This month Passover is celebrated by Jewish people throughout the world. The account of Passover, in the book of Exodus in the Bible, is also important to Christians as a sign of God's care for His people. With that in mind, the Journal's Thomas de France recently talked with about the significance of Passover. A rabbi in the Reform tradition, Flatte commutes from her home in Iowa City, Iowa, to Westminister, Colorado, where she is rabbi of Congregation B'nai Torah. She began by describing the first Passover.
"Passover itself commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt," Flatte said. "So, the events in the book of Exodus represent the first Passover." At the time, the Israelites were slaves under Pharaoh, and Moses was chosen by God to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelites. A harsh taskmaster, Pharaoh wasn't easily persuaded, despite plagues and other events that seem like powerful incentives to a modern observer. The tenth plague took the lives of all the first born sons of the Egyptians, and this experience — which struck Pharaoh's own household — finally convinced him to let the Israelites go. The night when this plague struck, the Israelite people were given specific instructions by Moses to mark their homes in a way that would cause the plague to "pass over" them.
Many people believe that this is the whole basis for the Passover, but it actually includes more. Certainly Pharaoh's decision to let the Israelites go was the first step toward freedom, but as they began to leave, Pharaoh suddenly realized what he had done.
