The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Festival of Unleavened Bread

(Hag HaMatzah)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah) is the fifteenth day of the month of
Nisan, which is the day following Passover (Pesach). It is a seven-day festival to
YHWH (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:6-7; Exodus [Shemot] 12:7-8,14-17). On the fifteenth
of Nisan and for the next seven days, Elohim forbade the people to have any
leavened bread in their houses.
The festival of Unleavened Bread can be found in Exodus 12:14-17, as it is written:

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The Book of Exodus chapter 12, describes the Egyptian Passover. After the lamb
was killed, the blood was to be put on the doorposts. The lamb was to be roasted in
fire and eaten with matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs (Exodus 12:7-8).

Purging Leaven From the House (Bedikat HaMetz)

Elohim gave a ceremony of searching and removing leaven from the house prior to
the festival of Unleavened Bread in preparation for the festival. In Hebrew, this
ceremony is called Bedikat HaMetz, which means "the search for leaven" The
ceremony is as follows:
The preparation for searching and removing the leaven (Bedikat HaMetz) from the
house actually begins before Passover (Pesach). First, the wife thoroughly cleans the
house to remove all leaven (HaMetz) from it. In the Bible, leaven (HaMetz) is
symbolic of sin.
Spiritual Application (Halacha). Spiritually, the believers in the Messiah Y’shua are
the house of Elohim (Hebrews 3:6; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 2:19).
Leaven (sin) is to be cleaned out of our house, which is our body (1 Corinthians 3:16-
17; 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:15-18).
In cleaning the house, the wife is instructed to purposely leave ten small pieces of
leaven (bread) in the house. Then the father takes the children, along with a candle,
a wooden spoon, a feather, and a piece of linen cloth, and searches through the
house for the ten pieces of leaven. By nightfall on the day before Passover (Pesach),
a final and comprehensive search is performed. At this time, the house is completely
dark except for the candles. Once the father finds the leaven (bread), he sets the
candle down by the leaven and lays the wooden spoon beside the leaven.
Then he uses the feather to sweep the leaven onto the spoon. Without touching the
leaven, he takes the feather, spoon, and leaven, wraps them in a linen cloth, and
casts them out of the door of the house. The next morning (the fourteenth of Nisan),
he goes into the synagogue and puts the linen cloth and its contents into a fire to be
burned.
Spiritual Application (Halacha). Spiritually, we are to cleanse the leaven (sin) from
our houses (lives) by allowing the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) to reveal to us,
through the knowledge of Y’shua and the Scriptures, the sin that is in our lives. It is
only through Elohim's Word that we are able to identify sin in our lives as it is written
in Psalm 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." So
the spiritual understanding of the candle is that it represents the Word of Elohim. The
feather represents the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). Even though we have the
Word of Elohim, we need the Spirit of Elohim (Ruach HaKodesh) to illuminate the
entire Bible to us, including the Torah and the Tanach (1 Corinthians 2:11-14).
Cleaning and preparing your house is a picture of your spiritual preparation prior of
you accepting Y’shua, or rededicating you life to Him. Preceding the acceptance of
Y’shua is repentance. Repentance is the first step prior to coming into the Kingdom
through the blood and grace of Y’shua. Removing the leaven is a sign of repentance
and preparation so that you can proceed to the next step, which is applying the blood
of the Lamb to your heart (doorpost).

We saw the same thing happened in the days of king Josiah.

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He reinstated the celebration of the Festivals of YHVH and preceded that with the
removing of the “leaven”; the idols, mediums, sorcery est. This king is seen as one of
the greatest kings because of this act; going back to the Word of YHVH and
celebrating His Festivals and removing the “leaven” from the Land.
Do you want to be great in the eyes of YHVH? If yes, then you have to go back to the
Word and follow everything in it with all your heart, soul and might which starts with
the celebration of the Festival of Passover that symbolizes repentance.
Messianic Fulfillment. The spoon represents the tree that Y’shua died upon
(Deuteronomy 21:22-23). The leaven (HaMetz) (sin) was swept on the spoon (the
tree) as part of the ceremony. Likewise, our sin was swept or cast upon Y’shua (2
Corinthians 5:21) when Y’shua died upon the tree. The leaven (Y’shua upon the tree)
was then wrapped in linen and Y’shua was cast out of His house (His body) and went
to hell, which is a place of burning (Luke 16:19-24).
Thus He fulfilled the part of the ceremony where the father takes the linen cloth and
its contents and casts it into the fire to be burned.

The Fifteenth of Nisan -- Purging Out of Sin

The fifteenth of Nisan (Hag HaMatzah) marks the beginning of a seven-day feast
period when Israel was to eat bread without leaven (sin) in remembrance of their
baking Unleavened bread in their haste to escape Egypt. The Commandment do not
actually forbid us from not eating leaven, it Commands us to eat unleavened bread.
Every day for seven days you will be remained of removing sin from your life through
repentance by eating the Matzah (unleavened bread). This will happen about 21
times if you eat three times a day and you need 21 times of altering your actions to
break a habit. YHVH knew this and that is why He Commanded this in His Torah to
help us to overcome sin and the flesh. The primary theme of this feast is the purging
out of leaven (sin). Historically, there are two notable events that happened on this
day.

