This year the Easter season overlaps with the Jewish holiday of Passover. For a Messianic Jew, that means a time of extra celebration!
So why celebrate Passover when you believe in the resurrected Jesus Christ as Messiah, who rescued us from slavery once and for all? Well, for Jewish people this holiday, originally titled “The Lord’s Passover”, is a key part of our identity. Wishing a Jewish person a “Happy Passover” is tantamount to affirming that they are Jews. And giving your Jewish mate a Passover gift would let them know that being Jewish is not a sin from which they need to repent, but rather a great privilege. After all, the message of the gospel was first given to Jewish people.
I’m 71 years old and have celebrated Passover throughout my whole life. I grew up in Kansas City in the middle of the USA and have lived the past 25 years in Sydney. It hasn’t mattered where I was living or visiting, Passover is the most celebrated Jewish holiday for me and my family.
It’s not about the food, although it is abundant, and for many, it’s not about the religious ceremony. It’s not the over-sweet Passover wine or the longer-than-necessary prayers and reading of the script. What happens during the holiday is the release of a sort-of homing device, such as happens in New South Wales during March as the Rugby League season begins. It’s similar to hearing the sounds of your national anthem being played while someone you don’t know is standing on the dais during the Olympics. There’s a feeling we call ‘hamishe’ in Yiddish – a feeling of home. That sentiment which drove Odysseus until he reached home and E.T. to ‘phone home’ is the hamishe feeling.
Read the article by Bob Mendelsohn in Eternity News.