On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.
Beginning the year with spring, when the earth renews itself, was a fitting shadow of Christ's coming. Yet here is the deeper lesson: when our heads swim with care and our hands are full of urgent business, we must not let religion slip away or excuse ourselves from devotion. The sacred rite binds us to God even in our haste.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 12:1-20
The first and seventh days mark holy convocations because they commemorate God's great acts: Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the drowning of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea. No work is to be done on these days, though the Jewish canons make narrow exceptions for certain trades before midday, but the text itself makes no such allowance.
AI summary
Seven days of unleavened bread commemorates Israel's hurried departure, when they had no time to leaven their dough. The Jews searched every corner with a candle to remove leaven from their houses. One who eats leaven during those days is cut off from the community and its privileges.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 12:15-51