—What is Pesach/Passover, and what does it symbolize for for Me today?
Evening of Wed, April 1, 2026 – Evening of Thu, April 9, 2026
Passover speaks of freedom from bondage and a new beginning, and isn’t that what Yahushua came to give us? Passover is a beautiful revelation of Yahushua. Of all the Biblical Feasts there are more references to Passover in the New Testament/Renewed Covenant than any other Feast.
The festivals are like a cycle of sanctification that we go through year after year, and it starts with Passover.
The Passover was instituted in Egypt, just before YHVH smote the firstborn of Egypt. Israel had to take the blood of the Passover lamb and apply it to the doors of their houses, so that YHVH would pass over that house when He saw the blood and not let the destroyer enter.
In other words, if and when we come before our maker with a circumcised heart, we will find His tender loving protection against all evil. If we diligently and obediently follow His statues and principles nothing will be able to hinder us from entering His presence. The blood of Yahushua needs to flow over our hearts for us to enter in.
Exodus 12:3 “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the 10th day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.”
Let us read the account as Moses relates it in Exodus 12: 3; “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the 10th day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.”
The idea was to scrutinize the lamb as it had to be spotless. The family also had to care for it away from the other animals. It became like a dear pet in the house which they got to love and then it had to be sacrificed. Just like Yahushua who was so dearly loved by the huge crowds who followed Him and al whom He healed and delivered. ……
12; on that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn – both men and animals –and I will bring Judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I am YHVH.
13; the blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destruction plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
14; this is the day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to YHVH –a lasting ordinance……
23; When YHVH goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass. Over that doorway, and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your house and strike you down.
24; obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and you descendants.
28 and the Israelites did just what YHVH commanded Moses and Aaron.
Historically Passover (Pesach) is all about the sacrifice of a spotless lamb whose blood covered and protected the Israelites from the judgment of YHVH, when the Angel of Death “passed-over” them. So, they came out of bondage or slavery into freedom through the blood of a spotless lamb and obedience.
Passover encompasses the three feasts:
Passover, Unleaven Bread and the First Fruits.
According to the scriptures Passover starts on the 14th of the first month (Aviv or Nisan) and Unleavened Bread starts on the 15th of Aviv. Passover lasts for 1 day while Unleavened Bread lasts for 7days. First Fruits falls on the 16th of Aviv.
Because Israel follows the lunar calendar, and we the solar calendar, our dates differ from year to year.
More background regarding Passover and Feast of unleavened bread:
“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” (Exodus 12:15)
With Passover (the Festival of Unleavened Bread) beginning on Friday night, all over Israel, every man, woman and child is busy cleaning their closets, shelves, drawers and vehicles in order to be ready for this most important celebration.
Preparing for Passover is the ultimate in spring cleaning!
In obedience to the eternal commandment that YHVH gave to the children of Israel to remove leaven (yeast) from their houses, every nook and cranny must be emptied, sorted and wiped in order to make sure that each dwelling place is free of chametz (leavened products) before Passover begins (Exodus 12:15).
Rabbinical Judaism has taken this single commandment and transformed it into a system that would weary the hardiest of women. All dishes, cutlery, pots and pans, even dishrags used during the feast must be “Kosher for Passover.”
Because the kitchen is cleared of products that contain leaven or may be contaminated with it, preparing for Passover is both labor intensive and expensive. Just prior to Passover, grocery stores in Israel begin to stock foods that are specially prepared and guaranteed leaven-free. The Hebrew signs on the shelves above read “Kosher for Passover.”
Many women completely clean their kitchen to such a degree that it sparkles like it did when it was new.
Furthermore, in the weeks prior to Passover, Israeli supermarkets begin to sell products marked with a special “Kosher for Passover” stamp.
These products, which are guaranteed to be free of leaven, are not only consumed during Passover, but they are also eaten in the days before.
Matzah (unleavened bread), however, is first eaten during the Passover Seder, which is a special ceremonial meal where the story of the Exodus from Egypt is recounted. It is eaten every day throughout the festival.
But please make sure to take this feast to HEART – we are not following Jewish traditions but need to understand the symbolism and make it an act of the heart. Circumcision of the heart and cleaning sin from our hearts.
The Haggadah, the text that sets the order of the recounting of the deliverance of the Jewish People from Egypt, is read during the Passover Seder. The pierced, striped bread of affliction in the bottom right corner is called matzah (unleavened bread).
Why Fuss over Little Leaven (Yeast)?
“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (Galatians 5:9)
In the Bible, yeast symbolizes sin.
It is also a powerful metaphor for learning about YHVH and living a life of holiness.
Yeast is a single-celled fungus that causes dough to rise by consuming the sugars and excreting carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
And it doesn’t take much yeast to start the process. Yeast is in the air. It is so pervasive that even if dough is left on the counter, yeast will attach to the surface of the dough. It will then make its way throughout the whole loaf.
So, just like yeast (leaven) eats away at the sugars in the dough, sin eats away at us. And sin causes us to become separated from YHVH.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your Elohim; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
Although it is not known when yeast began being used to bake bread, the earliest records of using it come from ancient Egypt.
Leaven and the Sin of Pride
“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6)
When it comes to leaven as a metaphor, Scripture especially narrows in on the sin of arrogance, boasting, conceit and pride. In the same way that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough, causing it to become puffed up, a little bit of pride and arrogance in our hearts causes us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
We must deal with the leaven in our own hearts, knowing that arrogance is not pleasing to YHVH, and pride often precedes our own downfall.
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
Leaven is also a metaphor for the corrupting influence of false teaching. The traditional Bedikat Chametz (search for leaven) is a ceremony used to cleanse the home of leaven. Using a feather and a spoon to remove it. The chametz (leavened products) will be burned the next morning in the Bi’ur Chametz ceremony.
Meaningful Jewish Custom: The Search for Leaven (Bedikat Chametz)
At Passover, the Jewish People practice a beautiful custom called bedikatchametz (search for leaven). The eve before Passover, the leader of the household, usually the father holds a candle and guides his family around the house. With the lights extinguished, they search for any remnant of chametz (leavened products) by the light of this single candle. The children search every nook for crumbs of bread that have been carefully wrapped and hidden ahead of time by the mother.
Each crumb of bread is found with exclamations of delight, “Oh! There it is. I found one!”
This instructive search continues until the very last crumb of leaven is removed. Using a feather, these bits are swept away into a bag to be burned the next morning. On the morning of Erev Pesach (Eve of Passover), which is Friday morning, there will be a multitude of small fires burning all over Israel as each family burns their small pile of chametz.
A special prayer is recited in case any has been missed. This special ceremony (bedikat chametz) demonstrates how the light of YHVH’s word, symbolized by the candle, searches our hearts for any pride or arrogance that may be lurking, hidden in the darkness.
The feather symbolizes the work of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) sweeping sin and error away.
The bi’ur chametz fire shows how YHVH destroys this leaven, for YHVH is a consuming fire!
Passover in the New Testament (New Covenant)
Just as an overgrowth of yeast in the body may become a systemic infection and must be dealt with before it causes serious physical problems, the “leaven” or sin within the Body of Messiah (the Church) must be dealt with accordingly.
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.
“Therefore, let us keep the Festival [Passover], not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8)
The Leaven of False Teachings
In the New Covenant (New Testament), leaven (yeast) can also represent false teachings. Yahushua warned people to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. By this, Yahushua was not referring to bread, but to their teachings that did not align with the Word of YHVH (Matthew 16:11–12)
Passover, Leaven, and YHVH’s Plan for His people
Arrogance and pride can prevent us from understanding YHVH’s plans and purposes for the Jewish people, Israel, and the role of the Church. As Passover approaches, let’s remember that only a temporary blindness has come upon the Jewish People in order that salvation would come to the Gentiles, and after that to the nation of Israel
.
“Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.” (Romans11:11)
YHVH can and will lift the veil from the Jewish People’s eyes to see their Messiah Yahushua, and when the Jewish People accept Yahushua as their Messiah, it will mean resurrection and life for the entire world!
“For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15)
During this time when Jewish People are cleansing their homes from leaven, please pray that they will recognize that Yahushua is indeed the Promised Messiah of Israel. And Christian followers will be honoring pagan believes – also pray that they will rediscover the true meaning and date of Pesach.
And may we also search our hearts for the leaven of sin, making them “Kosher for Passover,” so that we may walk in humility, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
“I will cleanse them from all the sins they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.” (Jeremiah 33:8)
MORE OF YOU, AND LESS OF ME.
MORE OF YOUR WILL AND LESS OF MY WILL.
MORE OF YOUR PLANS AND LESS OF MY PLANS.
MORE OF YOUR NAME AND LESS OF MY NAME.
Blessings
Roxzaan