WAS THE LAST SUPPER A PASSOVER SEDER?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

Happy Passover to those who observe it.

This year Passover begins on Monday night, April 22, 2024. Some people claim that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. Is that correct?

The term “Last Supper” refers to the final meal Jesus of Nazareth had with his disciples on the night before his death (for ex. I Cor 11: 23-25). This took place, assuming we are dealing with an historical fact, around 30 CE, when biblical Israelites, during Passover, were asked to offer a Pascal sacrifice, a lamb, in the temple of Jerusalem. On the other hand, the word “Seder” refers to a ritualized family meal that takes place on the eve of Passover, on the 14^th  of Nisan. This was created by the Rabbis after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in the year 70 CE by the Romans, way after the death of Jesus. The first reference to a  Seder is in the Mishnah ( See, Pesahim), compiled in Palestine around 225 CE.

The question is whether this Last Supper was also a Passover Seder.

Many people claim, yes it was. Thus, for example, Grace Theological Seminary  of Indiana affirms that “ Based on the historical context, we know that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, and we can pinpoint which cup and which piece of bread Jesus was eating at the first communion” ( June 27, 2022, online).

Others have many doubts about it. Here are some of the reasons why I think the Last Supper was not a Passover Seder.

1.     Whereas the synoptic Gospels identify the Last Supper as a Passover meal  (for ex. see, Mark 14:12-16), John does not. In fact, he places the event before Passover (13:1-2). There was no Seder, as we know it,  during the days of Jesus.

2.     Jesus shared his meal only with his male disciples. The Passover Seder is a family dinner, with women and children being present.

3.     During the meal, Jesus and his disciples ate ‘bread’ (artos, in Greek; Mark 14: 22), whereas during Passover Jews are told to eat only “unleavened bread” ( azyma in Greek).

4.     The Passover Seder is held on the eve of 14^th of Nisan, In most of the Gospels, the Last Supper takes place on the 15^th of Nisan.

So, how can we interpret some of the Gospel’s claims?

We need to remember that the Gospels were written in Greek, between 70 CE and 100 CE,  after the death of Jesus and outside of the land of Israel. By that time, the editors’ memory had already started to fail. Most likely, early Christians wanted to connect the lessons of Passover, being the liberation of the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt, with the salvific message of Jesus’ death. I would argue that the Last Supper was held withing the general context of the feast of Passover as it was celebrated while the Jerusalem temple was still standing. It was a memorable Jewish meal, but not necessarily a Passover Seder.

For more details, see ABD, Vol 4, p.234 ff.

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THE SPLIT OF THE KINGDOM; A BIBLICAL STORY WITH A MESSAGE

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

According to the Hebrew Bible, after King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam (mid 10^th cent. BCE), whose mother was an Ammonite woman called Naamah, succeeded him as king. It is not known when exactly this event took place.  He was 41 years old when he became a king, and ruled for 17 years (I K. 14:21), but the numbers are questionable.

 For reasons that are not clear but perhaps in order to get the support of the northern tribes, Rehoboam went first to the city of Shehem. There he met with the representatives of the people. They suggested that if he, Rehoboam, were to lessen the financial burden placed upon them by his father, they would be willing to acknowledge him as their king.

Rehoboam told them to come back in three days for an answer. First, he sought the advice of the elders who told him to deal kindly with the people, using the formula known from other ANE texts regarding royal grants. It is noteworthy that the Hebrew text has: “if you will be a servant (EVED) to those people and serve them” (I K 12: 7). However, the parallel text in Chronicles softens the harsh word “slave,” and has “If you will be good to these people…” (I Chr. 10:7).

Rehoboam ignored the sound advice of the elders, and went with his younger contemporaries. The Bible calls them (YELADIM)  “the boys” ( I K. 12: 10), who told him to get even tougher with them than his father. In fact, they suggested he say to them, “ My little finger is  thicker than my father’s loins” (I K 12: 10), using a euphemism for his machismo. Furthermore, they told him to say, “My father flogged you with whips, but I will flog you with scorpions” ( I K 12:11). The implication of the use of “scorpions” is not clear. BDB suggests that this may refer to scourges with points, stings (p. 785).   

The result was dramatic. The northerners quickly rejected Rehoboam ,and told him “ We have no portion in David, no share in Jessy’s son” (I K. 12: 16)  echoing the words of Sheba, the Benjaminite, who had led an unsuccessful revolt against king David (cf, 2 Sam. 20;1). In response, Rehoboam sent Adoram, his labor foreman. The text does not give us the purpose of this action. Some say, Rehoboam sent him in order to appease the assembly (Josephus);  others argue, he sent him to raise a work levy (Horn), and others, to threaten the people ( Tullock) or even to put down the rebellion (ABD, 5). The result was not unexpected. The biblical text tells us, the people “pelted him to death with stones” ( I K. 12; 18). Rehoboam then hurriedly got on his chariot and fled to Jerusalem where he was made king only by the smaller southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

In this episode Rehoboam comes across as a foolish brat. He not only ignores the calming advice of the elders but, following his peers, assumes that he can even get his way through violence, not realizing that force can never engender loyalty.

