the "fruit of the vine". Yah'shuah said, "Drink all of it, 26:28for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. 26:29But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

26: 30 shows that after the Pesach meal, and after eating of the matzah, symbolising his body, and the drinking of wine, symbolising his blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the remission of sins, they sung a hymn. They then departed for the Mount of Olives.

26: 47 suggests that the chief Kohen and the Zakenim of the people had a different reckoning of the dates for Pesach and matzah. For earlier on they intended to take Yah'shuah and kill him outside the feast period. If they were executing their plan according to their intention then their reckoning of Pesach and matzah was different from that of Yah'shuah and his disciples.

27: 15 suggests that the Yahudim's reckoning of the feast, implying the entire Pesach and feast of matzah period, was different from that of Yah'shuah and his disciples. For if Pilate's custom was to release to the Yahudim a prisoner at the feast, the implication one draws is that this day that he so intended to release to them a prisoner was the beginning of the feast period. If so, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim, this was the fourteenth day of the first month. Nevertheless, as already perceived from Yah'shuah's reckoning, this was the fifteenth day of the first month. The Yahudim therefore appear to have been observing the Pesach and the feast of matzah one day later than Yah'shuah was observing them!

27: 62 confirms that the day after Yah'shuah died was the Preparation - the day for preparing the Pesach, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim. It is therefore seen that the Yahudim did indeed observe Pesach and the feast of matzah a day after Yah'shuah and his disciples observed Pesach. Why were the Yahudim observing Pesach and the feast of matzah a day later than Yah'shuah and his disciples?

• Mark 14: 1 to 16: 20

14: 12 confirms what was seen earlier in Mattityahu, that in common usage matzah meant the eight day period including the day for sacrificing the Pesach, together with the seven additional days for the feast of matzah, when no leaven was to be in the houses. It is thus confirmed that in common usage the terms matzah and Pesach were interchangeable, and both referred to the entire eight-day period including the day for sacrificing the Pesach and the seven-day feast of matzah.

14: 17-18 confirms that it was evening that Yah'shuah arrived with his twelve disciples to eat the Pesach, which had already by then been fully prepared. It should be remembered that, according to the ordinance of the Pesach, the Pesach was sacrificed "at even, at the going down of the sun". That "evening, at the going down of the sun", had already passed, and the Pesach was now fully prepared. Therefore this second "evening", when Yah'shuah arrived with his disciples to partake of the Pesach, was the one marking the end of the fourteenth day of the month, and the beginning of the fifteenth day of month. In other words, the feast of matzah was already commencing with the coming of the "evening", with the first act, according to the commandment, being the eating of the Pesach.

15: 42 confirms that the day Yah'shuah died was "the Preparation, that is, the day before the Shabbat", according to the reckoning of the Yahudim. For the first day of the feast of matzah was indeed a Shabbat, a day of rest, according to the ordinance of the feast of matzah. For no servile work was to be done on this day, save what was necessary for food preparation, or the sustenance of life. Yah'shuah's reckoning of the Pesach and the feast of matzah was therefore one day earlier than the Yahudim's reckoning.

It should also be noted that Yah'shuah died on the fifteenth day of the first month, the first day of the feast of matzah, according to his reckoning. This was also the very day that the Yisraelites entered Mitzrayim, and also left it, four hundred and thirty years later.

16: 1 shows that after a Shabbat the women bought spices. Which Shabbat was this - the one referred to in 15: 42, the first day of the feast of matzah, or the weekly Shabbat?

16: 2-7 shows that Yah'shuah was already risen by sunrise on the first day of the week. When did Yah'shuah rise?

In Mattityahu 12: 39-40 we read: "^12:39But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will no sign be given it but the sign of Yonah, the prophet. ^12:40For as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'"

If Yah'shuah was indeed the Messiah, as it is accepted that he was, he must have fulfilled the sign of Yonah the prophet, of staying three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. As he was buried on the Preparation, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim, before the first matzah Shabbat, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim, he must have arisen after three days and three nights had passed. He therefore must have arisen on an evening, before the commencement of another night.

By the first day of the week, the day after the weekly Shabbat, he was already risen. As he was to rise on an evening, prior to the commencement of another night, a fourth night, he must have arisen on the weekly Shabbat, before it was over. It is therefore seen that the Preparation, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim, occurred that year on the fourth day of the week, that is, three days prior to the seventh day of the week, the Shabbat. Yah'shuah therefore appears to have been killed on the fourth day of the week, with the first matzah Shabbat, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim, occurring on the fifth day of the week.

