Passover Observance
The truth about the Samaritans and Passover
JEWISH FESTIVALS History and Observance by Hayyim Schauss (1938) UNUSUAL OBSERVANCES The Samaritans and Falashas Marranos observed ancient forms of the Pesach ceremonial because they were forcibly separated from the Jewish life of their time and were forced to seek instructions from the books of the Bible. External conditions forced the Marranos to return to a primitive form of observance. They, therefore----- observe Pesach exactly as it was observed two to three thousand years ago. Such Jews are the Samaritans of the city of Nablus in Palestine, and the a Falashas of Abyssinia. ***Modern historical research has proved that the Samaritans are not descendants of the heathen colonists settled in the northern kingdom of Israel by the conquerors of Samaria, as was once assumed. Nor are they to be identified with Nehemiah's opponents of the Persian period. Actually, the Samaritans of today are a small and poor remnant of an old and great Jewish sect that appeared in Palestine about the beginning, of the Greek period. They form the oldest Jewish sect in existence. They were always strongly religious Jews who beieved in one God and strictly observed the Law of Moses. The only religious books that they possess, however are the Pentateuch and Joshua. They never recognized the books of the Bible beyond Josh as holy. Moreover, they denied the sanctity of Jrusalem. They believed that Shechem, the present Nablus, was the holy city and that the holy mountain was not Zion, but Mount Gerizim. They built a temple on top of that mountain, which was later destroyed by the Hasmonean king, John Hyrcanus. The Samaritans and the Jews became blood-enemies who hated and despised each other just as in later years the Karaites and the Rabbinic Jews hated each other.*** (Please NOTE what was just stated by the author, read again between the *** stars I entered for emphasis. The "Jewish Encyclopedia" has a many page entry on the "Samaritans" - who claim they are the descendants of the tribe of Ephraim. That possibility could be true. It is quite possible that when the House of Israel [in Samaria] was taken captive by the Assyrian forces, SOME Israelites escaped, as is nearly always the case when people are overrun by other people, and taken captive. What is certain is that the Samaritans of Jesus' day and those of today, were NOT pagan Gentiles that adopted some strange old Samaria teachings and observances - Keith Hunt) In the days of the second Temple almost the entire central part of Palestine, between Judah and Galilee, was thickly populated with this Jewish sect of Shechem; there were also many followers of the sect in southern Syria and in other eastern lands. Today, however, there are barely two hundred left; they speak Arabic and inhabit a special quarter in Nablus. They have a synagogue there and a High Priest, who is their teacher and spiritual leader. (I have not done any research today in 2010 to see if such Samaritan sect is still in existance, I guess a search on Google would soon tell us - Keith Hunt) These two hundred Samaritans observe Pesach to this day (the author was writing in 1938 - Keith Hunt) on Mount Gerizim, in a manner that other Jews ceased practising thousands of years ago. The custom of offering sacrifices has died out with the Samaritans, except on the fourteenth day of Nisan, when they offer the ceremonial Pesach sacrifice. Exactly as do other Jews, they clean the "chomets" out of their homes the night before Pesach eve, according to their calendar which closely resembles the Jewish. The next day they make the pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim and there set up their tents, one for each family, outfitting them with furniture and utensils. There, on the slope of the hill on whose top once stood their temple, they observe Pesach, living there for the entire festival. The Samaritan Practice A study of their ceremonies and observances during the festival is of special interest to us, because they practically duplicate the rites of the Jews of the very old days. What certain knowledge we have of Pesach and its rites dates only from the last century of the second Temple; of what happened before there are no exact records. We can learn much about the holiday, however, from the observances of the Samaritans of today; they are for us a living record and monument of the old life lived by the children of Israel on Mount of Ephraim. Much of the Pesach that was observed in the days of the second Temple is still unknown to the present Samaritans. They know nothing of the use of wine, of the "charoses," of eating the sacrificial animal comfortably from a table, of reclining at one's ease, and of many other observances, because these customs came into Judaism in the latter part of the second Temple days, after the Samaritans had already separated from the rest of Jewry. The main ceremonial in the Pesach observance of the Samaritans is the sacrifice of a sheep and eating it at night, in great haste, together with matsos and bitter herbs. They begin the preparation for the feast