Easter, the most, most holy festival in the Christian calendar.
So how is it that it makes far less noise than Christmas?
While there's hardly an American singer who hasn't released a Christmas album,
as for Easter…
fewer.
I can only assume that the story of the birth of a holy baby
is far more attractive and easier to market
than a story of suffering, treachery and death.
At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Yeshua the son of Mary and Joseph,
who is considered, according to Christian belief, to be the Messiah.
The same Messiah son of David from Zachariah's prophecy,
righteous and redeemed, poor and riding a donkey.
This festival signifies the essence of Christian belief
and the disagreement between the Jews who objected to his doctrine
and the Jews who followed Yeshua the Christian.
And the city of Nazareth,
for whom the Christians were called in Hebrew "Notzrim",
which is like calling followers of the Rabbi from Breslev "Breslevim."
The story takes place at the time of the Second Temple.
Yeshua the Christian is a Jewish rabbi with revolutionary opinions,
and no small troublemaker.
He didn't get on with the Sanhedrin (Jewish parliament) or with the Roman rulers,
so they sought a cunning way to catch him.
It's no coincidence the festival's Hebrew name "Pascha" is so similar to Pesach (Passover).
The Last Supper, the one everyone knows from Da Vinci's painting,
is in fact a Seder Night meal.
That same year, Seder Night falls on Thursday.
The previous day, Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, goes
to the heads of the Jewish priests
and promises to hand over Yeshua in return for money.
Before the festive evening, Yeshua sends two of his apostles
to prepare the Seder table in an inn on Mount Zion.
During this meal, like every believing Jew, he blesses the matzot (unleavened bread).
And from here derives the custom of the holy bread in the Christian mass.
Then he lifts the glass of wine, blesses and says:
All of you drink from it, because this is my blood,
the blood of the New Testament that was spilled for many, to pardon sins.
He also hints that he knows that one of his disciples is going to turn him in at daybreak.
How does he know?
Because he's God.
In the morning the head priests rush to hold consultations with the elders and scribes and all the Sanhendrin.
They tied up Yeshua, and led him to be delivered to Pilate,
who was then the Roman prefect in Judea.
He was convicted by him, and sentenced to death by crucifixion,
the accepted form of punishment at the time.
He carried the cross on his back to the peak of Golgotha Hill
via the street known as the "Way of suffering."
"Via Delarosa."
That evening was a Shabbat evening,
so they rushed to take Yeshua down from the cross and bury him,
because bodies should not be left and burials are not held on Shabbat.
At daybreak on Sunday, the women go to the grave and find it empty.
And God's angel tells them that Yeshua has been resurrected and ascended to heaven.
And this, this resurrection and redemption, is what is celebrated at Easter.
And that's why the accepted blessing for the festival is
"The Messiah has risen," and the reply to it is:
"Indeed, he has risen."
Happy holiday. The Messiah has risen!
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