It therefore appears that the women who bought spices after the Shabbat probably did so on the sixth day of the week, after the Shabbat on the fifth day of the week was over.

Why then did they not immediately go to the tomb to anoint Yah'shuah's body on the sixth day of the week?

It should be remembered from Mattityahu 27: 62-66 that the chief Kohanim and the Perushim persuaded Pilate to issue them with guards to guard the tomb and make it secure for three days, to prevent the possibility of Yah'shuah's disciples getting into the tomb and stealing his body. For they remembered Yah'shuah's words to them, even as quoted above in Mattityahu 12: 39-40. There was therefore secure guard around the tomb for at least three days from the time Yah'shuah was buried there. And no one was allowed to enter into the tomb for that duration of time. The women therefore had no option but to wait until after the third day was over, when there would no longer be secure guard at the tomb, to allow them to anoint Yah'shuah's body. They therefore could not enter the tomb on the sixth day of the week, and anoint Yah'shuah's body.

Now some might suggest that it is unlikely that the Father would have raised Yah'shuah on the seventh day of the week, as it was the Shabbat.

It should be remembered that Yah'shuah worked the works of the Father, such as healing the sick, even on the Shabbat. The fact that the day scheduled for Yah'shuah's resurrection was a Shabbat therefore made little difference to the Father with respect to raising him from the dead and giving him life again. It is therefore submitted that the Father did indeed work on that Shabbat, in that he raised his Son Yah'shuah back to life. It should therefore be evident that Yah'shuah was indeed raised from the dead on the Shabbat, towards the end of it, being three days and three nights after he was buried.

• Luke 2: 39-52

Verses 41 to 43 show that it was the custom of the family Yah'shuah was a member of to attend the feast of the Pesach annually at Yerushalayim, according to the custom of it. Verse 43 suggests that they stayed in Yerushalayim for the entire eight-day period, one for the sacrificing of the Pesach and seven for the feast of matzah. For it states "days" - plural, and not day - singular, which would have referred only to the Pesach and would have excluded the feast of matzah.

• Luke 22: 1 to 24: 53

22: 1 confirms that the terms feast of matzah and Pesach were used interchangeably to describe the entire eight-day period for preparing the Pesach and the feast of matzah.

22: 7 also confirms what 22: 1 has already confirmed, for the day on which Pesach must be sacrificed was considered to be a day of matzah.

22: 8-13 shows that Kefa and Yahchanan prepared the Pesach for Yah'shuah and his disciples.

22: 14 shows that Yah'shuah sat down with his disciples to eat the Pesach "when the hour had come". For the Pesach was indeed eaten "at evening", after the end of the fourteenth day and at the beginning of the fifteenth day.

22: 15-16 shows that Yah'shuah made clear that he would not eat of the Pesach again until it was fulfilled in the kingdom of the Mighty One.

22: 18 shows that Yah'shuah stated that he would not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of the Mighty One comes.

23: 54 shows that at the time Yah'shuah was laid in the tomb, on the day of Preparation, "the Shabbat was coming on". In other words, the first matzah Shabbat was coming on, the first of the seven days of the feast of matzah, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim. Also, as the Shabbat was coming on, being the day of Preparation, Yah'shuah is seen to have been placed in the tomb before the commencement of the Shabbat, while it was still the day of Preparation, all dates according to the reckoning of the Yahudim. For Yah'shuah had already eaten the Pesach on the previous night.

23: 56 shows that the women prepared spices and ointments. Earlier on, in Mark, it was seen that the women rested on the Shabbat, and bought the spices after the Shabbat. Therefore, the first Shabbat, after which they bought and prepared the spices and ointments, must have been the Shabbat falling on the first day of the feast of matzah, according to the reckoning of the Yahudim. The second Shabbat, mentioned in Luke 23: 56, must have been the weekly Shabbat.

• Yahchanan (John) 2: 12-25

2: 13 shows that Yah'shuah observed the Pesach in Yerushalayim according to its commandment, and travelled from Kafar-Nachum in order to do so.

