8006. All the assemblage of Israel shall perform it. That this signifies that this law of order is for all who are in the good of truth and in the truth of good, is evident from the signification of “the assemblage of Israel,” as being all truths and goods in one complex (see n. 7830); thus those who are in the truth through which is good, and those who are in the good through which is truth (n. 7957), consequently those who are of the spiritual church. That all these were to perform the passover, was to represent the liberation of those of the spiritual church who had been detained in the lower earth until the Lord’s coming (n. 6854, 6914, 7091, 7849, 7932); their eating together in one house was to represent the angelic consociations in heaven (n. 7836, 7996, 7997); thus by the whole assemblage of Israel performing it was represented the whole heaven. At that time there was nowhere a church, but only the representative of a church, for which were taken the descendants of Abraham from Jacob. Communication with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord, was given by means of the representatives of the church. For this reason it was enjoined upon that nation to strictly observe all the statutes and all the laws, especially the statutes concerning the passover, insomuch that he who was clean and did not perform the passover was to be cut off (Numbers 9:13).

7996. No son of an alien shall eat of it. That this signifies that those who are not in truth and good are to be separated from them, is evident from the signification of “an alien,” as being those out of the church who do not acknowledge anything of the truth and good of faith, as was the case with the nations in the land of Canaan (see n. 2049, 2115), thus who are not in truth and good; and from the signification of “not eating of it,” as being to communicate and be conjoined with them, thus to be separated from them. In what now follows those are treated of who should eat the passover together, and those who should not. The supper of the passover represented the consociations of the good in heaven; and in the statutes which follow, it is declared who could be consociated and who could not. In general, feasts, both dinners and suppers, in ancient times were made within the church in order that they might be consociated and conjoined as to love, and that they might instruct one another in those things which are of love and faith, thus in the things of heaven (see n. 3596, 3832, 5161). Such at that time were the delights attending their banquets, and such was the end for the sake of which were their dinners and suppers. Thus the mind and the body also were nourished unanimously and correspondently; and from this they had health and long life, and from it they had intelligence and wisdom; and also from this they had communication with heaven, and some had open communication with angels. But as in course of time all internal things vanish away and pass into external ones, so also did the purposes of the feasts and banquets, which at this day are not for the sake of any spiritual conjunction, but for the sake of worldly conjunctions, namely, for the sake of gain, for the sake of the pursuit of honors, and for the sake of pleasures, from which there is nourishment of the body, but none of the mind.