Thursday, March 29, 2012

Matzo

I was in the grocery store today and saw boxes of "Matzo" lined up in a prominent place on the shelves. (picture below)  That is when I thought that a good place to start on talking about Israel is the big, upcoming holiday, the Passover.  Kids are out of school for two weeks, so it is pretty hard to miss the excitement in the air...
Don't mistake Passover with Easter.  Even though they are celebrated relatively around the same time each year, they are two completely different holidays for two completely different cultures.

Passover commemorates the Exodus, the freedom from slavery of the children of Israel from ancient Egypt that followed the ten plagues.  It is a 7-day celebration that begins on April 6th of this year.

When Pharoah freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for the bread dough (leaven) to rise.


Matzo is a symbol of the Passover holiday and is made solely from flour and water.  It has been called "bread of poverty,"  serving as a symbol to remind Jews what it is like to be a poor slave and to promote humility and an appreciation for freedom.
Matzoh for Passover
During the week of Passover, observing Jews do not eat any bread that has been leavened with yeast.  Not only are they to refrain from eating it, but they are also to rid their homes of it, as well as their domains (work space, cars, etc...)

Observant Jews spend the weeks before Passover in a flurry of thorough housecleaning, to remove every morsel of leaven from every part of the home.  Even the cracks of kitchen counters are thoroughly scrubbed to remove any traces of flour and yeast, however small.

A couple of years ago, we visited a Jewish family in their home, in Ukraine.  That visit just happened to fall during Passover week, and we couldn't help but notice all of the foil that was covering the kitchen cabinets, appliances, etc.  The foil was used to cover any areas that possibly had remaining traces of bread crumbs.

Here are some pictures that I found online that will give you an idea of the cleaning and preparation for Passover:


If you really want to learn more about the cleaning process and Passover laws and customs, you can start by reading here.  I think you will be surprised at how much work is involved!

In the future when you read the below verses in your Bibles (though there are many more than the ones I have listed), you will have a better picture in your minds of what the Passover means to the Jewish people and why unleavened bread is still a part of their culture.  This is all a part of my attempt at helping make the Bible come alive to you (and me)!..... 

Exodus 12:39  And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

Exodus 13:7
Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

14 comments:

  1. I did not realize the work involved in preparing for Passover!

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  2. Very interesting! Thank you so much for sharing, Jolene!

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  3. I remember David talking about that in Bible College, but to actually see a picture, it sure brings everything to light. Thank you Jolene :)

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  4. Very interesting, Jolene. I am enjoying these posts very much!

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  5. Very Interesting! I look forward to learning more!

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  6. Make sure you go grocery shopping before it begins! We made that mistake one year and had to go to the East side of town to buy anything. It was interesting to see the shelves though!

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    1. Thanks for the heads up, Pam! Our friends here have been warning us, too. :-)

      I'd love to get into the stores that week though, just to get some good pictures of the empty shelves!

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  7. OH, wow! All that tin foil kind of made me laugh a little. Very interesting. :o) I guess bread crumbs could get on your lampshades. ;o) I'm really enjoying these Israel posts. ♥

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    1. Yes, they do take it a little seriously, don't they? It is actually humbling to see their dedication to pleasing God to the tiniest detail! If only we could be that way! I'm glad you're enjoying these posts... I'm enjoying doing them and learning myself! Love ya, friendie! ;o)

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  8. I'm wondering how they sit on the couches without tearing the foil. Very interesting.

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    1. I really don't think very many people go as far as what you saw in that picture. (Though I could be wrong since I am still learning myself.) I can also imagine that they would just use wooden chairs or folding chairs that week instead. Or even sit outside, since the weather is already beautiful here this time of year. I guess we can do anything if it is just for a week!

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  9. Very interesting. We are actually having a Bible Conference this week and a lot of it is on the Jewish symbolism of different things in the Bible Tonight we are actually having a Passiver Dinner at church. The preacher that is here is explaining it as we eat. There is a lot of work involved. Enjoying your posts!

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  10. We are going to use this as a study tool. Our entire family is looking forward to learning more. We grabbed your button. The first one we have EVER grabbed. :)

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  11. Ms. Jolene that is sooo neat! It's funny cuz today in Jr. Church (I teach it every other Sunday) we learned about the Passover in the Bible and about Palm Sunday and all and we even had those crackers that were a lot like the picture of the star:)) Very cool! :D I wish I would've read this this morning! lol bummer.... ;0) I would've incorporated ya'll in the lesson and everything! Oh well;)))) hehe

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Thank you for your encouraging comments! "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." Proverbs 25:25