• Yahchanan 11: 55 to 21: 25

11: 55 makes clear that the Pesach that Yahchanan wrote about was that "of the Yahudim". It should be noted, from the ordinance of the Pesach in the book of Moshe, that Pesach is called "Yahweh's Pesach". Yet here we see a "Yahudim's Pesach". It is therefore evident that there were some distinctions between this "Yahudim's Pesach" and "Yahweh's Pesach".

It has already been seen from the accounts in Mattityahu, Mark and Luke that Yah'shuah and his disciples observed Yahweh's Pesach one day before the Yahudim observed their Pesach. If both Yah'shuah and the Yahudim had observed the same Pesach, they would have eaten the Pesach on the same day at the same appointed time. That Yah'shuah and his disciples ate Yahweh's Pesach one day before the Yahudim ate theirs shows a clear distinction between Yahweh's Pesach and the Yahudim's Pesach.

11: 55 shows that many had gone to Yerushalayim, having travelled from the country, to purify themselves. It should be remembered that this purification was for purposes of the sanctuary, as seen during the Pesach observed in the second month in the days of Chizkiyahu.

11: 56 shows that the chief Kohanim and the Perushim knew that it was Yah'shuah's custom to observe the feast, that is both Pesach and the feast of matzah.

13: 1-2 shows the distinction, in Yahchanan's rendition, between Yahweh's Pesach and that of the Yahudim. For the supper here mentioned is the same supper referred to in Mattityahu, Mark and Luke as the Pesach. But Yahchanan says that this was before the Pesach. Yahchanan was therefore meaning that this was before the Yahudim's Pesach, even as he had already referred to it in 11: 55 as the "Pesach of the Yahudim". Yahweh's Pesach, which Yah'shuah eat with his disciples, therefore took place before the Yahudim's Pesach.

13: 2-5 shows that when Yah'shuah had begun to wash the disciples' feet it was already "after supper". In other words, they had already completed eating Yahweh's Pesach. Therefore the events that were now taking place were not part of Yahweh's Pesach, for Yahweh's Pesach had already been eaten!

13: 6-20 gives us an indication of the meaning behind Yah'shuah washing his disciples' feet. It centred on cleanliness, cleanliness of the heart. For Yah'shuah spoke about being clean with reference to his washing the feet of his disciples. Therefore the washing of the feet is symbolic of our need for cleansing, cleansing in the heart, by Yah'shuah. For Yah'shuah told Kefa in verse 8 that if he did not wash Kefa the latter would have no part in Yah'shuah. It is therefore Yah'shuah who cleanses us, cleanses us in our hearts, and cleanses us from our sins, from those things that spiritually defile us.

When Kefa proposed that he be cleansed from head to feet Yah'shuah responded that this was not necessary, for Kefa was largely clean, having already bathed, thereby needing only the cleansing of his feet. Was Yah'shuah referring to the baptismal bathing, when one is baptised in his name? For baptism in his name also involves purification or cleansing, signifying cleansing from past sins at the time of baptism.

Also, that he introduced washing of the feet to signify further cleansing, though not of a major nature such as bathing, suggests that in the course of time we acquire sins of which we need to be cleansed. For just as a person walking on a dusty road acquires dust on this feet, which needs washing to be cleansed, so also do those who believe in Yah'shuah the Messiah acquire sins as they walk in the way of life. Therefore, periodically, one needs to be cleansed of one's newly acquired sins, even while one professes belief in Yah'shuah as the Messiah, for this is the inevitable human experience. For Yah'shuah's disciples have not yet attained to perfection, meaning living their lives completely devoid of sin. Therefore, when we sin, we need to be cleansed by Yah'shuah, even as we walk in the way of life that he has called us to walk. Regular washing of the disciples' feet therefore signifies our regular need for cleansing, being washed by Yah'shuah.

When Yah'shuah spoke about not all the disciples being completely clean he was referring to Yahudah from Kriot, Shimon's son. For Hasatan the devil had already entered into Yahudah's heart, to cause him to sin against Yah'shuah the Son of the Mighty One. It should therefore be clear that it is sin that defiles us. And it is sin that we need to be cleansed of by Yah'shuah. And as we inevitably acquire sin with the passage of time as we walk in the path of life, we need to be regularly cleansed by Yah'shuah of these sins that we inevitably acquire in the course of time. Regular washing of the disciples feet therefore signifies our need for regular cleansing of newly acquired sin, being cleansed by Yah'shuah.

