---

Passover is one of the most wonderful times of the year!

Redemption! Deliverance! Family! And most of all, rejoicing! It’s a time to do as they did in Ezra’s day: “they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy” (Ezra 6:22).

“Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump. For Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7–8).

What a shame we know so little about Yahweh’s feasts! We vaguely connect Passover with Easter, but the symbols run far deeper. The Feast of Unleavened Bread began with Israel’s birth (Ex. 12:15). It’s a tangible picture of sin and purity, set in the center of family life—the kitchen. Daily routines change to express obedience and holiness.

But that’s not all. Deuteronomy 28:47 says Yahweh expects us to make these changes with joy (simkhah). Even a feast of abstinence should spark hearts that leap to obey.

Our taste buds may disagree :-). Matzah is no substitute for sourdough. But joy isn’t about the bread—it’s about the pleasure of obeying the King.

For a full week, Israel was reminded at every meal: Yahweh is holy. Before the feast, every home was searched top to bottom—a symbol of examining every corner of the heart. Serious business, resulting in joyous celebration.

Maybe we’re missing something. We’ve abandoned this festival of holiness and decontamination. We have no yearly, joyful reminder of His purity. Perhaps we need to recapture it. Until the King returns, maybe a week of meals should remind us of the Lamb—even after the Lamb has come.

If one thing is missing in believers’ lives today, it’s joy. Life drains us. Vacations are just pit stops. But Yeshua, Peter, and Paul—though they faced agony—knew joy. They celebrated in hard times. They had what we desperately need.

Maybe Yahweh was right to give us this feast. A week drawing closer to Him at every meal can’t be bad. Maybe joy is found in a different diet—obedience and holiness. Perhaps this will be the year we move from words to deeds that bring blessing. Maybe? Definitely!

Chag Sameach Pesach! Celebrate with sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5:7–8).

Shalom

---

Shortened by about 40%. Let me know if you’d like it even shorter.