Removing The Leaven
What does Spring Break have to do with eating Matzah?
Every Spring thousands of college students head to the beaches to debauch themselves for a week called Spring Break. However, that is not what Spring Break was originally made for. Spring Break was originally made so that people could accomplish their week long cleaning called Spring Cleaning.
Spring Cleaning is a custom in many parts of America of spending a week in the Spring cleaning the entire house from top to bottom. Spring Cleaning was introduced to America by Jewish emigrants perhaps as early as the 1600's. Their neighbors then adopted it due to the health benefits that the Jews received from Spring Cleaning.
The Spring Cleaning of these Jewish emigrants was extreme. They cleaned the ceiling and all of the walls from top to bottom. The chimney was swept and the fireplace was made spotless. They moved every single item of furniture in the house to ensure that they cleaned every possible nook and cranny. They also made sure that they carefully swept the floor. Every rug was taken out and beaten thoroughly. They got down on their hands and knees to scrub every square inch of the floor.
Every cupboard was opened and all of the food removed so it could be completely cleaned. Every dish and piece of cookware was also removed from its normal location, thoroughly cleaned and not returned until the cupboard was thoroughly cleaned. Every item was removed from every closet so it could be completely cleaned. Every article of clothing, whether it had been worn or not, since last time it was cleaned was again cleaned with its pockets turned inside out. Every drawer was emptied, removed, taken outside and shaken to be sure that nothing remained in it. Every piece of furniture was cleaned even to the point of being turned on its side to remove anything that might be on the bottom of it like a spider web. Every item in the house anywhere else in the house was thoroughly cleaned and inspected by someone else to ensure it that nothing was missed.
They then would go outside and do the same thing even making sure that the roof was cleaned along with the walls and the foundation all the way down to the ground. Not a window, window sill, door frame, baseboard, molding or step was missed from being gone over. They even cleaned the attic and basement in the same way. They were simply taking no chances of missing a single crumb anywhere in or on the house.
During each step of cleaning they would shine a bright light to be sure that not one speck had been missed anywhere inside or outside of the house. This process of cleaning and inspecting continued for sixteen hours a day, only taking a break on the Sabbath, for the entire week.
On the evening of the last day, they would then conduct a final inspection using a candle and a feather to remove any remaining crumbs that they could find. Anything that was found was carefully gathered and quickly burned. They were adamant that not one speck could remain in the house when Spring Cleaning was finished.
Why did these Jewish emigrants go through such lengths for Spring Cleaning?
This extreme cleaning was to ensure that not one crumb was left anywhere because they were removing the leaven from their home. This is what the Father of Truth (Yahoveh aka Yahweh aka God aka The Lord) commanded in the Law of Truth (Exodus 12:15-17). This was commanded of both the circumcised children of Israel and the uncircumcised Gentiles that had joined themselves to the children of Israel (Exodus 12:18-20).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a memorial of how the death of the lamb had brought about freedom from slavery in Egypt for both the circumcised children of Israel and the uncircumcised Gentiles that had joined themselves to Israel (Exodus 13:6-8). Eating unleavened bread was to be a yearly reminder to keep the Law of Truth (Exodus 13:9-10).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is not a Jewish holiday - it belongs to the Father of Truth (Leviticus 23:2-6). It is the second act in The Greatest Play Ever. It comes immediately after The Death Of The Lamb.
Removing the leaven was finished with a final inspection on the night that Passover, the day of preparation, began. Removing the leaven was preparation for the Seder (Passover meal) because the lamb was to be consumed without leaven. When the Seder was eaten then the lamb that was slain became part of those that participated in the Seder. The Feast of Unleavened Bread always began with consuming the lamb without leaven. It was having the lamb without leaven on the inside that started life without leaven for a week. After the death of the lamb all that was left to be done was to be on guard that no more leaven came into the home for the rest of the week. Removing the leaven completely was so important because the wages of eating leaven was death (Exodus 12:19).
That being the case it is important to understand exactly what is meant by leaven and what is meant by unleavened bread.
What is leaven?
Leaven (Chametz) is anything that causes bread to rise, not just yeast. It includes baking powder, baking soda (when a catalyst with a low PH like vinegar (or certain salts) is present so it is safer to treat it as leaven unless you are a chemist), sourdough and a number of carbonates like ammonium carbonate, potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate. Beverages such as beer and soda pop also contain leaven so they are also not allowed in the home during the week of unleavened bread. It takes practice, understanding and careful examination to ensure that all of the leaven has really been removed. It is best to have someone else to assist in the examination to ensure that nothing containing leaven was missed.
What is unleavened bread?
