Thursday, April 1, 2010

It is Nîsan


ὁ μὴν οὗτος ὑμῖν ἀρχὴ μηνῶν πρῶτός ἐστιν ὑμῖν ἐν τοῖς μησὶν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ λάλησον πρὸς πᾶσαν συναγωγὴν υἱῶν Ισραηλ λέγων τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τούτου λαβέτωσαν ἕκαστος πρόβατον κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν ἕκαστος πρόβατον κατ' οἰκίαν ἐὰν δὲ ὀλιγοστοὶ ὦσιν οἱ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ὥστε μὴ ἱκανοὺς εἶναι εἰς πρόβατον συλλήμψεται μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν γείτονα τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ψυχῶν ἕκαστος τὸ ἀρκοῦν αὐτῷ συναριθμήσεται εἰς πρόβατον πρόβατον τέλειον ἄρσεν ἐνιαύσιον ἔσται ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρνῶν καὶ τῶν ἐρίφων λήμψεσθε καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν διατετηρημένον ἕως τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης τοῦ μηνὸς τούτου καὶ σφάξουσιν αὐτὸ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος συναγωγῆς υἱῶν Ισραηλ πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ λήμψονται ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος καὶ θήσουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν δύο σταθμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν φλιὰν ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ἐν οἷς ἐὰν φάγωσιν αὐτὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ φάγονται τὰ κρέα τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ ὀπτὰ πυρὶ καὶ ἄζυμα ἐπὶ πικρίδων ἔδονται οὐκ ἔδεσθε ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὠμὸν οὐδὲ ἡψημένον ἐν ὕδατι ἀλλ' ἢ ὀπτὰ πυρί κεφαλὴν σὺν τοῖς ποσὶν καὶ τοῖς ἐνδοσθίοις οὐκ ἀπολείψετε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωὶ καὶ ὀστοῦν οὐ συντρίψετε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὰ δὲ καταλειπόμενα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωὶ ἐν πυρὶ κατακαύσετε οὕτως δὲ φάγεσθε αὐτό αἱ ὀσφύες ὑμῶν περιεζωσμέναι καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ βακτηρίαι ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ὑμῶν καὶ ἔδεσθε αὐτὸ μετὰ σπουδῆς πασχα ἐστὶν κυρίῳ


ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ μηνὶ ἐν τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μηνὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἑσπερινῶν πάσχα τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μηνὸς τούτου ἑορτὴ τῶν ἀζύμων τῷ κυρίῳ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἄζυμα ἔδεσθε καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ πρώτη κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε καὶ προσάξετε ὁλοκαυτώματα τῷ κυρίῳ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας καὶ ἡ ἑβδόμη ἡμέρα κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε

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At the last hour, in the fourth watch of the night, at the beginning of Nîsan, I saw the full moon brilliantly shining traversing almost full way already across the deep night sky moving down towards the western horizon. Meanwhile at the opposite eastern horizon, the sun was gently breaking through the dawn.

In a short while that followed, just as the moon was about to completely hide its face behind the horizon, the moon beheld the magnificence of the sun rising from the opposite horizon. In a rare sight to behold, the uniquely transitioning color of the sky manifested the moment when the moon's borrowed light was overwhelmed by the sun's light. The moon's brilliance gently paled as the rays of the sun gradually intensified.