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The Feasts of Israel
THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (HAG HAMATZOTH)
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was the second of the annual feasts and abutted the Festival of Passover. It is the first of the pilgrim feasts. The eating of unleavened bread was for seven days, but the pilgrimage lasted just one day. Most considered the first day of the feast as the occasion of the pilgrimage, as indicated by Leviticus 23.6, while others, relying on Exodus 13.6, considered the last day of the festival, the day of pilgrimage. Those who came to Jerusalem at the beginning of this feast, as a matter of course, would also be present for the Feast of Passover.
Passover was on the 14th Nisan, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the 15th Nisan. As with the Passover, the significance of the Festival of Matzoth rested in Israel’s history, the Egyptian exodus. The bread they ate on the night of the Passover was unleavened, reflecting their poverty and servitude (“this is the bread of affliction, the poor bread our ancestors ate as slaves in the land of Egypt”). When they ate the Egyptian Passover, they were dressed for a journey. They had been born in Egypt, and had lived there all their lives, but they were not Egyptians. They were bound for another land, the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey and they had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The Feast of Unleavened Bread maintained the image of the slave nation leaving in haste with no time for the bread to rise.
The Feast’s duration was seven days, a significant period, the first day of which was to be treated as a Sabbath, “On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it,” (Lev. 23:7), the last day also. The LORD required certain prescribed sacrifices during the festival; burnt offerings, meat offerings, sin offerings and drink offerings.
Perhaps the regulation, which is the most familiar, is that which prohibits leaven in all its forms during the festival. “And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days”. (Deut. 16:4) The use of leaven was also banned from all offerings made to the Lord by fire. This was largely because fermentation implied decay and corruption. Jesus used the action of leaven to symbolize heresy. He warned His disciples to be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians, that is, the doctrine of these political groups. Paul warned against the leavening effect of sin. In the Exodus account, the eating of anything leavened during the festival was considered a capital crime. “For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.” (Exod. 12:19) This was a further element in the education of Israel. They were required to differentiate between “holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”. (Lev. 10:10) This was the basis for those restrictions that were included in the Pentateuch, regarding the sacrifice and eating of animals, the impurity of carcasses, the pollution of vessels and articles contaminated by unclean creatures, and other impurities, including leprosy. The putting away of leaven indicated a putting away of that which symbolized spiritual corruption. Israel was a chosen generation, “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people”, so that they could “proclaim the praises of Him who called (them) out of darkness into His marvelous light,” (1 Pet. 2:9) therefore they needed to ‘put away’ leaven.
THE FEAST AT THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH
The regulations that governed the feast at the time of Jesus are contained in the Mishnah. They begin, “on the night preceding the fourteenth [of Nisan] they seek out leaven by the light of a candle”. The search had to be thorough and complete, and any discovered leaven had to be burned. For those who might suffer financially by the destruction of everything leavened, it was permitted to sell that which was leavened to a Gentile, and then to buy it back after the feast. During the festival, they ate only that which was unleavened, and as laid down in the T’nach, they treated the first day of the feast as a Sabbath. During the feast there would be appropriate readings.
On the first day, Leviticus 22.26-23.44. This contains the main passages regarding the feasts of the Lord. Also Numbers 28.17-25, which repeats the regulations regarding the Festival. This passage is read every day for seven days.
On the second day, Exodus 13.1-16, a passage that deals with the Exodus and includes particular regulations for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
On the third day, Exodus 22.24-23.19, a passage that contains regulations to govern social justice, a reminder of the regulations for the Festival of Unleavened Bread and repeats the requirements that relate to the Feast of Firstfruits.
On the fourth day, Exodus 34.1-26, an important passage regarding the Mosaic covenant but which also includes instructions to keep all the feasts including the three Pilgrim Festivals.
On the fifth day, Numbers 9.1-14, the passage that permits the Passover to be celebrated, in certain circumstances, in the second month of the year instead of the first month.
On the sixth day, Exodus 13.17-15.26, which deals with the overthrow of Pharaoh’s army when Israel was delivered from Egypt. It concludes with the miraculous healing of the bitter waters of Marah.
On the seventh day, Deuteronomy 15.19-16.17, a section of the Law which repeats the regulations regarding the Feasts.
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