Understanding Pecach and Matstsah: The Appointed Times of Redemption

Pecach (commonly known as Passover) and Matstsah (Unleavened Bread) are among the most significant appointed times in the Scriptures. Pecach is to be observed on the evening of the 14th day of the first month and the Feast of Matstsah starts the following day, the 15th, at sunrise. Pecach marks Yahuah’s mighty deliverance of Yashar’el from bondage in Mitsrayim (Egypt) and prophetically foreshadows the redemptive work of Yahusha Ha’Mashiach on the cross. Matstsah, which follows immediately after Pecach, emphasizes the call to remove sin (leaven) and walk in purity before Yahuah. In this blog we will explore the origins, commandments, prophetic meanings, and continued relevance of these appointed times.

The Origins of Pecach and Matstsah

The institution of Pecach and Matstsah is recorded in Shemoth (Exodus) 12, where Yahuah commands the children of Yashar’el to take an unblemished lamb on the tenth day of the first month and to keep it until the fourteenth day, at which time it was to be slain and its blood placed upon the doorposts and lintel. This act of obedience ensured that the judgment of Yahuah would pass over their households.

Shemoth 12:13 – “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Mitsrayim.”

The next day, Yahuah led Yashar’el out of Mitsrayim in haste, and they were commanded to eat only matstsah (unleavened bread) for seven days as a sign of their deliverance and separation from the corruption of Mitsrayim.

Shemoth 12:15 – “Seven days shall ye eat matstsah; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Yashar’el.”

This appointed time was not only a commemoration of deliverance but also a prophetic shadow of Yahusha Ha’Mashiach, the Lamb of Elohiym, who takes away the sin of the world (Yochanan 1:29).

The Connection Between Pecach, Matstsah, and Yahusha Ha’Mashiach

Pecach finds its ultimate fulfillment in Yahusha Ha’Mashiach, who was without blemish, examined before His sacrifice, and slain at the appointed time. His blood, like that of the Pecach lamb, brings deliverance to all who believe in Him.

Ivriym (Hebrews) 9:22 – “And almost all things are by the Torah purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Yahusha, being our Pecach Lamb, was offered as the ultimate atonement. His sacrifice once and for all fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Torah and opened the way for eternal redemption.

1 Qorintiym (1 Corinthians) 5:7 – “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are matstsah. For even Ha’Mashiach our Pecach is sacrificed for us.”

Matstsah represents our walk in purity after redemption. Just as Yashar’el was to remove leaven from their homes, believers in Yahusha are called to remove sin from their lives and live in sincerity and truth.

1 Qorintiym (1 Corinthians) 5:8 – “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the matstsah of sincerity and truth.”

Guarding Pecach and Matstsah in the Brit Ha’dasha

1. Yahusha’s Observance of Pecach and Matstsah

Yahusha Ha’Mashiach Himself guarded Pecach, setting an example for His followers.

• Luqas (Luke) 22:7-8 – “Then came the day of matstsah, when the Pecach must be killed. And He sent Kepha and Yochanan, saying, Go and prepare us the Pecach, that we may eat.”
  • Yahusha ensured Pecach was prepared according to the commandments in Torah.
• Mattithyahu (Matthew) 26:18-19 – “And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Pecach at thy house with My disciples. And the disciples did as Yahusha had appointed them; and they made ready the Pecach.”
  • Yahusha confirms He will keep Pecach, reinforcing its observance.

2. The Apostles Guarding Pecach and Matstsah

Even after Yahusha’s resurrection, the early assembly continued to guard Pecach and Matstsah, demonstrating their ongoing significance.

• Ma’asiym (Acts) 12:3-4 – “And because he saw it pleased the Yahudiym, he proceeded further to take Kepha also. (Then were the days of matstsah.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Pecach to bring him forth to the people.”
  • The appointed time of Pecach and Matstsah was still recognized among believers in the Brit Ha’dasha.
• Ma’asiym (Acts) 20:6 – “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of matstsah, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.”
  • Sha’ul (Paul) and his companions acknowledged and guarded the appointed time.

3. Yahusha’s Future Observance of Pecach in the Kingdom

Yahusha declared that He would keep Pecach again in the Kingdom, indicating its lasting significance.

• Luqas (Luke) 22:15-16 – “And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Pecach with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of Elohiym.”
  • Pecach and Matstsah are prophetic and will be fulfilled in the coming Kingdom.

Conclusion

Pecach and Matstsah are times of deliverance, purification, and covenant renewal. They point both backward to Yahuah’s faithfulness in redeeming Yashar’el and forward to the complete restoration of His Kingdom through Yahusha Ha’Mashiach. As believers, we observe these appointed times not just as a memorial but as a declaration of our trust in Yahuah’s salvation and our anticipation of the fulfillment of all His promises.

May we continually walk in the truth of Pecach and Matstsah, keeping our hearts free from the leaven of sin, and rejoicing in the redemption provided through Yahusha Ha’Mashiach, our Pecach Lamb.