Exodus, exodus from Egypt - an image for liberation. End slavery, leave for the promised land - return to paradise? A people of millions is rolling through the desert of Sinai, 603 men fit for war (Numbers 550:4). The liberation by ten catastrophes was dramatic, the last escape through the Red Sea was gigantic.

The Passover

As a reminder of the last night before liberation, the people of Israel should celebrate the Passover festival every year. On Passover night, an unblemished yearling male lamb is eaten, roasted over the fire with unleavened bread (matzo) and bitter herbs (Exodus 2:12,5-10), and then for seven days as bread only matzo (12,15:13,5). The fact that the lamb is flawless and one year old guarantees the highest quality of meat! This is the beginning of a journey into the land flowing with milk and honey (XNUMX:XNUMX).

food supply in the desert

After two and a half months the Israelites in the desert of Sin lamented: "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, sitting by the flesh pots of Egypt and eating bread in abundance!" (16,3:40). That same evening quails cover the camp, and each morning of their journey the grain of heaven manna lies everywhere on the ground - for 16,31 years. Exception: every Sabbath morning. "But it was like coriander seed, white, and tasted like honey cake." (16,23:16,21) Like other grains, it could be baked and boiled (4:11), but had to be gathered before sunrise or it would melt (XNUMX, XNUMX). But the quail came only once, two years later, in the desert of Paran, when the Israelites longed for fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic and could no longer see manna (Numbers XNUMX). They demanded of Moses: »Give us meat!« The offer was rich. But many died from it.

basic food and supplementary food

The trend is becoming clear: the staple food in the desert is bread (Hebrew לחם) lechem). Meat consumption is strictly regulated in the people of Israel. It is mandatory on certain occasions, but with corresponding quality requirements. But otherwise only certain types of meat may be eaten, which also have to be slaughtered, treated and checked in a special way. A separate form of slaughter was animal sacrifice. What's it all about?

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