How to Keep Passover in Your Home Dina Lima & Gianna Lima | Passover 2020 Introduction Passover is the oldest of Biblical festivals. It is a special time to recount and celebrate the deliverance of the Children of Israel from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. The purpose of the celebration is to retell the story of God’s faithfulness and redemption, and pass it on from one generation to the next. God established several Feasts, appointed times, to meet with His people throughout the year. These celebrations are not just Jewish festivals. All believers who call on the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, can celebrate these feasts. “And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ That you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.”—Exodus 12:24-28 All the Biblical Feasts serve as pictorial reminders of God’s covenants and promises with His people. They are moments to draw near to God out of love, not out of legalistic obligation; a time to reorient ourselves with God. By celebrating these feasts, all believers in Jesus, the Messiah, have a unique opportunity to reconnect with the Jewish roots of our faith, encounter God through Hebraic lenses, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. Definitions Passover: commemorates the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery and the exodus from Egypt Mo-‘ed: “appointed time,” refers to the Jewish festivals God established in the Old Testament Moadim: “appointed times,” plural form for “mo-‘ed” Seder: “order,” refers to the order of the Passover celebration 1 Haggadah: “telling,” a guide of the order and prayers for the Passover Seder Matzah: unleavened bread Matzah tosh: the matzah cover, which has three layers for the matzah Biblical Background Passover is an eternal Mo-‘ed. In the Bible, we find the concept of appointed times, which are special dates God scheduled to meet with His people. Exodus 12:14 (TLV) This day is to be a memorial for you. You are to keep it as a feast to Adonai. Throughout your generations you are to keep it as an eternal ordinance. Leviticus 23:4–5 (TLV) These are the appointed feasts [moadim] of Adonai, holy convocations which you are to proclaim in their appointed season [mo-‘ed]. During the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Adonai’s Passover. Jesus, The Passover Lamb Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples and will one day celebrate it with us, the Church, all those who believe in him. Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He chose to give his life so that through his death the entire world may live. Matthew 26:26-29 (TLV) Now while they were eating, Yeshua took matzah [bread]; and after He offered the bracha [blessing], He broke and gave to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And He took a cup; and after giving thanks, He gave to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the removal of sins. But I say to you, I will never drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Luke 22:14-16 (TLV) When the hour came, Yeshua reclined at table, and the emissaries with Him. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will never eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God…” 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (TLV) And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in memory of Me.” In the same way, He also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of Me.” Biblical Elements Over the centuries, the traditional celebration of Passover has developed to include other elements. According to Exodus 12:8, the three essential elements to commemorate Passover are: 2 Matzah (unleavened bread) Bitter herbs (horseradish) Lamb shank bone (NOTE: Ashkenazi Jews do not eat lamb at Passover because the animal cannot be sacrificed at the Temple, Deut. 16:6. The bone is used for the center plate which reminds of the lack of the sacrifice.) Keeping Passover in 4 Easy Steps Step 1: Gather the Passover Seder Elements Step 2: Prepare a Special Meal Step 3: Set the Seder Table Step 4: Do The Seder Step 1: Gather the Passover Seder Elements You’ll need the following elements, some per person (see the Resources page for links on where to buy). All the elements below have special meaning. The Haggadah elaborates on their symbolism. Haggadah booklet/handout – per person Set of Candlesticks 2 Candles (white) Box of Matzah Matzah Tosh/Bag or napkin(s) – NOTE: must have 2 dividers as you’ll insert 3 matzah in between; see examples in the next page. During the Seder, the leader will break the middle matzah in half; one half will be wrapped in a napkin and hidden for the children to find; the other half is placed back in the middle. Believers in Jesus see the 3 matzah as a picture