from the April 08, 2014 eNews issue
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Passover is upon us. The Jewish people will celebrate Passover on the 15th of Nisan, which begins on April 14th this year, Monday at sundown. Jewish families will gather together to eat the Seder meal on that evening, to remember that world-changing night when HaShem passed over the homes of the Israelites and killed the firstborn of the Egyptians who were not covered by the blood of the Passover lamb. It was a real event in history, and it changed the world. The Jews escaped Egypt and were led to the Promised Land. They are now back in that land, and every day people ask the rabbis, “When are we going to be able to bring the Passover offering again?”
The Temple Mount Symposium
The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans. Since that day, the Jews have not been able to sacrifice the korban pesach—the Passover lamb—as required by the Torah. Not in the Temple. The Temple Institute will be doing a reenactment this year, however, this Thursday, the 10th of Nisan in the courtyard of the Talmud Torah Ma’or HaTorah on Ben Tzion Street in the Kiryat Moshe district of Jerusalem. Hundreds of people have attended these reenactments in past years, but this year is expected to be special. The rabbis note that people are excited, they are actively interested in doing more on Passover than eating the Seder with the dry shank bone, missing the most important element of the Pesach meal.
The Temple Institute has organized a symposium for the day, complete with Torah classes and children’s activities. Cohenim (priests) whohave been studying at the Temple Institute will be wearing kosher priestly garments and will reenact the Passover sacrifice in the manner specifically described by the Torah. A choir will sing praises, and renowned rabbis will be giving blessings. Entrance is free.
The Temple Institute is focused on being able to build the Temple once again in Jerusalem, to reinstitute the holy sacrifices as commanded in the Torah, to celebrate the feasts of Israel again in the manner required by the Law. They long for the Temple and the ability to worship the LORD as their fathers did, before it was destroyed by the Romans. The Romans forbade the Passover offering, and then the Byzantines forbade it and the Ottomans and so forth until the present day, when the Israeli government forbids it.
Still, the Jews will spend this week scouring their homes and their hearts, making sure that they are leaven-free in and out. They will be tying their Passover offerings to their bedposts on Thursday, Nisan 10, the day they would have picked out the pure, spotless lamb that they would keep in their homes until the day it was sacrificed on their behalf.
The goal of the symposium is to bring Passover to life for the people of Israel. The rabbis recognize that studying Pesach in books is distant and academic, but when the people see it alive before them, it becomes real to them. Every year at the Seder the question is asked, “What makes this night different from other nights?” The organizers of the symposium hope to answer that question in a bigger way than the Jews have been able to experience for two millennia.
A Heart for HaShem
Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute stated Monday, “Every year that goes by there have been more and more people talking about it in the streets. People literally stop me in the streets and they say, ‘Rabbi, Can we bring a Passover offering this year?’
“In recent years,” he continued, “the interest has grown and the dynamic is being increased exponentially and there is a groundswell of understanding, reeducation, feeling revitalization in our people that is demanding the right of the Jewish people to act like the Jewish people are supposed to act. What’s holding us back?”
Right now the Temple Mount is off-limits to Jews. They cannot even pray there, lest they anger the Muslims who control the mount. Any talk or small effort to rebuild the Temple has raised immediate rage among not just the local Muslims, but those who believe that political correctness is necessary for peace. And talk of rebuilding the Temple is not politically correct.
“Passover is all about this eternal covenant that the Jewish people have with the Almighty, and the sparks that fly from that covenant, they radiate to the whole world. The Covenant is based on the eternal ordinance of the Passover offering.”
The True Passover Lamb
In Genesis 22, God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, his son of promise. God provided Himself a lamb for Abraham, and he promised Abraham that He would bless the entire world through his seed. Abraham even named the spot on Mount Moriah, Jehovahjireh, “The LORD provides.” Abraham did not hold back his only son, and God has not held back His only Son. And through Him, a son of Abraham, God has blessed all the world with salvation, (John 3:16).
As Christians, we believe that the true Passover lamb has already been sacrificed. We know that Gabriel promised Daniel that the Messiah would be cut off (though not for himself) and then the city and Temple would be destroyed (Dan 9:25–26). Those events have already taken place; the Messiah has already come. We know that Jesus was presented on the 10th of Nisan when he rode a donkey into Jerusalem (Zec 9:9), and he was sacrificed on Passover as our true Passover lamb. His blood covers us, so that the judgment of God can pass over us, in fulfillment of a multitude of Old Testament prophesies (Isa 53, Psa 22, John 3:14, Zec 12:10 et al).
We believe that the Temple will once again be built, the Messiah will return to sit on the throne of David. Until that time, may we continue to pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters who love the LORD and seek to serve Him with all their hearts. May we also pray for the peace of Jerusalem. “They shall prosper that love thee,” (Psa 122:6).
Notes
Study, Practice and Reenactment of the Passover Offering
— The Temple Institute
Temple Talk Radio
— Universal Torah Network
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