Regular washing of disciples feet, coupled with its meaning, also signifies humility. For Yah'shuah's disciples symbolise that they acknowledge that they are not yet perfect servants, as they continue to make mistakes in their service to both Yahweh and Yah'shuah. Washing of the feet by Yah'shuah's disciples should therefore continue to serve as a reminder to them that they are not yet perfect, and need the regular cleansing of their newly acquired sins, the cleansing that comes from Yah'shuah. Yah'shuah's servants should therefore not boast of the clean state they are in, knowing that it is not their own doing, but the doing of Yah'shuah the Messiah, their Cleanser and Purifier. The praise and glory for the continued clean and pure state of Yah'shuah's disciples therefore goes to Yah'shuah and to Yahweh, and not to Yah'shuah's disciples. For this is not the doing of Yah'shuah's disciples, but the doing of Yah'shuah.

Also, that Yah'shuah told Kefa that those who have bathed need to have only their feet cleansed suggests that this washing of the feet is restricted to only those disciples of Yah'shuah who have been baptised. For one not baptised in Yah'shuah's name has not yet undertaken the action signifying the cleansing of his past sins by Yah'shuah. Such a one first needs to so signify that it is Yah'shuah who cleanses him of his sins by undertaking baptism in Yah'shuah's name. After this he can participate in the regular washing of the disciples' feet, signifying his need for regular cleansing by Yah'shuah of the sins he inevitably acquires with the passage of time.

Also, as those who regularly walk on dusty roads acquire dirt on their feet, so also do those who regularly walk in the path of life acquire sin with the passage of time. It therefore appears to me that foot washing of the disciples' feet ought to be a regular affair, rather than an irregular affair. For the more regular it is the more it reminds Yah'shuah's disciples of their need for their Cleanser and Purifier, Yah'shuah the Messiah. Disciples should therefore wash one another's feet regularly.

13: 17 speaks of a blessing for Yah'shuah's disciples who do the things that he has taught them. In this context he was speaking of the disciples' washing one another's feet, following after his example. Yah'shuah's disciples should therefore be washing one another's feet.

13: 18 shows that this blessing does not fall on all who profess to be Yah'shuah's disciples, but only on those he eventually chooses. For Yahudah from Kriot, despite having been a disciple of Yah'shuah, was not chosen. For he allowed Hasatan to enter his heart and cause him to sin against Yah'shuah. Likewise, those who are chosen by Yah'shuah must remain faithful to Yah'shuah, and should not adulterate themselves with Hasatan or any other entity. We must therefore remain faithful to Yah'shuah. For only by so remaining will he regularly cleanse us of our sins after our baptism, and eventually bless us with the blessing he spoke of in 13: 18.

13:30 shows that at the time Yahudah from Kriot left Yah'shuah and his disciples, after Yah'shuah had washed the feet of his disciples, "it was night". Yahweh's Pesach was therefore eaten on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the night much to be observed, the first day of the feast of matzah.

18: 28 shows that the Kohanim and the Perushim had not yet partaken of their Pesach, for it was their Preparation day, the day they sacrificed their Pesach. They therefore sought to avoid defiling themselves for purposes of the sanctuary by entering the Praetorium, that they may eat the Pesach. For those unclean for purposes of the sanctuary are not allowed to eat the Pesach, according to commandment.

18: 29 shows that so adherent were the Kohanim and the Perushim with respect to avoiding defiling themselves that it took Pilate to come out of the Praetorium to consult with them, rather than they entering the Praetorium to consult with Pilate.

19: 14 confirms that when Yah'shuah was being tried before Pilate it was the Yahudim's day of Preparation, the day they sacrificed the Pesach. Nevertheless, this was a day after the day for sacrificing Yahweh's Pesach, for Yah'shuah and his disciples had already eaten Yahweh's Pesach the previous night.

19: 31 confirms that Yah'shuah was removed from the stake on the Yahudim's Preparation day, before the special Shabbat of the first day of the Yahudim's feast of matzah arrived. It should therefore be seen that Yah'shuah was buried before the Shabbat, the Yahudim's special Shabbat.

19: 42 confirms that Yah'shuah was laid to the tomb while it was still the Yahudim's Preparation day, before the Yahudim's special Shabbat.

• Acts 1: 1 to 2: 13

1: 3 shows that Yah'shuah appeared to his apostles, after his suffering, over a period of forty days. His suffering ended with his death on the fifteenth of Aviv, according to his reckoning, this being the fourth day of the week.

