Alrighty, let’s get right down to business!
As promised, today, I’m going to give you the missing ingredient that will enable you to unravel the mystery concerning the timing of Yeshua’s last supper, arrest, crucifixion, burial and triumphant resurrection.
Recall I finished off yesterday’s post by informing you that there were three Passover traditions simultaneously in operation during Yeshua’s time.
They were the Judean, Samaritan and Galilean traditions.
And because Yeshua and his followers hailed from Galilee, they obviously observed the Galilean Passover customs.
I also mentioned that because of the long distances the Galileans had to travel in order to get to the Temple, they tinkered around a bit with the timing of when the festival Sabbaths began and ended as well as what was allowed and not allowed on these special feast Sabbath days.
To a certain extent, the Judeans were sympathetic and understanding about some of these so-called “adjustments” the Galileans made to the normal way of doing things.
However, there were a couple of other additions the Galileans added to the Passover rituals that the Judeans were not too excited about.
There was one extra ritual observance in particular that ruffled the feathers of the Judeans and that they refused to accept.
This extra ritual observance was called…
…SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET.
Let me say that again, because this is it folks!
This is the secret to understanding the REAL timing of what transpired in Yeshua’s last days.
Again, the extra observance the Galileans added to the traditional Passover rituals was called…
…SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET…
…and it was observed pretty much right after the day switched over from AVIV 13 to AVIV 14.
Remember that Passover occurred on AVIV 14 AND…
…that a Biblical day begins at sunset (around 7pm-ish).
Don’t forget these two factors because they are very important to understanding what really and I mean really took place during Yeshua’s last hours on this planet.
Okay, so let’s talk about this SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET custom a little bit.
This observance emphasized the firstborn aspect of the Exodus because recall on that first Passover night it was the firstborn Israelites who were saved from death while it was the firstborn Egyptians who were killed.
In commemoration of this event, the Galileans declared that AVIV 14th was to be a day of fasting in honor of the Lord saving the firstborn Israelites.
In addition to declaring AVIV 14 to be a day of fasting, they also added a ritual meal that was eaten soon after the day switched over from AVIV 13 to AVIV 14 (Passover Day).
This ritual meal was the SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET meal that I just introduced.
And again, understand that since the Hebrew day begins at sundown, the first meal of the day for an Israelite would have been dinner.
Got that?
Dinner was for a Hebrew what breakfast is for us today.
Dinner was the first meal of the day for a Hebrew.
Hence, the firstborn sons of the Galileans would have this dinner to begin the day of Passover (in the evening) and then fast for the next 24 hours until it was time for the official Passover Seder meal.
Got that?
As soon as the day switched over from AVIV 13 to AVIV 14 at sunset, the Galileans ate the SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET…
…and then afterwards (24 hours later) they observed the official Passover Seder.
By the way, I should also let you know that not just the Galileans but the Samaritans also observed SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET.
Rest assured that what I’ve just shared with you ain’t something I just pulled out out of my back pocket nor is this some new and imaginative theory that has recently just popped up.
This ain’t no Left Behind series work of fiction I’m talking about here.
The truth is you can find mention of this in the Hebrew Mishnah and if you do just a little research, you’ll find that this ritual is fully recognized by religious Jews.
Heck, a quick google search will bring up articles such as this one.
Yet pretty much the whole gentile Christian world lies in total darkness concerning this matter (just as they do in their practice of worshipping Yeshua as literally God Himself).
Before I close, I need to mention just one other little thing.
In English, SEUDAH MAPHSEHKET literally translates into the following two words:
LAST SUPPER.
Why did the Galileans call this ritual meal before the fast the “Last Supper”?
Well, because technically speaking it was the last supper for a firstborn Hebrew born in Galilee (or in Samaria) because he wouldn’t be eating again until he celebrated the official Passover meal with his Hebrew brothers 24 hours later.
And let’s not forget that Yeshua was a firstborn Hebrew who hailed from Galilee.
Are them mental light bulbs starting to go off in your head now?
They should be.
So there you have it folks!
The conclusion of the matter is that there were two Passover Seders observed within an approximate 24-hour period.
One on the night BEFORE Passover and…
one on the night OF Passover.
However, you have to do a little digging into Jewish historicity in order to uncover the fact that for the Galileans (and the Samaritans), there was actually a DUAL seder.
Minus ignoring Jewish oral law and traditions, you ain’t gonna know how these two different seders differed, who participated in them, what was served and why and many other details that unfortunately have been kept in the dark.
Alrighty, that does it for today.
The next time we meet, I’m gonna start laying down the REAL timeline of the events that took place in Yeshua’s life in his last hours.
Until then, stay frosty.
Already some of us knows that the Last Supper was not the main passover meal that was eaten the next day at sunset after his execution. What I find new here is ascribing the tradition to only the Galileans and Sameritans thanks for the information.
I have read your teaching on this subject and have seen this concept propagated all over the internet. ALL over the internet. But absolutely no one is citing their work. Except in rare cases to torahclass.com, who also is not citing their work.
The article you linked has nothing to do with passover, the fast of firstborn, or anything related directly to this topic as far as I can glean. I have also checked the Mishna with regards to claims that have been made and there is nothing there to support this theory either.
This is being taught AS TRUTH, rather than conjecture. So I was hoping that you would be willing to give me your sources. I have already looked up the Mishna which is not referring to the Fast of the firstborn, or any feast in conjuction with it. It is referring to the preparation of the passover.
Please understand, I am a Bible believing Christian. I am not a skeptic. But I am not willing to accept falsehoods, or fiction to real questions with regards to messiah. I have found plenty of information on Seudah Mafseket with regards to Yom Kippur. But I can’t find anything historical, cultural, or biblical about THIS teaching with regards to passover. I only see people LOUDLY and EMPHATICALLY proclaiming it with no basis.
Will you please send me your sources and resolve my concerns?
Thank you,
Savanna
Hi Savanna, That’s the problem. There is no one singular authoritative source that you can point to to close the case on the matter. That’s why people have been debating this topic for centuries. All one can really do is go to different sources and through logic and common sense draw the best conclusion one can. I’m certainly not going to be dogmatic about what I taught here. Do I say it’s 100% correct and can never be questioned? No. But do I think it makes sense? My answer to that question is yes. Thanks for reading. Be blessed and SHALOM.