The Hebrew word translated as "unleavened bread" is "matzah" and comes from a word that means "something sweet". Matzah in the US is often large square crackers that contain no leaven. Some people have all kinds of rules about what qualifies as matzah including it must not contain things like onion powder. The Father of Truth (Yahoveh aka Yahweh aka God aka The Lord) has created the definition of matzah and no one can change it by adding additional rules or taking away from the ones that He gave with any kind of exception (Deuteronomy 4:2). The only thing that the Law of Truth requires is that it does not contain leaven (Deuteronomy 16:3-4). So any kind of food that is made from grains and eaten like bread that does not contain leaven would meet the definition of "matzah" including things like corn chips, rice cakes, or even brownies (if they contain no leaven). The Children of Truth (those that obey Him because they love Him) do not find His commandments to be hard to understand or keep (1 John 5:3).
So it could be said that Spring Break comes from eating matzah. This is ironic because the debauchery that many commit during Spring Break is the very opposite of the purpose of removing the leaven.
Removing the leaven and the Feast of Unleavened bread were only a foreshadowing of what the Man of Truth (Yah'shua aka Yeshua aka Jesus aka Mashiach aka Messiah aka Christ) would do.
He went through extreme measures to remove sin from people just like the Jews went through extreme measures to remove leaven from their homes. He was mocked by those he came to save (Psalm 22:6-8). The religious professionals of Israel, who loved to resort themselves in Bashan, surrounded him to mock him (Psalm 22:12-13). He life was poured out like water on that cross where his bones were all out of joint while he suffered extreme pain and dehydration that lead to death (Psalm 22:14-15). His hands and feet were pierced by the Gentile dogs, the Romans, so that he bled like one pinned by a lion while they casts lots for his tallit as he was removing the leaven (Psalm 22:16-18).
The Man of Truth suffered all of this because of we were all leavened with sin (Isaiah 53:4-6). He died like an innocent lamb for our sins (Isaiah 53:7-9). His death brought about freedom from slavery in sin (Isaiah 53:10-12). His death was necessary for removing the leaven.
The Man of Truth is the Lamb that the Father of Truth gave to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Slaying the Lamb was always His plan for the removing of the leaven (Revelation 13:8).
So the children of Truth need to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread to remember that we were delivered from the slavery of sin by the death of the Lamb. This is what the Man of Truth commanded (Luke 22:19). This is what Paul the Jew did with the almost exclusively Gentile church in Philippi (Acts 20:6). After all, Paul the Jew never taught people to do anything contrary to the Law of Truth and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was for uncircumcised Gentiles who joined themselves to the children of Israel (Acts 21:18-24).
This is appropriate since the uncircumcised Gentiles that have come into the House of Truth have joined themselves to those of the children of Israel who never left there (Romans 11:13-24). The uncircumcised Gentiles that come into the House of Truth are no longer living outside of the common wealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13). They have became part of Israel that is belongs to the Father of Truth (Galatians 6:15-16). They will be part of the holy nation of kings and priests that He promised as the destiny of Israel (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Of course, removing all the leaven from your house and keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread is pointless unless you keep the leaven of sin out of your life. Since the Lamb has died to remove the leaven of sin then we must remove any hint of sin that we find in our lives so that it does not spread (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). The way to really keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to not let sin be in our lives (1 Corinthians 5:8).
How shall those that have had the leaven of sin removed by the death of the Lamb allow that leaven back into their lives (Romans 6:1-3)? The Children of Truth are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread by no longer living in sin because they remember that they were freed from the slavery in sin by the death of the Lamb (1 Corinthians 6:11). The Children of Truth are not to allow any sin in their lives because there is no sin in the Lamb (1 John 1:5-7).
The Children of Truth need to hide the Word of Truth in their heart so that there can identify any leaven that is left in their lives (Psalm 119:10-12). They need to have their lives inspected by another, the Father of Truth, to be sure that there is no leaven was missed (Psalm 139:23-24). The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will shine a bright light on any leaven that is left in their lives (John 16:13). If the Children of Truth do find that some leaven in their lives then they need to tell the Lamb about it so that he can help them remove it (1 John 1:8-10).
For you see the wages of sin is still death (Romans 6:23). Those that allow sin to return and remain in their lives after the leaven of sin has been removed will perish (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Sin is like leaven in that even a little will effect your entire world (Galatians 5:9).
Both the circumcised Jews and the uncircumcised Gentiles have had the leaven of sin in their lives (Romans 3:9-12). The Father of Truth has made away for both to come into the House of Truth thru faith in the Lamb so that the Law of Truth may be established (Romans 3:29-31). Both can come into the House of Truth by surrendering their lives to the Lamb because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead after he surrendered his life to remove the leaven of sin (Romans 10:8-10). All that come into the House of Truth will have their leaven removed by the death of the Lamb (Romans 10:11-13).
Come into the House of Truth.
