（出13）逾越节与四这个数字 Passover and the Number Four (Exodus 13)
(ChatGPT English translation from Chinese is provided later, edited by Mijiale）
Exodus 13:4: “On this day in the month of Aviv, you are leaving.”
“Leaving”:
This refers to the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago, breaking free from slavery and leaving the land they had lived in for centuries. The Egyptians had enslaved and oppressed the Israelites, forcing them into hard labor, such as making bricks without providing materials. To control their population or to prevent escape, the Egyptians even killed Israelite baby boys.
“Aviv”:
Aviv means “spring” in Hebrew. It was also used to describe the “ripening” of barley (Exodus 9:31), as barley ripens in early spring. The month of Aviv corresponds roughly to March in the Gregorian calendar. (See Aviv)
“This day”:
This refers to the 15th day of the first biblical month, Aviv, the start of the future Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was the day after the full moon night. On this day, the Egyptians, who previously refused to let the Israelites go, not only permitted their departure but also hastened it. They even gave the Israelites silver, gold, and clothing to expedite their departure. The Israelites left in such haste that they had no time to let their dough rise, resulting in unleavened bread, which is dry and brittle.
What changed that day?
What prompted the Egyptians to drive out the Israelites, whom they had enslaved for so long? It was because these slaves had been chosen by the Creator to become His people and serve Him. The Egyptians’ refusal to let them go led the Creator to send a series of plagues upon Egypt, culminating in the death of firstborns all over Egypt at midnight on the night of the 15th of Aviv. However, God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites, as they had obeyed His command to sacrifice lambs earlier that afternoon and mark their doorframes with the lambs’ blood. Although the lambs were sacrificed not too long ago before sunset, it was counted to be on the 14th, since the new biblical day (the 15th) began at nightfall, following the creation account where each day begins with evening and morning.
To ensure future generations of Israelites remember this deliverance, God commanded them to observe a series of spring festivals:
- The 14th of Aviv is Passover, marked by sacrificing the Passover lamb in the afternoon and eating it at night (at the start of the 15th) in remembrance of God’s protection during the plague of the firstborn.
- The 15th–21st of Aviv is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorating their hasty departure from Egypt with unleavened bread.
These spring festivals collectively celebrate the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery. Therefore, in Jewish tradition, these festivals have four names:
- Passover (Pesach),
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread,
- The Festival of Spring,
- The Festival of Freedom.
The Number Four in the Passover Seder
During the traditional Passover Seder, several elements also revolve around the number four:
- Four cups of wine: These commemorate the four verbs of deliverance spoken by God in Exodus 6:6–7, where He declares in the first person:
- “I will bring you out,”
- “I will rescue you,”
- “I will redeem you,”
- “I will take you.”
Unfortunately, these verbs are less distinct in some translations, such as Chinese.
- Four questions: During the Seder, the youngest child asks four questions about why this night is different:
- Why do we only eat unleavened bread?
- Why do we eat bitter herbs?
- Why do we dip the bitter herbs into different substances twice?
- Why do we recline while eating?
- Four types of children: Parents are instructed to use different methods to teach four types of children about the Exodus, as derived from the Bible:
- The wise child,
- The wicked child,
- The simple child,
- The child who does not ask.
For example, the third type of child—the simple one—might ask a straightforward question when seeing the ritual of redeeming the firstborn. The parent is instructed, according to Exodus 13:14–15, to answer like this:
“In the future, when your child asks, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’”
（出13）逾越节与四这个数字
出埃及记13:4“亚 笔 月 间 的 这 日 是 你 们 出 来 的 日 子 。”
“出来”: 是指三千多年前以色利人脱离埃及的奴役，离开了寄居了几百年的埃及地。之前，埃及人曾经迫害奴役以色列人很多年，让他们做建筑工人，让他们自己造砖头，甚至造砖头都不给他们提供原料。为了控制以色列人的人口或者为了预防他们离开，埃及人曾经杀死以色列人的男婴。
“亚笔”: aviv有春天的意思。亚笔的希伯来文曾被使用于大麦的“吐穗”（出埃及记9:31）。因为大麦吐穗是在早春季节，所以亚笔月大约对应于现在阳历的三月份。参见https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviv。
“这日”: 是圣经历的正月（亚笔月）十五，月圆之夜过后的白天，后来被称为“无酵饼节”的头一天。这日，埃及人允许以色利人离开了，以前是不放他们走的，是奴役剥削他们的劳动的，现在是赶他们走的，并且不得不倒贴他们金银衣物来赶他们走，催他们走，以致以色列人来不及准备路上吃的面包，面团来不及发酵，就烤干了带走，就成了一种又干又脆的饼，叫“无酵饼”。
这日和以往有什么不同？到底发生了什么？让埃及人把严管多年的奴隶们赶走？原来，这些奴隶们被造物主看中了，要拣选他们作自己的选民，侍奉造物主。埃及人不让以色列人离开，造物主就连连降灾，以至于在正月十五月圆夜的半夜击杀埃及全地的头生子，唯独“越过”了以色列人的房屋，因为以色列人按造物主的吩咐，预先在天黑前的下午就宰了羊羔，把房屋的门框门楣上涂了羊羔的血作了记号。宰羊羔的时间虽然是不久前天黑之前的下午，但那算是前一天的正月十四，因为圣经历是从日落开始新的一天，按照创世时有晚上有白天那样算的。
为了让后代的以色列人记念造物主的拯救，造物主叫他们每年在春天过一系列的节日，圣经历正月十四是逾越节，下午宰逾越节的羊羔，晚上吃，记念造物主击杀埃及头生子时“越过”了以色列人的房屋。“逾越”就是越过的意思。接下来正月十五到正月二十一是七天的无酵饼节，记念他们出埃及时没有时间准备发好酵的面包，吃的是又干又脆的无酵饼。
这一系列节日，都是在春天，都是纪念以色列人脱离埃及的奴役。所以犹太人认为这一系列节日有四个名称：
1逾越节，2无酵饼节，3春天的节日，4自由的节日。
在犹太传统的逾越节晚餐，还有很多其他与数字四有关的事情：
晚餐过程中有四杯葡萄酒， 记念造物主出手拯救以色列人时所说的话里的四个动词， 都是造物主以第一人称说的：1.我要带出，2.我要救， 3.我要赎， 4.我要取，在出埃及记6:6-7， 可惜在中文翻译里不太容易认出这些。
晚餐前让最小的孩子问四个问题，问今夜为何不同： 1为何只吃无酵饼，2为何吃苦菜，3为何苦菜蘸着不同东西吃两次，4为何斜倚着吃东西？
晚餐前还复习源于圣经的训诲，说父母教导孩子出埃及时，应该用不同的方法教导这四种小孩：1.聪明孩子，2.坏孩子，3.简单孩子，和4.不提问的孩子。比如说第三种孩子比较简单，看到赎头胎的仪式感到好奇，但他所问的问题还是很简单，出埃及记13:14-15就教父亲如何教导这样的简单孩子：“日 后 ， 你 的 儿 子 问 你 说 ， 这 是 什 么 意 思 ？ 你 就 说 ， 耶 和 华 用 大 能 的 手 将 我 们 从 埃 及 为 奴 之 家 领 出 来 。那 时 法 老 几 乎 不 容 我 们 去 ， 耶 和 华 就 把 埃 及 地 所 有 头 生 的 ， 无 论 是 人 是 牲 畜 ， 都 杀 了 。 因 此 ， 我 把 一 切 头 生 的 公 牲 畜 献 给 耶 和 华 为 祭 ， 但 将 头 生 的 儿 子 都 赎 出 来 。”