Non-Jews and Passover

A certain Syrian Gentile used to pretend to be a Jew and go up and partake of the Passover sacrifices in Jerusalem, boasting, "Your Torah says, 'No alien is to eat it. . . no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.' Yet I eat of the very best of the Passover lamb." Back in Babylon, Rabbi Yehudah bar Batyra asked him, "Did they let you have the fatty tail of the lamb?" "No," the Gentile replied. "Then when you next go up to Jerusalem for Passover, demand the fatty tail of the lamb from them," Rabbi Yehudah said. When the Gentile went up for the next Passover, he said to them, "Give me with the fatty tail of the lamb." The others at the Seder exclaimed, "But the fatty tail belongs to the Most High! Who told you to ask for the fatty tail?" "Rabbi Yehudah bar Batyra told me to ask for it," he answered. "What is this meaning of this?" they wondered. They investigated the man and discovered that he was Syrian and had him executed. Then they sent a message to Rabbi Yehudah bar Batyra, saying, "Peace unto you Rabbi Yehudah bar Batyra, for even though you live in Nisibis of Babylon, your net is spread in Jerusalem." (b. Pesachim 3b)

Exodus 12:43-51 offers several stipulations regarding who may eat of the Passover and who may not. Foreigners, non-Jews, and resident aliens are not allowed to eat the Passover lamb. Sometimes non-Jewish believers misunderstand these laws to indicate that they are banned from keeping a Seder.

It does appear that Exodus 12:43-51 is saying that unless a person is circumcised and has made a conversion to Judaism, he cannot celebrate Passover. But a careful reading of the text will demonstrate otherwise.

This is the ordinance of the pesach: no ben-necar is to eat of it; but every man's slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. A transient (toshav) or a hired servant shall not eat of it. But if a ger sojourns with you, and offers the pesach to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to offer it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. The same law shall apply to the native as to the ger who sojourns among you. (Exodus 12:43-49 with retranslation according to the Hebrew).

The passage above uses three different terms to describe non-Israelites.

The first word used in the passage is ben-necar, "son of a stranger." This word usually represents a complete foreigner or pagan, often an enemy of Israel.

That is why Classical Judaism understands the term to mean "an apostate." An apostate or idolater is forbidden to make a Passover unless he is a slave of an Israelite and has consented to be circumcised and take on the Abrahamic faith.

The second word used in the passage to describe a non-Israelite is a resident (toshav). The resident is paired with a hired-wage earner and it implies someone who is not Jewish but lives among Israel. Traditional Judaism refers to this type of person as a "Ben Noach," that is a righteous Gentile. In the days of the apostles, this kind of person was called a "God-fearer."

The God-fearer is contrasted with the ger, a non-Israelite who lives among the community. Traditional Judaism refers to this type of person as a full proselyte to Judaism. The Torah stipulates that if the ger wants to make a Passover, he and his household are welcome to do so as long as they consent to circumcision, that is, become Jewish.

The term translated as Passover is the pesach, a term which applies only to the Passover lamb itself, its slaughter, and consumption. The Torah prohibits an uncircumcised person, be he Jew or non-Jew, from sacrificing a Passover lamb and from eating the Passover lamb.

This means that Paul's converts were free to remain uncircumcised, but if they wanted to make a Passover sacrifice, they would have to consent to circumcision and conversion. For most of Paul's converts, this was a non-issue. They lived far from Jerusalem. Neither they nor the Jewish community around them had access to the Temple or sacrifices. Therefore they kept the Passover, the Seder and the seven days of Unleavened Bread like the rest of diaspora Judaism — without a lamb. The only thing prohibited was the actual sacrificial lamb itself.

The Talmud concurs. An uncircumcised non-Jew is allowed to keep the Seder and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Only regarding the actual lamb-sacrifice is he banned.

"He shall not eat of it," but he may eat unleavened bread and the bitter herbs. (Pesachim 96a quoting Exodus 12:45)

This means that non-Jewish believers are welcome at the Seder table. They should partake of the matzah, the bitter herbs, the four cups and the whole seven day festival with a glad heart. There is no prohibition except as regards the sacrificed lamb itself, and without a Temple, there is no sacrifice. Thus Jewish and non-Jewish, circumcised and uncircumcised believers can jointly share in and rejoice in the meal of remembrance.