The first time I saw Moses he was headed to his sister’s home.  It was after he had given instructions of what the people should do for the tenth plague.  This plague would come to be known as the Passover.

Moses was clearly a strong man.  You could see it in him.  He was somewhere in his eighties in age.  He walked past me with his brother Aaron, and I could at least put a face to the name I had heard for so long.

Hebrew Instructions For The Tenth Plague

The population of Israel was in Ramses at this time.  The greatest building projects were being done here and we were allowed our own infrastructure.  This included keeping animals.

If I had to guess based on the size of our communities, it had to be somewhere near two million Hebrews.  I do not believe those in the future realized how many of us there were. Due to the size of our community we were required to sustain ourselves. In essence, we had to do the work for the Egyptians and feed ourselves as well. 

God told Moses what to require of the people that each family group sacrifice a lamb or a goat. The blood which would flow for what God asked would be shocking.  It would appear like a river from the sacrifices that were made.

The blood of the animal was to be placed on three sides of the door frames, its posts and upper beam.  Then the animal would be roasted and eaten that night by the family with unleavened bread.

The community was in a buzz.  Everyone was busy securing their lamb or goat.  Smaller families were partnering with other small families to shelter together under one roof for that night.

I made my way to Nun’s home to see if I could be of any help.  He had already secured a lamb for the family, but it was a little larger than needed.  He invited the family Jared was staying with to come into their home.

Israel Prepares For Passover And Death

At Nun’s home I found the sheep tied up outside the door.  Nun was inside talking to his wife so I waited not wanting to intrude.  Sitting at the bench near the door the sheep looked at me.  It became a staring contest.

The lamb would win as Jared walked up.
“What are you doing Clay?” He asked.
“Feeling lost not knowing what to do.” I replied.
“Let’s go gather some herbs.  Joshua said there were still some in the camp garden.  We will add them to the water to drink tonight.” Jared grabbed my arm pulling me up.

We strolled down the alley single file until we came to a courtyard.  At its center was a meager garden for the homes in this portion of the Hebrew ghetto.  We began to gather herbs which would make the water bitter but had a cleansing effect.

“You seem a bit detached.” Jared was probing me.
“Yeah well, I am still trying to make sense of all this as Death is coming.” I replied.
“You actually saw him once before?  Face to face?” he asked.
“Yes.  I will never forget that night.” This event often haunted my dreams.

“You will be with us.  It will be okay.” Jared reassured me.
“Yeah, I know.  I was just thinking maybe I shouldn’t be there.” Part of my thoughts began to come out.
“Why not?  Are you crazy?” He had a worried look on his face.
“What if I just let Death take me and end this insanity?  It’s the only way I know for sure I can escape this.” I just let it all out.

“Shem would be disappointed.” Jared was blunt.  “You keep going until what is revealed to you is revealed.”
“I’m tired.  I am really tired.” I shot back.
“Yeah me too.  So get up and keep moving until you know what you are supposed to do.  Until then quit making life worse on yourself than it already is.” Jared was a bit upset with me.

I certainly had not been myself in quite some time.  The recent previous years had done more to me than I know.  I knew something was broken.

After gathering the herbs, we walked back to Nun’s house.  He was gone and so was the lamb.  Joshua was there with his mother.  He was excited but I could see the nervousness in his eyes.

“Clay, why are you never afraid?” Joshua asked.

I handed his mother the herbs and she made a comment to Joshua to let me be.  I mentioned it was alright.  We went inside and began to prepare the room to hold everyone.  It would be crowded but comfortable enough.

A low sitting table was at the center of the room.  It was maybe a foot high off the floor.  Each person would sit on a mat.  If one wished to recline the wall would be a few feet behind you.

Candles were prepared, plenty of water was drawn, and each task we were asked to do finally completed.  Joshua was outside relaxing, or at least trying to.  I went outside and sat beside him. At least now I could answer his question.

“Actually, I am afraid.  In truth I am terrified.”
“You don’t look like it.” Joshua replied.
“Getting older makes it easier to hide some things.” I pointed out.

Daylight Fades On Passover

Nun finally returned to paint the blood from the lamb on the doorposts.  The lamb was cooking and soon would be ready.  Nathan was with the family he lived with but came by to see us.

After checking to ensure everything was set he wished us well.  There was a tension in the air among everyone.  People passing by did so at a hurried pace.  An energy of urgency was placed into every action.

As night began to close in, Jared, Joshua, and myself helped a few nearby elderly into their homes.  We ensured their food was set, water, candles, and repeated the process we had done earlier.  There were a few that struggled to get preparations made.

Through this the community came together, no one would be left without nor alone.  Some wished to go through the night more intimately with only close family.  Others preferred to be with friends as well.

