23 PASSOVER SEDER PART 1

EXODUS 13:1-16

Ron Meyers

13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.” 3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. 11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors, 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. 14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

The Bible consistently emphasizes the need to teach the next generations the ways of the Lord. In the Scripture you read above we notice how Moses addressed this issue as Israel was leaving Egypt. God cares about us in our generation and He also cares about the coming generations. So care is taken by the wise leader Moses to perpetuate the remembrance of the great event of the Passover. In this lesson I you will read my slightly adapted manuscript of a Seder (order) prepared by a Messianic Jewess to teach children in the home each year on Passover. This is the way some contemporary Jewish people obey the instructions of Moses about celebrating the Passover annually. This is the Seder we use in our family as we celebrate the Passover. I want to teach our children and grandchildren about this good Hebrew custom.

PASSOVER SEDER The woman of the house says the traditional a blessing as she lights the candles: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us in Y’shua, the Messiah, the light of the world.

Leader: How fitting that it is the mother in the home who brings light to our Passover celebration. For it was through the woman that the One who is light came into the World. (Blessed are You, Oh Lord our God, King of the universe - Baruch atah Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam)

Reader 1: Messiah Y’shua said of Himself “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Leader: Together, let us a say the Messianic blessing which centers our thoughts on Y’shua. “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us in Y’shua the Messiah, the light of the world.

Kaddesh - The Cup of Sanctification The first cup is filled and raised.

Leader: The Cup of Sanctification or Kaddesh is the first of four cups we will drink tonight. Kaddesh literally means sanctification or imparting holiness. It reminds us that we are set apart for special service to God. As this sedar begins, let us remember that as believers in the Messiah we are set apart from what is of the world, for we belong to Y’shua. As we celebrate Pesach let us reflect on the spotless Lamb of God who calls us to be holy as He is holy.

All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Leader: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has preserved us in life, established us and enabled us to reach this season.

All: You have provided us O Lord with seasons for rejoicing, such as this season of Passover, a time to remember the Exodus from Egypt and the redemption of our ancestors out of slavery. You have chosen us and sanctified us and given us an even greater redemption by delivering us from the slavery of sin through the Lamb of God, our Messiah. Blessed are you, O Lord, who sanctifies Israel and the festival seasons.

Everyone drinks the first cup.

Leader: On our sedar plate, we have six items which help to tell the Passover story. Each of these elements will add to our understanding of how God redeemed our people from Egypt, setting us free to serve Him.

Karpas Greens

Leader: The karpas, or greens, remind us of the hyssop that was used to apply the blood of the Passover lambs to the homes of our ancestors in Egypt, sparing the lives of their firstborn sons. Green is also the color of life, the color of growing things. And these greens represent the life of our people in the land of Egypt.

The salt water represents the many tears shed by our ancestors when they were slaves in the land of Egypt. As we dip the sprig of the karpas into the salt water, we remember that a life without redemption is one that is filled with tears and sorrow.

All: Let us be grateful that we are redeemed by Y’shua and that while tears will surely come in this life, we have a promise of an eternity free of tears and sorrow.

Participants recite the blessing, dip the karpas into salt water and eat it.

Leader: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

Yachatz Breaking of the middle Matzah

Leader: This three-part pouch, the matzah tash, is also called a “unity.” Each compartment of this unity contains a board of matzah. Some rabbis teach that this three-in-one unity represents the Patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Other speculate that it represents the unity of worship in ancient Israel, the Priest, the Levites and the Congregation. Still others see it as a unity of crowns—the crown of learning, the crown of the priesthood and the crown of kingship.

All: For believers in Y’shua, this unity speaks of the mystery of the tri-unity of God in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One yet three. Three yet One.

Leader: We break the middle matzah in two (breaks it in two) and return half to the matzah tash. The middle matzah that is removed is given a new name—the afikoma. It is wrapped in linen and hidden for a time. Later in the ceremony, the children will search for it, and the one who finds it will receive a reward. It will need to be found for its special use.

The leader then instructs the children to close their eyes and hides the afikoman for later in the ceremony.

Leader: (Lifting the remaining matzah on the plate.) This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Then we were slaves, now we are freed. Yet many of our Jewish people live in lands where persecution is all too common. Others fear for their safety. Still others are in need of basic necessities. Our God is a God of compassion and mercy and will meet all our needs in Y’shua.

All: Let all who are hungry freely celebrate the Passover.

Leader: And for those who do not have assurance that their sins are forgiven, it is our prayer that they come to know the freedom, peace and eternal life possible through Y’shua our Redeemer and truly be filled forever.

