This coming Wednesday evening, the evening of Nisan 14, households all over the world will be celebrating Pesach with a traditional Pesach Seder. The many traditions that have become part of the Seder (some which undoubtedly date to the 1st Century and before) will be rehearsed once again as family and friends gather to celebrate our exodus from Egypt—our freedom to serve HaShem as He intends. For those of us who have received Yeshua as the Messiah, we will also be focusing our attention on how His death as the Pesach Lamb (1Cor 5:7) stands as the primary focal point of eternal redemption to which the exodus itself pointed.

Our hope and prayer at TorahResource is that as you celebrate Pesach this year, you will be overwhelmed with the reality of HaShem's love to us in Yeshua. And may the Holy One grant that our hearts may be purified of "old leaven" and renewed with strength and resolve to shine as lights for Yeshua in this ever darkening world.

As I was re-reading the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion of our Savior, I was struck with the part that Judas Iscariot played in the whole matter. I beleive that there are some important lessons to be learned from the tragic life of Judas. I have written some of these thoughts in the short article that follows. I hope you will take the time to read it and that it will foster praise in your heart for the One Who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1Pet 2:9)!

Chag Pesach Semeiach!

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What Are We to Learn from Judas Iscariot?
Searching Our Souls at Pesach
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Tim Hegg • TorahResource • 2009
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Each year as we approach Pesach, we begin the arduous task of cleaning our homes in order to remove anything that contains leaven. We wash the cupboards, shampoo the carpets, sweep and vacuum all of the rooms, and remove all of the leavening agents from our kitchens. In short, we do everything humanly possible to make our homes ready for the week of Unleavened Bread.

This task of cleaning, which many of our neighbors no doubt consider our annual “spring cleaning,” has a very real spiritual dimension beyond our desire to make proper preparations for the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot). It becomes an evident reminder that we are to look into our souls to find what leaven might be there, which also needs to be removed.

As followers of Yeshua, we recognize the significance of the fact that Yeshua’s death and resurrection coincided with the Pesach Festival. The story of our redemption from Israel provided the backdrop against which our eternal redemption was accomplished by the “Lamb of God,” so that our freedom from the slavery of Egypt foretold our freedom from the penalty and enslavement of sin. Having been rescued from the “domain of darkness,” we now have entered the “kingdom of His beloved Son” in Whom we have “redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13–14).

As we read and re-read the Gospels’ story of the days the led up to the crucifixion of our Savior, we sometimes seek to put ourselves, as it were, back into that historical context. What would it have been like to be in Jerusalem during the festival that year, to walk with the Master as He prepared His disciples for the events which were about to take place? How would we have responded to His words, His questions, His rebukes?
Recently I have been considering what lessons we are to learn from Judas, the one disciple whose name would forever remain in infamy for his role in betraying Yeshua to those whose purpose was to have Him executed. How could someone walk with the Master, witness His miracles, hear His teaching, even share in His ministry to others, and then betray Him for monetary gain? If we consider Judas and his camaraderie with the circle of Yeshua’s closest disciples, we may gain some very important insights. . . . .

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