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WHERE DOES GOD LIVE?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

Among those who conceive of God in theistic terms, namely as a father image who is all powerful and all-good, there seems to have a universal assumption that God lives in the heavens above.

Here are a few examples:

In one of the most popular Israeli songs today, Tefilah, the singer Omer Adam, invokes God as being  the Only one, and, in the video, he points to the heavens as the place where God can ben found. Similarly, in the Prayer for the State of Israel, the singer invokes God as the one who is avinu she-bashamayim. “Our Father in Heaven.” This is a popular rabbinic expression, even though the concept is already found in the Hebrew Bible (e.g. Isa. 63:16).  

The idea of a heavenly God originated in the Ancient Near East. According to the Sumerian Deluge myth, this event took place “after ...kingship had been lowered from heaven” (where gods live)( ANET, p. 43). Similarly, we are told that ANU, “the father of the gods, lived in the highest level of the heavens” (Horowitz , Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography, 2001:8-11).

The picture in the Hebrew Bible is not clear. At times, we are told that God is  found in a specific place. For example, according to Deut. 33:2, God lives on Mt. Sinai. According to I K 8: 13, God dwells in the Temple built by King Solomon. In Ps. 74:2, God lives in Zion, namely ,Jerusalem. God can also reveal himself out of a burning bush (Ex. 3:4), or even through a  “still small voice” (meaning unclear, I K 19: 12). On the other hand, according to other biblical passages God is everywhere: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; If I descend to Sheol (underworld), you are there too” (Ps. 139: 7).

The Hebrew word shamayim, (“ heavens”) often refers to the abode of God: In Deuteronomy, God is called the one  who “rides through the heavens” (33:26). In Genesis, God rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire “from the Lord out of heaven” (19:24). According to the prophet Isaiah, “The heaven is My throne”(66:1). (For more examples, see BDB, p. 1030 , under shamayim).

This assumption is also present in the Christian tradition, where, in the Lord’s Prayer, a worshiper refers to God as “Our Father in Heaven” (Math. 6: 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4).

 On the other hand, religious naturalists or pantheists like Spinoza, Kaplan or Gittelsohn (and me, as one of the followers) who view God as the power or energy behind the universe, maintain that God is omnipresent, and is not limited to the heavens above. In fact, Spinoza equates God with nature, as the only substance there is.

So, you have a choice, and do not assume that theism is the only answer.

SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com  

THE SEFARDI/ASHKENAZI DIVIDE; A SUMMARY

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.

Sometimes I am asked , what is special about being a Sefardic Jew? Or, alternatively, can a Sefardic Jew become a Reform Jew? Here below is a simplified response.

First, a definition: A Sefardic Jew is one who can trace his/her background to medieval Spain. The word Sefarad in Hebrew means Spain. Jews came into Spain from North Africa in large numbers in 711 CE,  but were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen  Isabella in the year 1492. Then they spread all over the Mediterranean basin. Today, even though they have never been to Spain, Persian Jews follow the practices of Sefardic Jewry.

On the other hand, an Ashkenazic Jew, is one who comes from many parts of Europe, including Poland and Russia. The Hebrew word Ashkenaz means “German.”

There are many differences in religious practices between Sefardic and Ashkenazic Jews:

1.    Hebrew is pronounced and written differently by these two groups. When the State of Israel was established in 1948, they adopted the Sefardic pronunciation and the Ashkenazic script.

2.    There are major differences in the use of food, based on the background of each group. For example,  Sefardic Jews are allowed to eat rice during Passover, whereas Ashkenazic Jews are not.

3.     There are many different religious customs unique to each group: For example, Sefardic Jews do not mark Yahrzeits, they have Meldados at home. Selihot is celebrated by Sefardic Jews many times before the High Holidays, whereas Ashkenazic Jews have a special day for it. During the High Holidays, Sefardic Jews greet each other by saying, Tizku leshanim rabbot (“ May you merit to celebrate it for many years”), whereas Ashkenazic Jews simply say, shanah tovah (“a good year”). The chanting of the Torah differs between Sefardic and Ashkenazic Jews. Sefardic Jews name their children after living parents. Ashkenazic Jews do not. In a Sefardic cemetery, the stones are flat; in Ashkenazic cemeteries, they are placed standing.

4.    The physical structure of the synagogue depends on whether or not it is a Sefardic or Ashkenazic: In a Sefardic synagogue, the pulpit is in the center, whereas among Ashkenazic Jews, it is usually placed before the Ark.

5.    In Europe, the “home” language of the Sefardic Jews is Ladino, which is a mixture of medieval Spanish and Hebrew with various additions from the country of residence . Ashkenazic Jews speak Yiddish.

Presently, these differences are slowly disappearing, because of migrations, inter-religious marriages  and the realities in Israel today where the two communities live close to one another. Reform Judaism emerged out of an Ashkenazic milieu; so did many non-Orthodox Jewish denominations, such as Conservative or Reconstructionist. Sefardic Jews tend to be Orthodox in their religious practices or totally secular. This too is changing, in as much as there are many non-Orthodox Jews who have a Sefardic background. I grew up as a Sefardi and became a Reform Rabbi.  In the modern world, there is a greater tendency to eliminate differences.

SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com