Every Spring thousands of college students head to the beaches to debauch themselves for a week called Spring Break. However, that is not what Spring Break was originally made for. Spring Break was originally made so that people could accomplish their week long cleaning called Spring Cleaning.
Spring Cleaning is a custom in many parts of America of spending a week in the Spring cleaning the entire house from top to bottom. Spring Cleaning was introduced to America by Jewish emigrants perhaps as early as the 1600's. Their neighbors then adopted it due to the health benefits that the Jews received from Spring Cleaning.
The Spring Cleaning of these Jewish emigrants was extreme. They cleaned the ceiling and all of the walls from top to bottom. The chimney was swept and the fireplace was made spotless. They moved every single item of furniture in the house to ensure that they cleaned every possible nook and cranny. They also made sure that they carefully swept the floor. Every rug was taken out and beaten thoroughly. They got down on their hands and knees to scrub every square inch of the floor.
Every cupboard was opened and all of the food removed so it could be completely cleaned. Every dish and piece of cookware was also removed from its normal location, thoroughly cleaned and not returned until the cupboard was thoroughly cleaned. Every item was removed from every closet so it could be completely cleaned. Every article of clothing, whether it had been worn or not, since last time it was cleaned was again cleaned with its pockets turned inside out. Every drawer was emptied, removed, taken outside and shaken to be sure that nothing remained in it. Every piece of furniture was cleaned even to the point of being turned on its side to remove anything that might be on the bottom of it like a spider web. Every item in the house anywhere else in the house was thoroughly cleaned and inspected by someone else to ensure it that nothing was missed.
They then would go outside and do the same thing even making sure that the roof was cleaned along with the walls and the foundation all the way down to the ground. Not a window, window sill, door frame, baseboard, molding or step was missed from being gone over. They even cleaned the attic and basement in the same way. They were simply taking no chances of missing a single crumb anywhere in or on the house.
During each step of cleaning they would shine a bright light to be sure that not one speck had been missed anywhere inside or outside of the house. This process of cleaning and inspecting continued for sixteen hours a day, only taking a break on the Sabbath, for the entire week.
On the evening of the last day, they would then conduct a final inspection using a candle and a feather to remove any remaining crumbs that they could find. Anything that was found was carefully gathered and quickly burned. They were adamant that not one speck could remain in the house when Spring Cleaning was finished.
Why did these Jewish emigrants go through such lengths for Spring Cleaning?
This extreme cleaning was to ensure that not one crumb was left anywhere because they were removing the leaven from their home. This is what the Father of Truth (Yahoveh aka Yahweh aka God aka The Lord) commanded in the Law of Truth (Exodus 12:15-17). This was commanded of both the circumcised children of Israel and the uncircumcised Gentiles that had joined themselves to the children of Israel (Exodus 12:18-20).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a memorial of how the death of the lamb had brought about freedom from slavery in Egypt for both the circumcised children of Israel and the uncircumcised Gentiles that had joined themselves to Israel (Exodus 13:6-8). Eating unleavened bread was to be a yearly reminder to keep the Law of Truth (Exodus 13:9-10).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is not a Jewish holiday - it belongs to the Father of Truth (Leviticus 23:2-6). It is the second act in The Greatest Play Ever. It comes immediately after The Death Of The Lamb.
Removing the leaven was finished with a final inspection on the night that Passover, the day of preparation, began. Removing the leaven was preparation for the Seder (Passover meal) because the lamb was to be consumed without leaven. When the Seder was eaten then the lamb that was slain became part of those that participated in the Seder. The Feast of Unleavened Bread always began with consuming the lamb without leaven. It was having the lamb without leaven on the inside that started life without leaven for a week. After the death of the lamb all that was left to be done was to be on guard that no more leaven came into the home for the rest of the week. Removing the leaven completely was so important because the wages of eating leaven was death (Exodus 12:19).
That being the case it is important to understand exactly what is meant by leaven and what is meant by unleavened bread.
What is leaven?
Leaven (Chametz) is anything that causes bread to rise, not just yeast. It includes baking powder, baking soda (when a catalyst with a low PH like vinegar (or certain salts) is present so it is safer to treat it as leaven unless you are a chemist), sourdough and a number of carbonates like ammonium carbonate, potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate. Beverages such as beer and soda pop also contain leaven so they are also not allowed in the home during the week of unleavened bread. It takes practice, understanding and careful examination to ensure that all of the leaven has really been removed. It is best to have someone else to assist in the examination to ensure that nothing containing leaven was missed.
What is unleavened bread?
