As the time approached for the Israelites' redemption from Egyptian slavery, a dilemma arose. They hadn't accumulated enough good deeds to merit their freedom! So, what did God do? He gave them two commandments: to sacrifice the paschal lamb (the Passover lamb), and to circumcise their sons.
And there’s more. With the paschal lamb came the Jewish calendar, its year beginning with the month of Nisan, in which Passover is celebrated on the fifteenth day. The computations, however, were so complex that Moses couldn't grasp them until God revealed the movements of the moon to him. Ginzberg's retelling highlights that the intricacies of the calendar weren't the only thing that required divine intervention. Compounding the holy anointing oil, constructing the candlestick in the Tabernacle, and distinguishing between permitted and prohibited animals also needed God's direct teaching.
The determination of the new moon, the Rosh Chodesh, warranted special attention. God, as the story goes, appeared to Moses in a fringed garment, instructed Moses to stand at His right and Aaron at His left, and questioned the angels Michael and Gabriel about the appearance of the new moon. Then, God told Moses and Aaron, "Thus shall My children proclaim the new moon, on the testimony of two witnesses and through the president of the court." Imagine that scene for a moment.
When Moses told the Israelites that their redemption would occur in the month of Nisan, they were skeptical. "How can we be redeemed when Egypt is full of our idols, and we have no good deeds to our name?" they asked. Moses reassured them, saying, "God desires your redemption, and He pays no heed to your idols. He passes them by. Nor does He look upon your evil deeds, but only upon the good deeds of the pious among you."
The key, it seems, was abandoning idol worship. That's why God commanded them to sacrifice the paschal lamb. This act was a clear renunciation of Egyptian idolatry, particularly the worship of the ram. According to the lore, they were instructed to select their sacrificial animal four days before the offering and publicly designate it, a bold statement that they no longer feared the Egyptians.
Can you imagine the tension? The Egyptians watched, hearts heavy, as the Israelites prepared to sacrifice the very animals they worshipped. Yet, they dared not interfere. And when the time came, the Israelites, emboldened by days of unchallenged preparation, performed the ceremonies without fear.
Another act of defiance involved the blood of the lamb. The Israelites openly put it on the doorposts and lintels of their houses. This wasn’t just any ritual; it was a public declaration. Moses conveyed the laws of the Passover sacrifice to the elders, who then shared them with the people. The elders were praised for their early support of Moses, their faith inspiring the entire nation to follow him. God recognized their role, saying, "I will reward the elders for inspiring the people with confidence in Moses…They shall lead the people to the Passover sacrifice, and through this the redemption will be brought about."
The symbolism of the Passover sacrifice is rich. The blood on the doorposts, according to Ginzberg, was a reminder of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The bunch of hyssop used to sprinkle the blood symbolized Israel's humble position among nations, yet their unity and preciousness to God, just like the tightly bound hyssop.
The paschal sacrifice also presented Moses with an opportunity to persuade the Israelites to undergo circumcision, a commandment many had resisted. God intervened with a divine fragrance. A wind carried the sweet scents of Paradise toward Moses' lamb, drawing crowds from all over Egypt. When they desired to partake in the offering, Moses declared, "This is the command of God, 'No uncircumcised person shall eat thereof,'" leading them to embrace circumcision.
Finally, when God passed through Egypt, He blessed every Israelite for fulfilling the commandments of the paschal sacrifice and circumcision.
And there’s a final, almost unbelievable detail. As no sacrifice is to be eaten outside the Holy Land, God performed a miracle: transporting all the Israelites to the Holy Land on clouds to partake in the sacrifice, and then returning them to Egypt in the same manner.
So, what does this all mean for us today? The story of the first Passover is more than just a historical event; it's a testament to faith, courage, and the power of divine intervention. It reminds us that even when we feel unworthy or surrounded by challenges, God can create opportunities for redemption. It challenges us to consider what "idols" we need to abandon in our own lives and what acts of faith we can embrace to move closer to freedom and purpose.
