The Passover: A Torah Study

The Pesach was not only an event — it was an institution. Yah commanded Yasharal to keep this observance perpetually, and He gave detailed instructions in multiple places in the Thurah to ensure it would be properly observed in every generation.

Shamwath (Exodus) 12:14-20 — The Core Instructions

"So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to Yah throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance." — Shamwath 12:14

Key elements of the perpetual observance:

1. Seven days of matsah: "Seven days you shall eat matsah. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses" (12:15).

2. Set-apart gatherings: "On the first day there shall be a set-apart gathering, and on the seventh day there shall be a set-apart gathering" (12:16).

3. No leaven for seven days: "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 Yasharal, whether he is a stranger or native of the land" (12:19).

4. Teaching the children: When your children ask, "What do you mean by this service?" — you are to answer: "It is the Pesach sacrifice of Yah, who passed over the houses of the children of Yasharal in Matsarim when He struck the Matsarim and delivered our households" (12:26-27).

The command to teach the children is not optional. Every generation must know what Yah did and why. The Pesach is not ancient history — it is a living memorial.

Wayiqra (Leviticus) 23:4-8 — The Appointed Times Calendar

In Wayiqra 23, Yah lists all of His muaydim — His appointed times. The Pesach is the first feast on the calendar:

"These are the appointed times of Yah, set-apart gatherings which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is Yah's Pesach." — Wayiqra 23:4-5

"And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Matsoth to Yah; seven days you must eat matsah. On the first day you shall have a set-apart gathering; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yah for seven days. The seventh day shall be a set-apart gathering; you shall do no customary work on it." — Wayiqra 23:6-8

Notice the precision:

• 14th of the first month, at twilight — the Pesach lamb is slaughtered
• 15th of the first month — the Feast of Matsoth begins
• First day — set-apart gathering, no work
• Seven days — eat matsah
• Seventh day — another set-apart gathering, no work

These are not suggestions. These are Yah's appointed times — specific dates on His calendar that He has set apart for meeting with His people.

Dabarim (Deuteronomy) 16:1-8 — The Observance in the Promised Land

Forty years later, as Yasharal was about to enter the promised land, Moshe restated the Pesach instructions with additional detail:

"Observe the month of the Abib, and keep the Pesach to Yah your Alahim, for in the month of Abib Yah your Alahim brought you out of Matsarim by night." — Dabarim 16:1

"You shall therefore sacrifice the Pesach to Yah your Alahim, from the flock and the herd, in the place where Yah chooses to put His name." — Dabarim 16:2

"You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat matsah with it, that is, the bread of affliction — for you came out of the land of Matsarim in haste — that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Matsarim all the days of your life." — Dabarim 16:3

Moshe calls matsah "the bread of affliction" — lekhem oni. It is a reminder of suffering, urgency, and dependence on Yah. There was no time for comfort. There was no time for the dough to rise. They left in haste, trusting that Yah would provide.

"And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning." — Dabarim 16:4

"You may not sacrifice the Pesach within any of your gates which Yah your Alahim gives you; but at the place where Yah your Alahim chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Pesach at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Matsarim." — Dabarim 16:5-6

"And you shall roast and eat it in the place which Yah your Alahim chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. Six days you shall eat matsah, and on the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly to Yah your Alahim. You shall do no work on it." — Dabarim 16:7-8

Why Does This Matter Today?

Yah called these His everlasting ordinances. He said this feast was to be kept throughout your generations. He did not place an expiration date on the Pesach. He did not say "until something better comes along." He said forever.

The Pesach teaches us:

• Yah delivers — He has the power to break any chain
• Obedience matters — the blood had to be applied as instructed
• Remember — every generation must know what Yah did
• Teach the children — they must ask "what does this mean?" and we must answer from the Thurah
• His calendar, not ours — the 14th of the first month, at twilight, is when Yah appointed this meeting

The Pesach is not a tradition of men. It is an appointment with Yah — set by Him, for His people, kept in His way, on His schedule.

May we keep it as He instructed.

Discussion Questions:

1. Shamwath 12:26-27 commands us to teach our children about the Pesach when they ask. How can we make this feast a living experience for the next generation, not just a history lesson?

2. Wayiqra 23 places the Pesach as the very first feast on Yah's calendar. Why do you think He made this the starting point of His appointed times?

3. Moshe calls matsah "the bread of affliction." What is the connection between affliction and freedom in Yah's plan?

4. Dabarim 16 says to keep the Pesach "at the place where Yah chooses to make His name abide." What does this instruction mean for how we observe the Pesach today?

5. Yah said "everlasting ordinance" and "throughout your generations." How do you reconcile this with those who say these feasts are no longer required?

6. As you prepare for tonight's Pesach, what is one thing from this study that has deepened your understanding of what Yah accomplished on this night?