The Hebrew word translated as "unleavened bread" is "matzah" and comes from a word that means "something sweet". Matzah in the US is often large square crackers that contain no leaven. Some people have all kinds of rules about what qualifies as matzah including it must not contain things like onion powder. The Father of Truth (Yahoveh aka Yahweh aka God aka The Lord) has created the definition of matzah and no one can change it by adding additional rules or taking away from the ones that He gave with any kind of exception (Deuteronomy 4:2). The only thing that the Law of Truth requires is that it does not contain leaven (Deuteronomy 16:3-4). So any kind of food that is made from grains and eaten like bread that does not contain leaven would meet the definition of "matzah" including things like corn chips, rice cakes, or even brownies (if they contain no leaven). The Children of Truth (those that obey Him because they love Him) do not find His commandments to be hard to understand or keep (1 John 5:3).
So it could be said that Spring Break comes from eating matzah. This is ironic because the debauchery that many commit during Spring Break is the very opposite of the purpose of removing the leaven.
Removing the leaven and the Feast of Unleavened bread were only a foreshadowing of what the Man of Truth (Yah'shua aka Yeshua aka Jesus aka Mashiach aka Messiah aka Christ) would do.
He went through extreme measures to remove sin from people just like the Jews went through extreme measures to remove leaven from their homes. He was mocked by those he came to save (Psalm 22:6-8). The religious professionals of Israel, who loved to resort themselves in Bashan, surrounded him to mock him (Psalm 22:12-13). He life was poured out like water on that cross where his bones were all out of joint while he suffered extreme pain and dehydration that lead to death (Psalm 22:14-15). His hands and feet were pierced by the Gentile dogs, the Romans, so that he bled like one pinned by a lion while they casts lots for his tallit as he was removing the leaven (Psalm 22:16-18).
The Man of Truth suffered all of this because of we were all leavened with sin (Isaiah 53:4-6). He died like an innocent lamb for our sins (Isaiah 53:7-9). His death brought about freedom from slavery in sin (Isaiah 53:10-12). His death was necessary for removing the leaven.
The Man of Truth is the Lamb that the Father of Truth gave to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Slaying the Lamb was always His plan for the removing of the leaven (Revelation 13:8).
So the children of Truth need to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread to remember that we were delivered from the slavery of sin by the death of the Lamb. This is what the Man of Truth commanded (Luke 22:19). This is what Paul the Jew did with the almost exclusively Gentile church in Philippi (Acts 20:6). After all, Paul the Jew never taught people to do anything contrary to the Law of Truth and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was for uncircumcised Gentiles who joined themselves to the children of Israel (Acts 21:18-24).
This is appropriate since the uncircumcised Gentiles that have come into the House of Truth have joined themselves to those of the children of Israel who never left there (Romans 11:13-24). The uncircumcised Gentiles that come into the House of Truth are no longer living outside of the common wealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13). They have became part of Israel that is belongs to the Father of Truth (Galatians 6:15-16). They will be part of the holy nation of kings and priests that He promised as the destiny of Israel (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Of course, removing all the leaven from your house and keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread is pointless unless you keep the leaven of sin out of your life. Since the Lamb has died to remove the leaven of sin then we must remove any hint of sin that we find in our lives so that it does not spread (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). The way to really keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to not let sin be in our lives (1 Corinthians 5:8).
How shall those that have had the leaven of sin removed by the death of the Lamb allow that leaven back into their lives (Romans 6:1-3)? The Children of Truth are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread by no longer living in sin because they remember that they were freed from the slavery in sin by the death of the Lamb (1 Corinthians 6:11). The Children of Truth are not to allow any sin in their lives because there is no sin in the Lamb (1 John 1:5-7).
The Children of Truth need to hide the Word of Truth in their heart so that there can identify any leaven that is left in their lives (Psalm 119:10-12). They need to have their lives inspected by another, the Father of Truth, to be sure that there is no leaven was missed (Psalm 139:23-24). The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will shine a bright light on any leaven that is left in their lives (John 16:13). If the Children of Truth do find that some leaven in their lives then they need to tell the Lamb about it so that he can help them remove it (1 John 1:8-10).
For you see the wages of sin is still death (Romans 6:23). Those that allow sin to return and remain in their lives after the leaven of sin has been removed will perish (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Sin is like leaven in that even a little will effect your entire world (Galatians 5:9).
Both the circumcised Jews and the uncircumcised Gentiles have had the leaven of sin in their lives (Romans 3:9-12). The Father of Truth has made away for both to come into the House of Truth thru faith in the Lamb so that the Law of Truth may be established (Romans 3:29-31). Both can come into the House of Truth by surrendering their lives to the Lamb because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead after he surrendered his life to remove the leaven of sin (Romans 10:8-10). All that come into the House of Truth will have their leaven removed by the death of the Lamb (Romans 10:11-13).
Come into the House of Truth.
Labels: Feast of Unleavened Bread, History, Matzah, Sin, Spring Break, Spring Cleaning
posted by The House Of Truth @ April 14, 2014
<< Home