The leader sets down the matzah and fills the second cup.

Ma Nishtanah The Four Questions.

Traditionally, the youngest child in the family asks the four questions of the head of the house. However, if desired more than one child can be chosen to share the honor.

Child: Why is this night different from all other nights?

On all other nights we eat bread or matzah. Why on this night do we eat only matzah?

On all other nights we eat all sorts of vegetable. Why on this night do we eat bitter herbs?

On all other nights we do not dip our food items even once. Why on this night do we dip them twice—karpas into salt water and maror into charoet?

On all other nights we either sit or recline at the dinning table. Why on this night do we only recline?

Leader: According to the Talmud, a collection of Jewish civil and religious laws including commentaries, when we stand before the judgment seat of God He will have four questions for us: Were we honest in business? Did we make time to study His words of instruction? Did we build up and encourage family life? Have we hoped for our salvation?

May we come confidently to His throne knowing that we can answer that not only have each of us hoped in salvation but have that salvation in Y’shua who is the Blessed Hope, the Truth, the Living Word and the center of our family life.

Leader: As the story of the Exodus is now told, the children’s questions will be answered.

Maggid Telling the Exodus Story

Reader 1: We were slaves under Pharaoh in Egypt and God set us free with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. If the Lord our God had not delivered us from Egypt, we and our children, and our children’s children, might still be slaves in Egypt to this very day. However, tonight we recount how our God rescued us.

Reader 2: Scripture records that in Canaan where Jacob and his family lived there was a great famine, so the sons of Jacob traveled to Egypt to purchase food. Joseph, the favored son of Jacob who had been hated by his brothers years earlier and sold into slavery, was not abandoned by God. He not only forgave his brothers for their treachery, but because of the favor and influence he had with Egypt’s Pharaoh, his whole family was welcomed to live in the land of Egypt and was provided for during the time of famine.

Reader 1: And so our ancestors settled in Goshen and they watched their children grow tall and strong and their numbers increase. Life was pleasant and secure for many years. But a time came when a Pharaoh rose up who did not know Joseph, and he grew concerned that there were now more Hebrews than Egyptians living in the Land. Fearing our strength, he turned against us and made us his slaves.

Reader 2: He put taskmasters over our people, forcing us to build his storage cities. Despite the hard work and exhaustion, our people still grew in number. This enraged Pharaoh even more. So he gave orders that every Jewish baby boy was to be drowned in the Nile River and this way eventually the entire nation would die!

Reader 1: Our people cried out to the Lord in their distress and He heard our cry. God looked on our pain, heard our groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob. God looked on His people and had great compassion. He raised up Moses, from the tribe of Levi, to lead us out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Deliverance was close at hand.

Reader 2: God appeared to His servant Moses in the midst of a burning bush in Midian. And He told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to set our people free. Fearful though he was, Moses obeyed. But Pharaoh thought he was more powerful than the One who sent Moses, so he said “no”--not once, but ten times! Pharaoh’s “no’s” were met by ten plagues on the land of Egypt. Each one was worse than the one before it.

Reader 1: Though protected from the first nine plagues, the Israelites needed God’s special provision to be spared from the tenth plague, the slaying of the firstborn sons! God told Moses to have each Israelite household sacrifice a perfect lamb—a lamb without spot or blemish—a year old lamb from among the males. The bones of this lamb were not to be broken. And God commanded the people: “Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover” (Exodus 12:11)

Reader 2: With hyssop, the blood of this sacrificial lamb was to be placed on the doorposts of the house where it was eaten. And God said: “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.” (Exodus 12:12)

The firstborn sons living in the homes that were covered with the blood of the lamb were spared, for God passed over those who were obedient to His word. This is where we get the name of the holiday. Pesach or Passover.

Kos Makkot The Cup of Plagues

All lift the second cup

Leader: In Jewish tradition, a full cup is a symbol of complete joy. We do not rejoice that our enemies had to suffer plagues and die in order for us to be set free, so we make the cup less than full by removing a drop of wine from our cups, one for each of the ten plagues, as we recite them in both Hebrew and English. Dam – Blood, Tz’farde’ah – Frogs, Kinim – Lice, Arov – Wild beasts, Dever – Disease, Sh’chin – Boils, Barad – Hail, Arbeh – Locusts, Choshech – Darkness, Makat b’chorot – Slaying of the Firstborn

Leader: The Lord has been generous to overflowing in all He has done for us. Any of His many saving acts would be enough for us to shout out our thanks and offer praise to Him.

Leader: If He had only taken us out of Egypt and not judged the Egyptian: