You know, almost every Friday night, I have a bunch of friends and acquaintances over to share a meal.  Because it is the holiday of Shabat, the day the Supreme Being rested- and that means so do we.

But, tonight is not only Shabat, it is also the first night of Pesach- or, as you probably call it, Passover.  And, while most Jews ignore Shabat, this is one most celebrate.  As a matter of fact, other than Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur, it’s the holiday that Jews seem to celebrate.  

Even those Jews that don’t keep kosher tend to gather with their families and friends to re-tell the story of our release from Egypt.  The English name for this holiday reminds one that the Supreme Being passed over the houses of those that had the courage to place the blood of the paschal lamb on their doorpost.  (This is the reason that Jewish homes have a mezuza on their doors- to remind us that we are willing to be counted, to ask Hashem to protect us from the vagaries of life.)

That spattering of blood was an act of courage.  Because the lamb was one of the deities of the Egyptians.  So, slaying the lamb and using its blood as a marker on the door clearly defied the common beliefs.  But, it was a critical test.  Because only those that were willing to mark their doors, to show the world they believed, were protected from the monstrous 10th plague- the death of the first-born.

And, if you ever really thought about it, it should be obvious that the Pharoah must have killed his older brother to take control of the kingdom.  Because he was not among those killed that night.  (The power of the kingdom always transferred to the first-born, should they  still be living.)

Once this tenth plague hit, the Egyptians allowed- nay, they hastened-  the Jews to leave, ostensibly on a three-day holiday to praise Hashem.  But, the Jews knew they would never return- because they were going to return instead to their land, the land of milk and honey…

And, as all of us will say tonight as we sing, pray, and learn (some of us until the crow reminds it is already the next morning)…

Next year in Jerusalem…   לשנה הבאה בירושלים

May you all celebrate this holiday of Spring, this holiday of Freedom, this holiday that we build anew…

There are a slew of reasons that have developed to explain why the holiday of Pesach no longer begins on the 14th of Nissan.  Some blame it on the destruction of the Great Temple.  Others, because too many Egyptians were killed (the first-born plague) on that night.  But, then, again, the holiday of Matzot was to begin on the 15th.  The 14th was just designated as the date for the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb.  I guess we’ll have to wait the mashiach (the Messiah) to come to explain the true reasons.

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