1. The Exodus journey beginning from Egypt (Exodus 12:41). In

Deuteronomy 16:3, the bread is referred to as "the bread of affliction."
2. The burial of Y’shua after His crucifixion, who is the Bread of Life (John
6:35). In fact, the place of Y’shua'
s birth, Bethlehem, comes from two Hebrew
words, beit and lechem. Be it means "house" and lechem means "bread." So,
Bethlehem means “house of bread”. Therefore, Y’shua, who is the “Bread
of Elohim”, was born at a place called the “house of bread”.
The festivals are fixed appointments (mo' ed) of Elohim specifying what He will
perform and the exact time He will perform it. The Jews had to hurry to put Y’shua'
s
body in the ground because the Sabbath was drawing near. This Sabbath was a high
Sabbath and the first day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15). This can be found in
(John 19:31). This would mean that Y’shua died on the fourteenth of Nisan, before
sunset, the day of Passover. Y’shua was in the sepulcher the day following His
crucifixion, which was the fifteenth of Nisan, the first day of Unleavened Bread.

The Messianic Understanding of the Matzah

in the Passover Seder
One of the 15 steps during the Passover Seder is a step called Yachatz. Yachatz is
when the middle of the three matzot is broken into two. During the Passover Seder,
there is a bag called the matzatosh which contains three pieces of matzot. The
middle piece of matzot is removed, broken, wrapped in linen, and buried.
This piece of matzah is the afikomen. During this part of the service, the afikomen
was removed from sight (this represented Y’shua being buried) and it remained
hidden until later in the service. Y’shua is the bread that was buried because He is
the Bread of Life who came down from Heaven (John [Yochanan] 6:35). Y’shua was
removed from between the two thieves who were crucified with Him (Matthew
[Mattityahu] 27:38), wrapped in linen, and buried in the earth (Matthew 27:59-60).
Toward the end of the Passover Seder, the twelfth step to the service is called
Tzafun. During Tzafun, the afikomen that was previously buried is redeemed and
ransomed.
At this point in the service, the matzah, previously characterized as the bread of
affliction, is now transformed and redeemed. This is a perfect picture of Y’shua,
who fulfilled the role of the suffering Messiah known as Messiah ben Yosef.
He suffered affliction while dying on the tree, but was later redeemed when He
was resurrected by Elohim the Father.
In the Passover Seder service, the afikomen is redeemed by the children. The
children who find the buried afikomen receives a gift. This gift is known as "the
promise of the father". Likewise, when Elohim resurrected Y’shua after He was
buried in the earth, those who believed upon Him by faith (emunah) are given
gifts by Elohim. When Y’shua ascended to Heaven, He gave gifts to men
(Ephesians 4:7-8). These gifts included righteousness (Romans 5:17-18), eternal
life (Romans 6:23), grace (Romans 5:12,14-15), faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and
other spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1,4).
Some other gifts include wisdom, knowledge, healing, the working of miracles,
prophecy, the discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1
Corinthians 12:8-11), in addition to the gifts of helps and administration (l
Corinthians 12:28).

The Feast of Unleavened Bread in the Bible

1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was so much a part of Passover (Pesach)
that the names of Passover and Unleavened Bread were used
interchangeably or almost synonymously (Luke 22:1).
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2. The feast was to be kept seven days (Exodus 12:15-19). The number
seven is the biblical number for promise. The believer who keeps this feast is
to keep it fully unto YHWH and set himself aside completely to Him to attain
the Promise of Eternal Life. The Feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of
complete separation from all things that are leavened (sinful) and feeding
upon Y’shua, who is the believer's bread (John 6:32-36,38).
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3. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah) is a high Sabbath day.
A high Sabbath in Hebrew is called a shabbaton. During Passover, there is
an extra Sabbath besides the weekly Sabbath. These Sabbaths are called
high Sabbaths. The high Sabbath of Unleavened Bread can be seen in John
19:31.
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4. Unleavened bread is used for consecration and separation. It is also

anointed with oil. The believers in the Messiah Y’shua are to be consecrated
and separated to do the work Elohim has called us to do and to live a life that
is holy to Him. If we do this, the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Ruach
HaKodesh) of Elohim will rest upon our lives.
a) The bread represents consecration (dedication, sanctification,
initiation) (Lev 8:1-2,26-27; Ex 29:2-23).
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Unleavened Bread was used at the Ceremony where the High Priest and
the Priesthood were initiated and Consecrated before YHVH for His Service
and purpose. This means that Y’shua, Who is our High Priest, had no sin
(leaven) and lived a set-apart life unto YHVH and we are His priesthood and
should also walked as He walked, without sin and have a set apart life
designed by Him for His purpose.
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What are these Spiritual Sacrifices?

