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Parashat Hashavuah
Bo - בוא : “Come”
Torah : Exodus 10:1–13:16
Haftarah : Jeremiah 46:13–28
Gospel : Mark 4–5
The Bread of Affliction
Thought for the Week:
This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all the hungry come and eat! Let all the needy come and celebrate Passover! This year we are here; next year may we be in the Land of Israel. This year we are slaves; next year may we be free men. (Traditional Passover Haggadah)
Commentary:
And they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. (Exodus 12:8)
The unleavened bread of the Passover seder is referred to in the Passover Haggadah as “the bread of affliction.” In the traditional Passover Haggadah, Rabban Gamliel explains the symbolism of the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs. Regarding the unleavened bread he says:
This is the unleavened bread that we eat. What is it for? It is because there was not enough time for the dough of our fathers to ferment, before the Sovereign King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them. As it is said [in Exodus 12:39], “They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.”
But for disciples of the Master there is deeper meaning in the bread. The Master took the bread at His Last Seder and said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). The unleavened bread (matzah, מצה) teaches us about the body of the Master. When you examine a piece of matzah, you will observe that it is pierced, it is striped and it is flat. It is pierced so that it bakes thoroughly. It is striped from the scorching of the oven racks. It is flat because it is made without leaven.
Just as the unleavened bread is pierced, His body was pierced. Just as the unleavened bread is striped, His body was striped and wounded. Just as the unleavened bread is without yeast (yeast often symbolizes corruption), He was without sin. Therefore it is written, “He was pierced through for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5), and “They will look on Me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10), and “With his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 KJV), and again, He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In the Torah, leaven represents corruption and decay, but regarding Messiah Scripture says, “Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay” (Psalm 16:10). Moreover, we remember that He is called “the bread of life” (John 6:35) and the Afflicted One:
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4–5)
Shavuah Tov! Have a Good Week!
Bo - בוא : “Come”
Torah : Exodus 10:1–13:16
Haftarah : Jeremiah 46:13–28
Gospel : Mark 4–5
The Bread of Affliction
Thought for the Week:
This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all the hungry come and eat! Let all the needy come and celebrate Passover! This year we are here; next year may we be in the Land of Israel. This year we are slaves; next year may we be free men. (Traditional Passover Haggadah)
Commentary:
And they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. (Exodus 12:8)
The unleavened bread of the Passover seder is referred to in the Passover Haggadah as “the bread of affliction.” In the traditional Passover Haggadah, Rabban Gamliel explains the symbolism of the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs. Regarding the unleavened bread he says:
This is the unleavened bread that we eat. What is it for? It is because there was not enough time for the dough of our fathers to ferment, before the Sovereign King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them. As it is said [in Exodus 12:39], “They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.”
But for disciples of the Master there is deeper meaning in the bread. The Master took the bread at His Last Seder and said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). The unleavened bread (matzah, מצה) teaches us about the body of the Master. When you examine a piece of matzah, you will observe that it is pierced, it is striped and it is flat. It is pierced so that it bakes thoroughly. It is striped from the scorching of the oven racks. It is flat because it is made without leaven.
Just as the unleavened bread is pierced, His body was pierced. Just as the unleavened bread is striped, His body was striped and wounded. Just as the unleavened bread is without yeast (yeast often symbolizes corruption), He was without sin. Therefore it is written, “He was pierced through for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5), and “They will look on Me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10), and “With his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 KJV), and again, He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In the Torah, leaven represents corruption and decay, but regarding Messiah Scripture says, “Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay” (Psalm 16:10). Moreover, we remember that He is called “the bread of life” (John 6:35) and the Afflicted One:
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4–5)
Shavuah Tov! Have a Good Week!
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