Returning home we found Nun had thankfully made it back with the lamb prepared and the bread.  He apparently faced some long lines in utilizing the cooking stations in the camp.

As I entered the house I glanced back at the sky.  The last light that could be seen began to take us into twilight.  Walking in, the door was sealed shut as was the single window.  Candles were lit and Nun would begin prayer.

The Angel Of Death Comes

One of the candles we had in the home was for telling time.  I nicknamed it the candle clock.  This method was a common ancient tool used for measuring time.

Markings would be made at increments down the length of the candle.  Since candles burn at a fairly consistent rate, it was the most reliable time piece one could have.  Once night fell the candle was lit and we began waiting for dawn.

The room was fairly quiet with some light conversation.  Nun tried to use some humor to ease the tension after the meal was finished.  Jared and I stayed silent for the most part.  It was always difficult for us to talk openly around people who did not know where we came from.  I was not very engaging these days anyway.

We were all resting with our backs against the wall.  The ones with a spouse would lean on their partner.  Joshua had tried to sleep but couldn’t.  The youthful energy made him want to stand for a while and try to peak out the crack of the window.  Ultimately his mother would tell him to sit.

I kept my eyes on the candle as time passed.  It was impossible for anyone to sleep.  Slowly the time came that the tenth plague would arrive.  It would be at midnight that the Angel of Death would arrive.

The air grew cool.  The crack at the bottom of the door and around the windows let us feel the cold draft coming in.  In that moment everyone went silent.  For those who have experienced this, you would know it as a silence which is so silent you can hear it.

I felt my body grow cold.  My mind began to get fuzzy.  My vision began to slightly blur.  The candlelight simply did not look right.  I was lightheaded.  Then I heard it.  It was a whisper.

“Clay….” I knew that voice.  I remember it so viscerally that I felt as though I couldn’t breathe.  I looked over at Jared.  He whispered at me to hold on and that it would pass.  For the first time in a very long time, I saw fear in his eyes.

At this moment, I was regretting the idea I had earlier of going out to meet Death.  There is no way to describe the feeling deep within me.  In my mind I remembered the clutch it held on the body and soul as i stared into its face.  The coldness, it penetrates you down to the very fiber of mind and emotions.

It took some moments.  How long I am not certain.  Nevertheless, Death passed us.  I was frozen.  The room slowly began to move once again.  The look in everyone’s eyes began to relax.  I do not believe they experienced this the same as I did.

The First Born Of Every Egyptian Dies In The Night

It was after this that I saw everyone begin to sleep.  Jared looked over at me and gave me our old hand signal asking if I was alright.  I signaled back that I was okay.  He nodded at me and then closed his eyes.

I tried to sleep.  The best I could do was relax with my eyes closed.  I couldn’t keep them shut for too long.  The feeling of that cold would come back.  The sound of that voice would enter my mind.  The fact Death called my name as he passed by shook me to my core.  I would open my eyes to see the candle burning.

Somewhere in all of this I managed to doze off briefly.  We woke to shouting in the distance.  We could also hear wailing.  It is the kind of crying that is one of extreme pain.

Nun opened the door as we all remained inside.  Once the door was open, we could hear the entire city mourning.  The cries were so loud we could hear the city at a distance.  Looking at the candle clock it was early in the morning, near three am.

All we could do was sit where we were and listen to the voices of mothers and fathers crying.  This sound would soon be broken.  It was faint but there was a man shouting for Moses.  Later I would discover that voice was Pharaoh himself.

In the early morning Pharaoh demanded to see Moses and Aaron.  He told Moses to gather the Hebrews and to leave.  In the night this Pharaoh had also lost his son.  He was angry, and broken by mourning at the same time.  The numbers of the dead we would never know.

First Light The Morning After Passover

We would not move from our homes until the first hint of light could be seen on the horizon.  Once morning twilight broke everyone rushed out of the house.  Well, everyone except me.

I knew what had taken place and had no curiosity to see.  I had myself been in the clutches of Death and knew that coldness.  I waited in the house almost afraid to walk out of the door until full daylight.

As they were leaving Joshua’s mother told him to stay in the room.  He was clearly in disagreement, but he obeyed.  Moving, he sat across from me.

“Clay, what happened?” He asked.
“God did exactly what He said He would do.” I replied coldly.
“All the first born are dead then.” He had a sad look in his face.
“Yeah, they are.” I said grimly.

“Clay?” Joshua asked like kids can do.
“Yeah?” I asked back.
“Who are you really?  I heard the Angel of Death whisper your name.”

I do not know how.  I do not know why, yet Joshua heard Death whisper my name.