When is Passover?

*Due to the practice of this ministry/article instead of using Jesus, we will use the messiah’s Hebrew name Yahusha

In a day and time where there’s so much misinformation and division among Israelites/people concerning when should the feast days be kept; we thought it important to write to give understanding concerning the season of Passover. In the original testament, the scriptures, torah, writings, etc.… We are informed scripturally that the 1st month of the year to us is the Hebrew month called Abib (Aviv) אביב. We will be focusing on the word Abib (Aviv) to see when it is exactly and what it truly means. For those of you that know how to read biblical Hebrew, I will have the Hebrew word there with and without vowel points. The parenthesis after the Hebrew word is the word spoken with the grammar rules of Hebrew applied. The “b” sound is a harder sound and the “v” sound is a softer sound but it’s the same letter in Hebrew. For more understanding on that register for our Hebrew classes at https://www.ebtministries.org/hebrewregistration.

Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Yahuah brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4 This day came you out in the month Abib.

Exodus 23:15 You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread: (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou came out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

Exodus 34:18 The feast of unleavened bread shall you keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.

Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto Yahuah your Elohim (Power): for in the month of Abib Yahuah your Elohim (Power) brought you forth out of Egypt by night.

Also from Exodus chapter 12, Numbers chapter 9, and Ezekiel chapter 45 we are given the account of the Passover observances, even though Abib wasn’t mentioned by name. It was/is also called in Hebrew Rosh Hashanah (head of the year).

  Exodus 12:1 And Yahuah spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Numbers 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that Yahuah commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

Ezekiel 45:21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

So, as you see in some texts the name of the first month is mentioned while in others, it’s not. This first Hebrew month that Yahuah established was given to them called Abib that appears wasn’t observed that way before. Pay attention: Exodus 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Notice the verse reads to you which indicates it wasn’t observed this way before and now Yah establishes it as our New Year.

So, from the text when exactly is Abib (Aviv) and what does this word mean? Both questions are one in the same and we will answer them now. To understand words in the biblical narratives, we must establish the origin of the word. Is the word used written Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Arabic, Latin, German, Chinese, and so on? The front of the book (bible) which many falsely call Old Testament (we call it the Original Testament) is written in predominantly Hebrew except Daniel 2:4-7:28, Ezra 4:8-6:18, and Ezra 7:12-26 which are written in Aramaic. This is important because language is the vehicle for culture. Without language it is extremely difficult to grasp the culture. A culture can’t be fully embraced void of the language. Language carries/brings traditions, idioms(sayings), culture, mindsets, and perspective to what’s being expressed. Because this text is written in Hebrew and by Hebrews, it must be viewed from the Hebrew perspective. Why? Because they wrote it! Our task is to try to gain understanding by positioning ourselves between what they heard/understood and what Yah said. Let’s examine what Abib (Aviv) means. To do so we will be using a Strong’s concordance/lexicon(dictionary) to understand this meaning. We will use blueletterbible.org

Lexicon: Strong's H24 Abib (Aviv) אָבִיב -fresh, young barley ears, barley, month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green Abib, month of exodus and Passover (March or April), ear, green ears of corn (not maize)

Now notice how the word means when the crops are beginning to grow and turn green or sprout forth. What season is that when the crops and vegetation GROW GREEN? It’s SPRINGTIME. Here is an excerpt from the Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon: “an ear of corn, a green ear,” i.e. the ears were developed…beginning at the new moon of April…”

A green ear of corn refers to the husk-covered, emphasizing that the kernels are still inside the protective husk, an immature corn on the cob.

It's a stage in the development of a corn plant where the kernels haven't fully matured and are still immature. The term "green" signifies that the corn ear is not yet ripe or fully developed. The kernels are still soft and immature, and the husk is usually a bright green color. Ear of corn refers to the entire structure of the corn, including the cob (the central stem) and the kernels that are attached to it. So, the point is this, Passover wasn’t celebrated before Spring. Everything in the word Abib (Aviv) defines the Spring when everything is growing/sprouting up to a place of maturity. Many people celebrate Passover at different times based on different calendar systems (we won’t discuss this here but there is a full teaching on how we reckon the new moon at ebtministries.org/feast-days-of-yahuah entitled “reckoning time by creation/moon pt 1 & 2”) but was always observed after the Spring. We’re living in a society that celebrates the deity Janus in celebrating January as its 1st month of the year when everything is dead.

Janus: The Roman God of Beginnings, Endings, and Transformations

(The image above and article below is from https://altargods.com/greco-roman-gods/janus/) For teachings on this pagan day and the like, go to https://www.ebtministries.org/holidays-are-pagan-series-teachings

However, Yahuah established our new year in the Spring when everything is coming alive.

So now, we’ve established Abib אָבִיב is the month in Spring, let’s examine this word further. As you’ve seen this far, אָבִיב literally conveys the thought that it’s the 1st or starter. The 1st part of Abib (Aviv) אָבִיב is Ab (Av) אָב pronounced like “ah” as in sock, means father in Hebrew. This is interesting because a family, house, tribe, a bloodline can’t start without the father. The father is a starter of a line because he carries the seed inside of him. Even the woman Chawah (Eve) was taken from him. So, Ab (Av) אָב means father. The last part of the name Abib is Ib(Iv) יב has a numerical value of 12. All Hebrew letters have a numerical value. The Hebrew letter yod י is numerically equivalent to 10 and Beyt(vet) is equivalent to 2. 10 +2 = 12 Fascinating Indeed! So, Abib (Aviv) אָבִיב literally means father of the 12, declaring that it’s the starter/father of the 12 months! Yahuah is a genius with hiding the meaning in the word. All praises to Yahuah! HalleluYah! I pray this enlightened you, gave you understanding, and encouraged you to dig deeper. Shalom! Shalom

Written by Moreh Malak Yah'shaag