PASSOVER, THE INSIDE STORY

Hugh Fogelman

 

 

Hollywood and Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 production of  the “Ten Commandments,” showed that all the Jews painted the blood of a lamb on their doorposts and were saved from death of the Tenth plague ― the last plague, the Death of the Firstborn. As usual, the movies don’t give an accurate account of the events; you should read the book (Torah).

According to the Midrash, 1 during the previous plague, the Plague of Darkness, four-fifths of the Israelites in Egypt died. These were the Hebrews who were so assimilated that they did not want to leave Egypt. The Sages say God, being omniscient saw to it that there was a supernatural birth rate; women were having births of six babies constantly for 210 years. This is recorded in oral Jewish history and explains Exodus 12:37 which states that 600,000 adult Hebrew males left Egypt with Moses. Counting all the children, women and the “mixed multitude,” there were over 2 million people in the Exodus.

The Shabbat that precedes the Holy Days of Passover (Pesah) is called Shabbat Hagadol –The Great Shabbat. Our Sages teach that it was on this day ― Shabbat the 10th of Nisan in 2448 BCE ― that the Jewish people fulfilled the command of God and dragged the idol of the Egyptians – a sheep – and tied it alive to their bedposts. When asked by the angry Egyptians, "What are you doing with that lamb?” the Jews replied "I am going to slaughter it and eat it."

The Egyptians, although infuriated, could do nothing. See Exodus (Shemot) 8:21-22 (Judaica Press Complete Tanakh) in which Moses warned Pharaoh that the Jews were going to be "offering" the Egyptian god in the desert

Thereupon, Pharaoh … said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land." But Moses said, "It is improper to do that, for we will sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to our God. Will we sacrifice the deity of the Egyptians before their eyes, and they will not stone us? (See Exodus 8:24-26 in Christian bibles)

As a result of Pharaoh once again refusing the Jews safe passage out of Egypt, God commanded the Jews to slaughter the lamb, the Egyptian god of April 2 on the eve of the last plague (death of the first born), and to paint the blood of this Egyptian god on their door posts.

Isn’t it strange that the movies never told of the Egyptian god of April, “the lamb?” What did the directors not want to show ―  that God and the Angel did not need the blood on the door-posts of any homes to see who were Jewish or not?  THEY ALREADY KNEW.  To imply that God did not know who was Jewish and who was not is an insult to God. What needs to be done is to look farther into the event.

The blood was for the Jews to show God and the Angel that they trusted Him enough to be worthy to follow Moses – plain and simple. For hundreds of years, the Hebrews were conditioned not to disrespect Egyptian authority. However, they now had to have the courage to kill the Egyptian god of April ― a lamb. The smearing the Egyptian god’s blood on the doorposts of the Jewish houses showed DEFIANCE. This act demonstrated to the Angel of Death, and God Himself, these Jews were worthy to follow Moses. Those who did not died.

It was a Jewish rebellion which told the Egyptians that their God was stronger than all of the gods of Egypt, even the lamb-god of April.  Every year, Jews celebrate their Birthday (the birth of the Jewish nation) by eating the lamb ― the god of Egypt ― once again showing the world their defiance to false gods.

THERE WAS NO SYMBOL OF ANY SIN INVOLVED, as Christianity falsely claims.

Christianity, not knowing the true story of Passover, and not understanding Hebrew Scriptures, ignorantly relates the Passover lamb to Jesus and sin. In the New Testament (NT) Paul wrote:

“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7 New International Version (NIV))

Still blatantly wrong, The NIV explains; “Christ fulfilled the true meaning of the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover lamb. Christ, the Lamb of God, was crucified on Passover day.” 

So what have you now learned? Based on the NIV comments you know that the “Lamb of God” was (drum roll please) the Egyptian god of April. Very well! You are doing better than your Christian apologists and clergy.

So, with your new knowledge of what really transpired in Egypt, let us look at what John supposed said:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

WHAT?? Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world????  John wanted to use an animal to symbolize Jesus’ taking away sin from all mankind; he should have used the Yom Kipper goat or a bull, not the Passover Lamb (the Egyptian god of April).

There is no sin involved during Passover as Christians, in ignorance, try to show in the bible, the NT.

The Paschal lamb simply represents the defiance the Hebrews showed against the Egyptians. Each year they eat the unblemished lamb to reaffirm their defiance to false gods.

Rabbi Tovia Singer said:

“The Torah never states or even implies that the Passover sheep or goat atones for sin. Christians will often claim that Abraham was referring to the Paschal lamb (Genesis 22:7-8). What lamb? What happened to the lamb mentioned that Abraham promised? It was a “ram” that was offered up to God – where was the lamb to which Abraham was prophetically referring? Christians will say, “big deal, lamb or ram, they mean the same thing. But that is not true – Since Torah was written in Hebrew, there are two different Hebrew words for ram and for lamb, and if that’s not enough, in Hebrew one must read the content of the sentence, before and after.”

“Just as God tested Abraham’s faith to show his worthiness to be the father of the chosen people, the young Jewish nation also had to have their faith tested to show their worthiness to participate in the exodus form Egypt, to receive God’s Torah at Mount Sinai.”  

Now, if Christians want a sin sacrifice, they only have to turn to Yom Kippur, the most holy day of the Jewish year. This is the day Jews pray to God for forgiveness for their “cheit” (errors – sins). But if they do, Christians would have to follow God’s rules. Jews sacrificed an unblemished female goat as a “korban,” in this case a sin offering, for atonement.

But wait; think for yourselves now that you have learned things that even your clergy never told you. Even if Jesus was supposed to be a sacrifice for atonement (you now know that had to be an unblemished female goat), he could not have been ― because he was indeed blemished! So even Jesus would not qualify; for according to the Christian bible, he was circumcised, whipped, penetrated with a spear, and nails were driven through his body parts. A “korban” for atonement could NEVER be blemished; according to God as recorded in His SOURCE Document, Torah.

Remember, Christians read the Hebrew Scriptures in bad English translations, taken from the Greek Septuagint. This in no way can be said to be the Hebrew Bible. To even begin to understand God’s Torah, one must read it in the language God used to give it to the Children of Israel; that is Hebrew. Hebrew is referred to as Leshon HaKodesh, meaning THE HOLY TONGUE ― the language that God chose to compose the Torah. There is an important message for the Christian clergy and your missionary-type friends; as a friend once saidNot knowing Hebrew does not make you stupid. The stupid people are the ones who do not know Hebrew, but think they know the Hebrew Scriptures better than people who do…”

After all is said and done, in essence, the Egyptian god of April was transposed to the Christian god. Jesus. Christians worship an Egyptian god and not the God of Creation and of Torah.  There are a couple of churches in Mexico that have an actual Golden Lamb sitting there. Christianity is simply repackaged pagan and Egyptian idolatry; pure and simple!  THINK!

 

Footnote:

1.  Midrash: one of the classical collections of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Torah.

2.  The lamb was the Egyptian god of April. The survivors of the Exodus were told by God to remember all of what He did.

 

 

Copyright © 2004, Hugh Fogelman. All rights reserved.

 


RETURN