1: 4-5 shows that during this period of his appearance to his apostles, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, for they were to receive it not many days from the time that Yah'shuah was speaking the words that he was to them.

1: 9 shows that Yah'shuah was taken up and a cloud received him out of the sight of his apostles, whom he had just been speaking to. This marked the end of his appearance to them after his suffering ended, the beginning of his appearance to them being the first day of the week, after his three days and three nights in the heart of the earth had elapsed.

2: 1 shows that when the day of Shavuot, Pentecost, the feast of weeks, had come, the disciples were all together in one place and in one accord! It appears that they were not divided, as is prevalent in our time, as to the date of Shavuot! This scripture also indicates that there were divisions with respect to the date of Shavuot during the time of Yah'shuah and his disciples!

2: 2-13 indeed shows that the disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Shavuot!

This scriptural witness enables us to ascertain when Shavuot was held on this year, and when the wave of sheaf offering was waved to Yahweh on this year, the year Yah'shuah died!

Earlier on it was seen that the wave of sheaf offering had to be waved to Yahweh prior to the commencement of the feast of matzah. It was also seen that on this year the feast of matzah, according to Yah'shuah's reckoning, commenced on the fourth day of the week, the very day that he died. For he ate of Yahweh's Pesach on the night of the fifteenth of Aviv, the night before he died. The wave of sheaf offering must therefore have been waved to Yahweh on the morrow after one of the two previous weekly Shabbatot.

In this year the first Shabbat in the month of Aviv occurred on the fourth day of the month, and the second Shabbat occurred on the eleventh day of the month. The respective morrows after the Shabbatot therefore occurred on the fifth and twelfth days of the month of Aviv.

Had the wave of sheaf offering been waved on the fifth day of the first month, eleven days would have elapsed into the count to the feast of weeks as of the day of Yah'shuah's death. An additional four days would have elapsed into the count as of the first day of his appearance to his disciples, this being a first day of the week, thereby making this first day of the week the fifteenth day of the count. From this day Yah'shuah appeared to his disciples for forty days, prior to the coming of the day of Shavuot, the feast of weeks. This would there fore have been day fifty-five of the count! But the count to the feast of weeks is always fifty days, beginning with the first day of the week and ending with the first day of the week! Therefore had the wave of sheaf offering been waved to Yahweh on the fifth day of the first month Shavuot would have occurred prior to Yah'shuah being taken up into heaven! But seeing that Yah'shuah was taken up into heaven, after having appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days, it is indeed evident that on this year the wave of sheaf offering was not waved to Yahweh on the fifth day of the first month of the year!

This leaves the morrow after the second Shabbat of the first month as the one on which the wave of sheaf offering was waved to Yahweh! For had the wave of sheaf offering been waved on this day, the eleventh day of the first month, Yah'shuah would have died on the fourth day of the count to the feast of weeks. Four days later, on the first day of the week, when he first appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, would have been day eight of the count to the feast of weeks. Thirty nine days later, making forty days of his appearing to his disciples, the day Yah'shuah was taken up from them and received in a cloud out of their sight, would have been day forty seven of the count to the feast of weeks. Three days later would have been day fifty of the count to the feast of weeks, being the feast of weeks, otherwise known as Shavuot or Pentecost! Thus it is seen that the only qualifying Shabbat for the waving of the sheaf of wave offering to Yahweh was that immediately prior the feast of matzah, the second Shabbat of the first month! It is therefore also confirmed that Yah'shuah was taken up into heaven on the fifth day of the week, three days prior to the feast of weeks, the day of Shavuot or Pentecost!

It should also be remembered that during the time of Yah'shuah, Moshe's servant, who, together with Yisrael, kept the first Pesach in the land of Promise, the wave of sheaf offering was waved to Yahweh on the morrow after the Shabbat immediately prior to the feast of matzah, the second Shabbat in that month. Thus we do indeed have two scriptural witnesses affirming that the Shabbat prior to the morrow on which the wave of sheaf offering is waved to Yahweh is that immediately prior to the commencement of the feast of matzah! From the morrow after this Shabbat the count to the feast of weeks begins!