of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The middle matzah represents Yeshua who was afflicted, bruised and buried, like the matzah, without leaven (sin). Juice Goblet – per person Grape Juice or wine – per person Seder Plate or any plate Lamb Shank Bone Maror - horseradish – per person Charoset – per person – apples, nuts, honey, cinnamon; NOTE: you can leave out in consideration of guests with nut allergies) Parsley and Lettuce/Celery – per person Beytzah – roasted egg (hard boiled, brown) – per person Bowl of Salt Water – per person A special meal/dinner An afikoman bag – A Passover favorite for children includes finding the afikoman, where a large piece of a matzah is hidden during the Seder. The tradition is for children to search for the afikoman and whoever finds it receives some kind of reward. Here’s an inspired idea for a home-made afikomen bag: https://bit.ly/2WaKvdq 3 Center Plate with Passover Seder Elements Lamb shank bone, Maror (horseradish), Beytzah (roasted egg), Lettuce/Celery, Charoset, Parsley, Bowl of salt water Matzah Tosh – Unleavened Bread Bag Bowl with Saltwater 4 Step 2: Prepare a Special Meal Passover is a dinner, a special time to remember and celebrate God’s faithfulness. See the Passover Recipes page for mouth-watering dinner ideas! What You Can Serve Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Fish (with scales) Lamb (though not a traditional Ashkenazi meal, it is a traditional Sephardic tradition) Most foods What You Must Serve Matzah Bitter herbs (horseradish) Grape juice or wine What Not to Serve No yeast (found in regular bread) No pork No shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters, scallops, or octopus Step 3: Set the Seder Table For each guest, add the Passover elements as shown in the image below: 5 Step 4: Do The Seder NOTE: Keep the food warm (the Haggadah portion will take approx. 40 min.) 1. Begin the Seder following the Haggadah reading – each person should have their own Haggadah booklet/handout a. Select a Leader o The Leader leads the seder and reads the Leader portions b. Select 4 readers o Each reader will read different portions o The booklet will indicate “All” for sections where all guests read together 2. Pray the 9 Blessings of Passover (found at the end of this handout) over you and your family and during all or any day during this season 3. Enjoy dinner 6 Resources Videos Keeping Passover in Your Home | Gateway Jewish Ministry https://bit.ly/3arplvN - 8 video series under 10 min. each Passover Seder Demonstration | Jewish Voice Ministries https://www.jewishvoice.org/watch - 28 min. Haggadah Booklets/Handouts Jewish Voice Ministries International | booklet, $10.00 https://shop.jewishvoice.org/messianic-passover-haggadah Curt Landy Ministries | booklet $5.00 https://bit.ly/2WZzega ChristianBook.com | booklet, $3.99 The Messianic Passover Haggadah by Barry Rubin, Steffi Rubin https://bit.ly/3cSLXXG StreamingtheNegev.com | free version, 7 pages https://bit.ly/2IH6tgf MessianicCovenant.com | free version, 12 pages https://bit.ly/2Q8RKig Curt Landry Ministries | free version, 33 pages https://bit.ly/3dEKGUD Hebrew4Christians.com | free version, 59 pages, excellent for in-depth study https://bit.ly/2wVgwLH Passover Seder Elements You can find the following items at Amazon.com Passover Seder Plate (optional; a dinner plate is just as good) Search for “passover seder plate” | https://amzn.to/3cQL7uJ Passover Paper Plates (optional; regular dinner plates are perfectly fine) Search for “passover paper plates” | https://amzn.to/3cYuRrE Matzah Tosh (Matzah Cover) Search for “square passover matzah cover” | https://amzn.to/38MsLra Elijah’s Cup (optional; a nicer goblet would work just fine) Search for “Elijah’s cup” | https://amzn.to/2TMjLy5 7 Passover Recipes MarthaStewart.com | Matzo Ball Soup for Passover https://www.marthastewart.com/334889/matzo-ball-soup Moroccan Chicken with Apricots – finger-licking! http://rivkafriedman.net/blog/moroccan-chicken-with-apricots AllRecipes.com | Passover Recipes https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/194/holidays-and-events/passover Find fantastic inspirational ideas including:Juicy Roasted Chicken Crustless Spinach Quiche Quinoa Tabbouleh Pan-Fried Asparagus Roast Chicken with Rosemary Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Carrots in Dill Butter Wine-Braised Beef Brisket Asparagus with Tomatoes Herby Roasted Potato Wedges MyJewishLearning.com | Passover Recipes https://bit.ly/3cViEUs MyJewishLearning.com | VIDEO: How to Make Coconut Macaroons for Passover https://bit.ly/39MS8KN Chabad.org | 4 Simple Charoset Recipes https://bit.ly/2TMFYfw MyRecipes.com | How to roast an egg for Passover Seder https://bit.ly/39YGjBi 8 The 9 Blessings of Passover By Curt Landry Ministries | https://bit.ly/2X3rHxd 1.