THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER
IT was the first evening of the seven days set apart to celebrate the
deliverance of the Jews from their bondage in Egypt and their safe
passage to a new home of their own.
Solomon and Esther were dressed in their Sabbath clothes. So were their
father and mother. The house was trimmed as though for a wedding.
"Is the table ready?" Esther's mother asked the servant.
"Quite ready. Everything is in its place, I think," was the answer.
The children's father led the way, and the family gathered around the
table. There were lettuce and cress, unleavened bread, wine, and a meat
bone which was carefully covered with a fine cloth.
Solomon and his father began to chant. They rocked themselves to and fro
at the same time. This motion of their bodies was to express as well as
possible the words of the psalm, "All my bones shall praise thee."
When the chant was finished, the master of the house cut a slice from a
loaf of bread shaped like a crescent.
"These two pieces of bread," he said, solemnly, "are like the shores of
the Red Sea. But now, as I join them together again, it seems as though
we could see the waves sweeping over Pharaoh's host."
He then took one-half the loaf and, putting it in a napkin, tied it on
Solomon's shoulders. There it remained till the ceremony was over.
Everybody drank some wine, and then another chant was sung. After that,
they ate some lettuce and jam and chanted again.
Esther's father now took some bread, spread it with jam, wrapped it in
lettuce and wound cress around it. He gave some of it to each one to
eat. This was done in memory of the ten plagues of Egypt.
The service was not finished until every one had eaten eggs. This was a
sign of mourning that their temple had been destroyed.
Solomon and Esther understood the meaning of all that was done this
evening. They had been carefully taught the history of the "Chosen
People," as they liked to call themselves. But at this festival their
father once more repeated many of the stories of the olden time.
He said, "We do not celebrate this festival exactly as our forefathers
did. They always sacrificed a lamb. They were also careful to eat no
leavened food for the whole seven days. We follow the rule about
unleavened bread still, and we look upon the first and last days as
holy. You must never do labour of any kind on these two days."
Then he went on to tell the story of the first Passover, and how
Pharaoh, as the ruler of Egypt was called, wished to keep the Hebrews in
bondage. He was building two treasure-cities, and he needed great
numbers of workmen to make the bricks. He did not wish the Hebrews to
join his enemies or leave the country.
He was a stern ruler, and he made his slaves work very hard. Yet they
had many children. The Pharaoh did not like this. He feared they would
become too powerful. So he ordered that every new-born boy among them
should be killed.
It happened at this time that a little boy was born in a family where
there were already two children. This new baby was a boy, and was given
the name of Moses. The mother of the child was fearful lest he should be
discovered and killed by the cruel Pharaoh. She hid him as best she
could for three months. Then she thought: "The danger grows greater
every day. I must make some new plan to save him."
She placed the baby in a little cradle or ark, and carried him down to
the shore of the river, where she hid him in the reeds. She told her
daughter Miriam to stay near her brother and watch over him. Then she
went away.
A little while after this, who should come but the noble princess,
Pharaoh's daughter. She was going to bathe in the river. It was not long
before she spied the smiling baby in the bulrushes. She was so pleased
with the little fellow that she said, "I will adopt the child."
Then the little Miriam came to her side and told the princess she knew
of a good nurse. In this way it came about that Moses' own mother was
hired to take care of the baby.
As he grew up in the king's palace, his mother told Moses all about
himself and his people. He was very carefully taught, and soon showed
that he was "mighty in words and deeds."
It happened one day that Moses saw one of the overseers cruelly beating
an Israelite. He was so angry that he killed the overseer. Then he had
to flee to save his own life from the wrath of Pharaoh. He went into the
desert not far from the Red Sea, and there he stayed for forty years.
He became a shepherd. Once while he was tending his sheep, he saw a
strange sight. It was a burning bush. That in itself was nothing to
wonder at. But the strange part of it all was that the bush looked as
though it were in flames, yet it did not really burn up. It was a sign
from Heaven!
As Moses looked at the bush, he heard a voice. It cried, "Take off your
shoes, for you are standing on holy ground."
He listened in wonder as he next received a command from God to seek the
ruler of Egypt, who was now treating the people of Israel with great
cruelty. He must give the Pharaoh a message. It was this,--that God
commanded Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the
desert.
At first Moses feared to do this. But the Lord caused some miracles to
be performed before his eyes. Then he had faith, and became brave enough
to do as God commanded him.
He went with his brother Aaron to the ruler of Egypt. He told him that
he had received word from Heaven ordering him to lead the people of
Israel out into the desert to take part in a feast.
The cruel Pharaoh did not believe in God. He was angry with Moses and
refused to let the people go.
Moses now showed the power the Lord had given him. He lifted his rod and
commanded ten plagues to come down on the land of Egypt. This was to
punish the Pharaoh and force him to free the Israelites.
One by one the plagues fell upon the country. The waters were changed to
blood, and great numbers of frogs appeared upon the land. Besides these
creatures, there were swarms of lice, flies, and other pests.
The people of Egypt became sick. The land was covered with darkness. The
Pharaoh was frightened and promised to let the Israelites leave his
country. Then the darkness lifted and the plagues ceased. But as soon as
this happened, the Pharaoh broke his promise.
The troubles began again. Pharaoh made fresh promises, only to break
them again as soon as the plagues stopped.
At last, God sent an angel into Egypt to kill all the first-born of the
people. The Israelites, however, were not to be harmed. Moses told them
to smear their door-posts with the blood of a lamb.
The angel moved from house to house, doing as the Lord had directed. But
when he came to a door-post marked with the blood of a lamb, he passed
it by, and no one within was harmed.
Esther's father told the story that evening, as though the children had
never heard it before. Yet they had listened to it every year since they
could remember.
The blood of a lamb! Yes, the people in olden time had good reason to
sacrifice a lamb at the Passover.
It was well named the Passover, in memory of the angel's passing over
the homes of the Chosen People.