#apparently i use matzo as an adjective and matzah as a noun. which is just so so funny not that i do that but that i didn't even realize

[vivitalks]

what's up fellow jews, i have a question for you all here in the midnight hour of our chametz-free holiday:

reblog to get this in front of as many jews as possible <3

[the-hem]

"Three Loaves at Midnight." From Luke 11: 5-8.

Who loves ya, baby? Who is your best friend in the world who would give you three nice loaves in the middle of the night, just because you're you? Who would this friend be?

The word for friend is chaber, or haber:

חבר

The verb חבר (habar) means to join or team up. Apparently, this verb's most basic meaning is to bind, and as such it may also be used in the sense of binding someone with a spell. Our verb is used when objects are joined (Exodus 26:3), or when men join organizations or events (Genesis 14:3, Psalm 122:3). Once this verb actually denotes casting a spell (Deuteronomy 18:11). This verb yields the following derivatives:

The masculine noun חבר (heber), meaning company (Hosea 6:9), association (Proverbs 21:9), or spell (i.e. a binding; Isaiah 47:9).

The feminine noun חברה (hebra), meaning association or company (Job 34:8 only).

The adjective or masculine noun חברה (haber), meaning united (Judges 20:11), or associate (Song of Solomon 1:7, Isaiah 1:23).

The feminine noun חברת (haberet), meaning consort, i.e. wife (Malachi 2:14 only).

The similar feminine noun חברת (hoberet), literally meaning that what is joined. It occurs only in relation to the tabernacle curtains (Exodus 26:10).

The masculine noun חבר (habbar), meaning business associate (Job 41:6 only)

In the Parable below, Jesus says "suppose" you are bound to someone in one of the ways above, with the understanding such a relationship is expected rather than taken for granted:

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 

6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 

7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 

8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[a] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

What is the meaning of a friend arriving at midnight, catching his host unawares of his arrival? And what kind of situation was taking place that would make the host wander out into the night in search of three loaves of bread, a tall order?

Midnight is when what is uncertain, or hidden by God starts to become certain through Torah study. The unexpected guest is Realization or Shabbat. The fact three loaves were needed in a pinch means this Shabbat was the Passover and they were needed to complete the Seder:

"The three matzos represent the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.["Rokeach"] They also represent the three categories of Jews: Cohein, Levi, and Yisrael. [the "Arizal"]

When we are preparing for the Seder, we stack the matzos in this order: first the matzah representing Yisrael on the bottom, then Levi above it, and finally the Cohein on top. In this order, their acronym is YeiLeCh, meaning "going" or journeying. The Seder is a process, a journey towards liberation.[The "Rebbe Rayatz"]

The friend is the stranger for whom there must be a seat at the table for the Seder according to one of the most sacred and important of Jewish Laws. Freedom from death in Egypt, the life of a slave of any kind is not a fit use of a God-Given life.

The man who asked his neighbor for the loaves of bread was audacious because the custom, the law and his loyalty, in his mind, left him little choice but to return home with the loaves of bread.

Bread and saltwater are combined during the Seder to remind us slavery is work without a pay or a return on investment it is nothing but lost time. The saltwater represents the only thing one can take out of slavery which is their tears.

To find oneself with an empty pantry on the day of the Seder is a bit ridiculous, as the man next door who is observing the national holiday points out, but rather than insult the Torah himself and violate the rules of the Passover, he surrenders the bread.

The Gematria for the final verse in the parable, 13-072, יגאֶפֶסזב‎ , jagapeszeb "the wolf on the heel of civilization" explains.

We are not prepared for the Angel of Death, or for Pesach, which is freedom from him. In this parable Jesus says God will provide us with protection, laughter, and power (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) if we go looking for them, and they could indeed save us and our friends at the last minute but that is a silly and irresponsible way to approach our problems.

If we persist in doing things this way, it will leave us with nothing but unleavened bread and tears at the end, which obviously aren't enough to live on.