Over the Threshold (Exodus 12:29-42)

When the firstborn of Egypt were struck down, Pharaoh sends Israel out – not because he is repentant but because he can’t take any more. The Egyptians hand over tremendous wealth as well. And Israel does not wait around. The Passover includes this urgency in its annual observance, with the family members eating standing up with their shoes on and their walking sticks in their hands. Exodus calls the first night “a night of watching” or an all-night vigil (LÊL ŠĪMŪRÎM) and it was observed throughout history as a reminder of how immediate their journey had to be.