late in the afternoon. The Mount of Gerizim becomes a center of activity. All the males of the sect are gathered there, dressed in white, festive clothing, stoking the fires in two huge pits, the one for the roasting of the sheep, the other for the burning of the offal and all the remains after the feast. A huge cauldron of hot water is also ready. Half an hour before sunset the ceremony starts. The High Priest leads the assembled congregation in silent prayer; the worshipers fall to their knees, their faces toward the peak of the hill, the spot where their temple once stood. The High Priest raises his voice and all join him in a series of chanted prayers. Exactly at sunset (Note - it was sunset, not in the middle of the afternoon; the Samaritans had retained the correct time of the slaying of the lamb - Keith Hunt) the High Priest faces westward and reads that portion of the Pentateuch which orders the slaughtering of the Pesach sacrifice. About twelve or fourteen of the younger Samaritans busy themselves, meanwhile, with preparing the sacrificial animals. They form a circle about the pit of fire, holding the lambs between their legs, and as the High Priest utters the words, "And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at dusk," they utter a benediction and throw the lambs, throats to the pit, where they are slaughtered by two ritual slaughterers. Six or seven sheep are slaughtered. An extra animal is available, should a physical defect be found in one of the sacrificial animals. The slaughtering is a signal for general rejoicing. Greetings are exchanged in the oriental manner; the participants kiss one another, first on the right shoulder, then on the left. This ends the first part of the ceremony. The second part, which takes place late at night, is the roasting of the animals. First, the bodies must be cleaned and spitted and prepared for roasting. The fire made for the offal burns and smokes as the insides of the animals are cast therein. At about ten o'clock the High Priest issues forth from his tent and orders the roasting of the sheep. Six or seven men bear the spitted animals on their shoulders and the High Priest leads them in prayer; then all the sacrifices are cast into the pit together. The bodies are covered first with leaves and grass and then with caked mud. For three hours the roasting process goes on, the Samaritans meanwhile passing the time in prayer or in talk. Some go to sleep; but most of them rest on their cots, for rest is needed so that the participants will feel fresh and ready for the third part of the ceremony, the eating of the sacrificed animals. At one in the morning all are awake and ready. Hands and feet are washed and white garments donned. With girded loins and with staves in their hands, they gather in one assemblage. The roasted animals are in baskets and placed upon the earth. Matsos and bitter herbs, that were gathered on the Mount, are placed on the sheep and later portioned out by the High Priest. When all is ready, the Samaritans form groups about the sacrificed animals and, after uttering the prescribed blessing, fall upon the roast meat, pulling it hastily to pieces with their hands. Portions are brought to the women and children in the tents. Everybody eats rapidly and in twenty minutes all that is left is a mound of bones, which are thrown into the offal pit together with the baskets and utensils that were used and with any matsos that happen to be left. Matsoh is not prepared in advance for the entire festival. The Samaritans bake a fresh supply every morning. (What we have been reading about the way the Samaritans observed the Passover is near enough the way of the original Passover in Exodus 12. It was just about an all night meal ceremony; the killing, preparing, and roasting and eating of the lamb, would take many hours. Hence in Exodus 12 THAT NIGHT was the "night to be much observed" - for it was a special night, wherein the Israelites would have stayed up all night. With such a meal, taking many hours to perform, starting at sunset, the death angel passing over at midnight to kill all the firstborn; with the miracle and excitement of that night, except for small children, it is inconceivable that anyone would have slept. This practice by the Jewish sect of the Samaritans proves the time and night of how the original Passover was observed - Keith Hunt) The burning of the remains does not, however, end the ceremony. The Samaritans stay awake till dawn, reciting prayers. O YES THAT FALLS IN LINE WITH DEUTERUNIMY 16: 7----- NOTE IT---- MARK IT! Again, showing that the original Passover of Exodus 12 was an all night observance - no one was going to go to sleep on that great and splended night when God would deliver Israel from the bondage of Egyptian slavery. Truly a night to be much observed. THIS LIVING WITNESS IS FANTASTIC AND WONDERFUL - IT SHOWS GOD HAS LEFT US WITNESS TO THE ORIGINAL PASSOVER, JUST AS HE LEFT US A LIVING WITNESS AS TO WHICH IS THE 7TH DAY OF THE WEEK, FOR OBSERVING THE WEEKLY SABBATH; THAT WITNESS ALSO IN THE RELIGIOUS JEWS.
Keith Hunt |
No comments:
Post a Comment