Return to Contents

Yahweh's Pesach is a lamb or kid sacrificed on the fourteenth day of the first month of the year, "at the going down of the sun", which is well before sunset ending the fourteenth day. It is roasted whole on the same day, and eaten on the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, immediately after the end of the fourteenth. The fifteenth day of the first month is the first day of the feast of matzah, and is a Shabbat to Yahweh. No servile work is to be done in it, save only work as necessary for preparing food. Matzah, unleavened bread, is to be eaten during the seven days of the feast of matzah. No leavened bread should be left in the houses of all to observe the feast of matzah. The seventh day of the feast of matzah is also a Shabbat. Holy convocations are commanded on these Shabbatot.

Yahweh's Pesach and the feast of matzah are to be observed in the land of promise, and specifically at the place Yahweh has placed his name to dwell in for all time, Yerushalayim. They are NOT to be observed elsewhere!

If one qualified to observe the Pesach cannot observe it in its appointed time in the first month of Aviv, due to either being far away from Yerushalayim at the appointed time, or being unclean for purposes of the sanctuary, such a one should observe Pesach in the second month, on the fourteenth day of the second month. The instructions for observing Pesach in the second month are exactly the same as those for observing it in the first month. When Pesach is so observed in the second month, the feast of matzah should likewise be observed in the second month, as shown by the precedent set in the days of king Chizkiyahu, which was so set by the word of Yahweh.

During the time Yah'shuah was on earth, he observed both Pesach and the feast of matzah, according to the ordinance of both. The Yahudim also observed their own Pesach and feast of matzah. It is noted that on the day before he died Yah'shuah instructed two of his disciples, Kefa and Yahchanan, to prepare the Pesach he was to eat with his disciples. That following night, at the appointed time, at the beginning of the fifteenth day of the month according to Yahweh's reckoning, he did eat Yahweh's Pesach, together with his disciples. The Yahudim observed their Pesach one day later. It is therefore very evident that Yahweh's Pesach and the Yahudim's Pesach did not coincide on the year Yah'shuah died.

After he had eaten the Pesach together with his disciples, Yah'shuah instituted the breaking of the bread, matzah, and the eating of it. He also instituted the drinking of the fruit of the vine. He also instituted the washing of one another's feet by the disciples. These three are NOT the Pesach, but new commandments Yah'shuah instituted. He left the Pesach unchanged, having fully observed it according to its commandment. In obedience to Yah'shuah's command, Yah'shuah's servants and disciples should break and eat bread, matzah, should drink of the fruit of the vine, and should wash one another's feet, all according to their respective meanings.

Yah'shuah did not give a command with respect to how often the bread, matzah, should be broken and eaten, how often the wine should be drank, and how often disciples should wash one another's feet, all according to their respective meanings. They can therefore be observed on a regular basis, even often. As Yah'shuah instituted these three commands on the first day of matzah, on the night much to be observed, a tradition of observing these three commands on this very night on an annual basis can be put in place. Nevertheless, there should be no restriction on the observance of these three commands at other times of the year, as Yah'shuah himself did not so place a restriction. Also, as Yah'shuah placed no restriction on the geographic locality for the observance of these three commands, no one else should place such a restriction. These three commands can therefore be observed often in any part of the world.

May all who sincerely worship Yahweh observe Yahweh's Pesach, and the feast of matzah, at their appointed times and place. May all who are servants and disciples of Yah'shuah observe the three commands, of the bread, the wine and the washing of the disciples feet, often and in whatever geographic part of the world they happen to be in.

Return to Contents

Your comments on this article

Return to Servants of Yahweh Site Contents page.

Go to Home Page

© 1998, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published by Servants of Yahweh, P O Box 22855, London, NW9 8ZF, United Kingdom. E-mail: servantsofyahweh@serveyahweh.org. Permission is hereby GRANTED to reproduce this and other publications in the Servants of Yahweh web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, unless otherwise stated.

Financial contributions, payable to Servants of Yahweh, and sent to P O Box 22855, London, NW9 8ZF, United Kingdom, are welcome and gratefully received. These facilitate the effective distribution of the word Yahweh has given us, both in electronic and hard copy formats. Not all have easy access to the Internet and therefore cannot easily access our web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, for this information where it is freely available. These need hard copies of the information published on our web site. Production and distribution of books and booklets is significantly more costly than publishing and distributing material over the Internet. In this regard your financial contributions, whether by way of tithes and/or freewill offerings, go a great way in disseminating the word Yahweh has given us to the people he wills it to reach. May Yahweh richly bless you for your financial contributions to Servants of Yahweh.