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Our sacrifices unto YHVH is through our lips and though our deeds. Speak
only what is appropriate, proclaiming the Gospel and praising YHVH, and
good and do good as the Word instructs us to do so that we can show our
love to our neighbors.

b) It was included in the sacred vow of separation of the

Nazarites (Numbers 6:1-21).
c) It was the food for the priests in the meal and peace offering
(Lev 2:1,4,14-16; 6:14-18; 7:11-12). The peace offering’s intention was
to bring peace between man and YHVH because of man’s transgressions
and sinfulness. Y’shua, being the Peace Offering for us, brought peace
between the YHVH and man and this He did as part of the Restoration
process He Planned from the foundation of the Earth.
d) It marked Israel's divine separation from Egypt's (the world's) life of
slavery and bondage (Ex12:17,30-34).
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e) All leaven was to be put away (Exodus 12:15,19-20). When leaven or

yeast is placed in an unleavened batch of dough, the leaven puffs up the
dough. Likewise, when we allow sin into our lives, it will puff us up in pride
and arrogance.
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Leaven is also referred to the proud who normally don’t know the Truth and
they make up stories and causes strife and arguments. Also take these
people out of your life because they will cause you to sin.

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 Treat others within the faith with meekness and kindness and patience and
love, even if that person is in the wrong regarding your knowledge of the
truth.

In the Bible, Elohim referred to the leaven of different groups of people. These are
the PROUD that did not submit under the Truth and would not change because they
had status or thought that they were right. These are listed as follows:
1. The leaven of Herod (Mark 8:14-15; 6:14-18; Matthew 2:7-12). Proud
because of Status and Authority.
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Pride coming from and Authoritative figure will always abuse his power and
destroy people that he things are a thread to him.
2. The leaven of the Pharisees (Mark 8:15; Matthew 16:5-12; 23:1-3; Luke
11:37-44; 12:1.
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These are the religious leaders who think that they represent YHVH on earth
and can change His Word as they see fit. They have a form of godliness
outwardly, but they are dead on the inside and bear no fruit.
3. The leaven of the Sadducees (Matthew16:6-12). The Sadducees did not
believe in the supernatural. They denied the existence of the Spirit of Elohim,
angels, and the resurrection (Mark 12:18; Acts 23:6-8).
4. The leaven at Corinth. The leaven at Corinth was sensuality, chiefly
fornication (1 Corinthians 4:17-21; 5:1-13; 6:1,9-11,13,16-18; 8:1; 13:4; 2
Corinthians 12:20-21). These are people that think that have the truth and
they applied the Blood of the Lamb, Y’shua, but refuse to leave Egypt (sin).
They normally have the same “phrase” they recite if you try to speak to them;
“I am saved by Grace and no one will plug me out of the hand of YHVH and I
am only save by His grace and nothing I do will cause me to go to hell
because I am not saved by works”. They are proud and refuse to submit
under the Word’s cleansing power and still look like Egypt and normally reach
no one in the world because their lives are just as dark.

How to Keep the Feast

Spiritual Application (Halacha). Spiritually, the feast is kept in sincerity and truth.
Sincerity involves purity and serving Elohim with a pure heart. It involves putting
away the sin in our lives, and separating ourselves from all evil that has a
corrupting influence in the life of the believer in Y’shua. Historically, Israel learned
that keeping the feast meant a complete separation from Egypt's religion, bondage,
food, and slavery, as well as its worldly glory, wisdom, and splendor.
The children of Israel took the dough before it was leavened because they could not
tarry in Egypt. There was no time to let the leaven get in and work up the dough
(Exodus 12:34,39). As believers, we are to flee the world's ways and philosophies
that are contrary to the Word of Elohim. Sincerity (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) involves
purity and sanctification, which means holiness and separation. The Bible uses
water and washing to instruct us concerning sanctification and separation (Joshua
24:14; Ephesians 5:26; 6:24; Philippians 1:10; 1 Peter 2:2). To sanctify means to
make holy, to purify, or to consecrate. The believers are sanctified by obeying the
entire Word of Elohim, including the Torah and the Tanach (John 17:17,19; Acts
20:32; Exodus 19:10,14; 28:39-41; Leviticus 8:30; 11:44; 20:7; Eph 5:26).

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In First Corinthians 6:11, sanctification is connected to washing (Acts 22:16).
Historically, after Israel celebrated the Passover, they were immersed (washed) in
the water of the Red Sea (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). Likewise, after we accept the
Messiah into our lives, we must immerse ourselves in studying the Scripture
and, by so doing, enable the knowledge of the Word of Elohim to transform and
change our lives.
• Unleavened Bread is a time for dedication your life to Him through being
sensitive to sin and not allow it to come into your life.
• We also take this time to “step up” the standard of “set-apart” living in doing
introspection and taking things out of our lives that takes up most of our time
or things that keep us from spending time in YHVH Word.
• It is also a time in making a decision to be humble and to accept and embrace
YHVH’s Word so that it can flow down to us and wash us clean so that we
can prepare as His Bride and be without spot or wrinkle.
It is the start of a Spiritual New Year where YHVH will do and complete His work in
you, if you allow Him and will give Him time to do so.