The following was stated in a magazine by a group that observes the Feast Days; "We also are to keep the Passover as did Yahshua and his Apostles once a year. Then we are to take all the leavened products out of our homes and eat unleavened bread each day. `Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread,' Leviticus 23:6."

This is the common understanding most brethren have concerning the requirements of this feast. The following study is written for all to consider as we endeavor to restore the paths of old and purge out false doctrine from our lives.

If we check back in the Hebrew text we will notice that the word "bread" is not written there. The Hebrew word for bread (lechem) is #3899 in Strong's Concordance and it means, "food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)." In fact, whenever the Scriptures refer to the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Old or New Testament, Hebrew or Greek) the word "bread" is not in the text. The Hebrew and Greek words translated "leavened bread" and/or "unleavened bread" do not automatically imply `bread made from grain' allowing for the addition of the word bread. If that were true, Ex.29:2 and Lev.7:13 would not need the word `lechem' written in the text, yet it appears there. We can also see the use of `cakes' and `wafers' in conjunction with the word `unleavened' in several texts. The Hebrew does not automatically imply bread.

Notice also Lev.6:14-17;

"And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Yahweh, before the altar. And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto Yahweh. And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering."

The "meat offering" consisted of unleavened bread. It would make no sense to eat the unleavened bread of the meat offering with unleavened bread (vs.16). Verse 16 uses the word `matstsah.' It should have been translated "without leaven" as it was in Lev.10:12 instead of as "unleavened bread."

When we check the definitions of `leaven,' `leavened' and `unleavened' we come to understand that they refer to the cause, process and products of fermentation . Only one of those products is leavened bread.

Please note the following definitions for the words `leaven' and `leavened' in both the Old and New Testament:

Seor - (#7603 in Strong's); from 7604 (to swell up); barm or yeast cake (as swelling by fermentation) (#7603 in Gesenius' Lexicon); fermentation, leaven.

Chametz - (#2557 in Strong's); from 2556 (to be pungent; ie: in taste (sour, ie: lit. fermented); ferment.

It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word "chometz" (#2558) specifically means vinegar. This word is spelled exactly the same in Hebrew as "chametz" (#2557) except it has different vowel markings which change the pronunciation.

Zume - (#2219 in Strong's N.T.); ferment (as if boiling up).
Zumoo - (#2220, Strong's N.T.); from #2219; to cause to ferment.

The following definitions are for the word `unleavened' in both the Old and New Testament:

Matstsah - (#4682, Strong's); from 4711 in the sense of greedily devouring for sweetness; concr. sweet. (#4682, Gesenius); what is sweet, ie: unfermented bread.

Azumos - (#106, Strong's N.T.); unleavened, ie: (fig) uncorrupted

It is clear by these definitions that the Feast of Unleavened `Bread' deals with foods that have been fermented or with substances that cause fermentation and not necessarily with unleavened bread, although it is included among those foods that have not been fermented.

Let's look at Lev.23:6 again, having a better understanding of the Hebrew text; "Seven days you must eat unleavened." The command is not to eat unleavened bread, but to eat unleavened or unfermented food in general. In Ex.12:15 the command is not to put away only that which leavens bread, but to remove anything that causes fermentation. In Ex.12:20 the parallel is clear; "Ye shall eat nothing leavened (fermented); in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened (unfermented food);"

Ex.12:34 tells us that the Israelites took unleavened dough with them when they departed Egypt. This was then baked into unleavened cakes in obedience to the command not to use anything that causes fermentation. They could have prepared something else if they had the time, but it didn't have to be unleavened bread.

The same is true of Yahoshua and the Israelites in Yahoshua 5:11. After entering the promised land they were once again permitted to eat bread, having had no bread throughout the wilderness journey. It was only natural for them to eat unleavened cakes during this feast of unleavened.

Let's look at this situation a little closer. In Lev.23:14, Yahweh commanded that they should eat no bread until the wave sheaf was offered after entering the land (vs.10). This agrees with Deut.29:5,6 and Num.21:5 both of which state that the Israelites did not eat bread during their entire forty years in the wilderness.

If that was the case, how could the Israelites have eaten unleavened bread the second year in the wilderness? Num.9:1,11 state that "unleavened bread" was eaten with the Passover. First of all, there was no grain harvest to make bread with. They left Egypt with unleavened dough and no mention of enough grain to last over a year. Secondly, Lev.23:14 says they weren't permitted to eat bread until they entered the land and offered the firstfruits unto Yahweh. They survived on manna. Ex.12:8 says basically the same thing as Num.9:11, "And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened `bread'; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it." If we remove the added word `bread' we come to understand that the Passover itself needed to be unleavened, thereby removing the apparent contradiction of Lev.23:14 and Num.9:11. The Passover lamb was to be prepared without leaven. For example, to marinate the meat in a solution of vinegar and water, as people do with meats today, was prohibited. Let's not forget that the Passover represented Yahshua and therefore needed to be uncorrupted.

The translations of Ex.12:8 and Num.9:11 differ slightly in English, however the Hebrew construction seems to be the same. Perhaps Num.9:11 should read, "... at even they shall keep it, unleavened and with bitter herbs they shall eat it."

In Ex.23:18 it says, "Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning." The same command is given in Ex.34:25 except the word bread is omitted; "Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning." These verses are in reference to the Passover and show that it was not to be leavened. It was not to be soured or corrupted by anything fermented for it represented the purity and sweetness of Yahshua.

If this understanding of Scripture is correct, then we need to review what we should and shouldn't eat during this feast. It is well known that wine, beer and other alcohol products are the result of fermentation, but several other well known and well loved products are as well.

We read in the Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition, Vol.11, pg 111; "The manufacture of cheese and butter also involves the action of microorganisms. In this process the lactic acid bacteria are of great importance. These organisms ferment the milk sugar lactose to lactic acid. The lactic acid causes the milk to sour... In the manufacture of butter, the souring of cream by lactic acid is important for the separation of butterfat in the churning process. Some of the lactic acid bacteria also ferment citrate; among the products of this fermentation is acetoin. This compound is spontaneously oxidized to diacetyl, which gives butter its characteristic flavor and aroma."

Perhaps there is a correlation between this process of souring milk and the command not to seethe a kid in its mother's milk (Ex.23:19;34:26;De.14:21). Perhaps this seething process resulted in fermented milk which would then cause the Passover to be corrupted or leavened.

On page 354, Vol.6 of the same reference we read, "In making fresh, unripened cheese, such as cottage cheese, the curd need only be well drained, pressed or molded into shape, and then seasoned. Most cheese, however, is ripened, or cured. This means that the cheese undergoes a process of fermentation , after which it is stored in cellars, caves, or special rooms where the temperature and humidity can be controlled."

Vinegar is also the result of fermentation. Webster's New World Dictionary gives the following definition: "a sour liquid made by fermenting cider, wine, etc. and used as a condiment and preservative." Vinegar can be found in almost all salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, mayonaisse, pickles, relish, etc.

Ridding our homes of these products and refusing to eat them during the Feast of Unleavened is not an undue hardship. Let us truly partake of the unleavened food of sincerity and truth .

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