When the time approached in which, according to the promise made to Abraham, his children would be redeemed, it was seen that they had no pious deeds to their credit for the sake of which they deserved release from bondage. God therefore gave them two commandments, one bidding them to sacrifice the paschal lamb and one to circumcise their sons. Along with the first they received the calendar in use among the Jews, for the Passover feast is to be celebrated on the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan, and with this month the year is to begin. But the computations for the calendar are so involved that Moses could not understand them until God showed him the movements of the moon plainly. There were three other things equally difficult, which Moses could comprehend only after God made him to see them plainly. They were the compounding of the holy anointing oil, the construction of the candlestick in the Tabernacle, and the animals the flesh of which is permitted or prohibited. Also the determination of the new moon was the subject of special Divine teaching. That Moses might know the exact procedure, God appeared to him in a garment with fringes upon its corners, bade Moses stand at His right hand and Aaron at His left, and then, citing Michael and Gabriel as witnesses, He addressed searching questions to the angels as to how the new moon had seemed to them. Then the Lord addressed Moses and Aaron, saying, "Thus shall My children proclaim the new moon, on the testimony of two witnesses and through the president of the court. When Moses appeared before the children of Israel and delivered the Divine message to them, telling them that their redemption would come about in this month of Nisan, they said: "How is it possible that we should be redeemed? Is not the whole of Egypt full of our idols? And we have no pious deeds to show making us worthy of redemption." Moses made reply, and said: "As God desires your redemption, He pays no heed to your idols; He passes them by. Nor does He look upon your evil deeds, but only upon the good deeds of the pious among you." God would not, indeed, have delivered Israel if they had not abandoned their idol worship. Unto this purpose He commanded them to sacrifice the paschal lamb. Thus they were to show that they had given up the idolatry of the Egyptians, consisting in the worship of the ram. The early law was different from the practice of later times, for they were bidden to select their sacrificial animal four days before the day appointed for the offering, and to designate it publicly as such, to show that they did not stand in awe of the Egyptians. With a heavy heart the Egyptians watched the preparations of the Israelites for sacrificing the animals they worshipped. Yet they did not dare interpose an objection, and when the time came for the offering to be made, the children of Israel could perform the ceremonies without a tremor, seeing that they knew, through many days' experience, that the Egyptians feared to approach them with hostile intent. There was another practice connected with the slaughter of the paschal lamb that was to show the Egyptians how little the Israelites feared them. They took of the blood of the animal, and openly put it on the two side posts and on the lintel of the doors of their houses. Moses communicated the laws regulating the Passover sacrifice to the elders, and they in turn made them known to the people at large. The elders were commended for having supported the leader at his first appearance, for their faith in Moses caused the whole people to adhere to him at once. Therefore God spake, saying: "I will reward the elders for inspiring the people with confidence in Moses. They shall have the honor of delivering Israel. They shall lead the people to the Passover sacrifice, and through this the redemption will be brought about." The ceremonies connected with the Passover sacrifice had the purpose of conveying instruction to Israel about the past and the future alike. The blood put on the two side posts and on the lintel of their doors was to remind them of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and the bunch of hyssop for sprinkling the blood on the doors was to imply that, although Israel's position among the peoples of the earth is as lowly as that of the hyssop among the plants, yet this little nation is bound together like the bunch of hyssop, for it is God's peculiar treasure. The paschal sacrifice afforded Moses the opportunity for inducing the children of Israel to submit themselves to circumcision, which many had refused to do until then in spite of his urgent appeals. But God has means of persuasion. He caused a wind to blow that wafted the sweet scents of Paradise toward Moses' paschal lamb, and the fragrance penetrated to all parts of Egypt, to the distance of a forty days' journey. The people were attracted in crowds to Moses' lamb, and desired to partake of it. But he said, "This is the command of God, 'No uncircumcised person shall eat thereof,' " and they all decided to undergo circumcision. When the Lord passed through the land of Egypt, He blessed every Israelite for his fulfilment of the two commands, the command of the paschal sacrifice and the command regarding circumcision." The Lord performed a great miracle for the Israelites. As no sacrifice may be eaten beyond the borders of the Holy Land, all the children of Israel were transported thither on clouds, and after they had eaten of the sacrifice, they were carried back to Egypt in the same way.
