Jewish Feasts - Shabbats Before Passover (Part 1)

Today 3/26/22 – Shabbat Parah

There are three special Shabbats (Sabbaths), leading up to Passover. They kind of set the mood, get the people ready, for the upcoming festival. In each of these special Sabbaths, they have special readings that either take the place of the normal daily reading, or they just add to the daily reading. This special reading is known as the haftarah, which is a prophetic reading, a reading from a book of the prophets.

Ending today is the Shabbat Parah, or the Sabbath of the Red Heifer. On this Sabbath, they traditionally read Numbers 19:1-22, which contains the red heifer whose ashes were combines with water and used to purify anyone who had been in contact with a dead person. People who were considered unclean could not partake on Passover. In ancient times, they would do a public announcement reminding anyone that had become impure to purify themselves before they make their way to Jerusalem for Passover.

The haftarah reading during this Sabbath is Ezekiel 36:16-38 which also speaks on being cleansed from contamination/impurity. Ezekiel takes it a step further though and the impurity symbolizes human sinfulness. Just like a physical impurity a spiritual impurity can cleansed as well. I think it is astounding that they chose this section in Ezekiel. Verse 25 specifically speaks of a coming time when God would give them a new heart and a new spirit. They were reading prophetic words of their coming messiah and what He would do for them. Christ and the Holy Spirit is the new heart and the new spirit.