The Passover is a Jewish celebration. Even though Christians don't necessarily celebrate it, and surely don't celebrate it like the Jews, there are some spiritual concepts and applications for Christians. These concepts and applications will help us to understand God. The study of the events of Passover will inform the reader about the festival. There are many ingredients to the proper Passover celebration.

God is a God of promises. He was this way thousands of years ago and He is the same today. He promised the Jews that He would "pass over" their house if they had blood on the door; and He did and their babies were saved. This same God has made promises to the world that are still kept today. Here are some: a rainbow, His faithfulness, Heaven, salvation, fruits of the spirit such as wisdom and many more awesome things.

God protects His people. The Jews trusted and obeyed Him. Consequently, they were rewarded by being able to keep their lives and ultimately leaving their persecution. God promises to protect us, too. Of course people may die because of their faith, but He protects us in two ways: 1) He won't let us be tempted more than we are able to bear and 2) our eternal soul is safe in His hands. No one can snatch it away when we are saved and Heaven-bound.

God is a merciful God. He wants to help people. When people repent and obey Him, they are always rewarded. This can be seen in many cases throughout the Bible. The story of Jonah and the Ninevites is a good one. The Ninevites were very wicked, but they repented and turned to God. It had appeared that God had planned on exercising His perfect judgment on them. However, after their repentance, He elected to use His perfect forgiveness and mercy. Although the Jews weren't wrestling with an issue of sin during the Passover, they did listen to God and turn to Him. Consequently, they were rewarded with their lives and freedom.

God will not let His people suffer forever. He loves them and watches them because He is a faithful God. He was with the Jews and He is with us, today. Theoretically, a person could suffer their whole life on earth, although this rarely occurs. Every man, woman, and child can look to the future and eternal life in Heaven. Christians will be free forever in the Kingdom of God.

The Passover celebration gives us insight into the way God used to be. There were many laws and rituals in the Jewish tradition. God wanted His people to be safe and obedient. The traditions and laws for the Passover can be compared to the Old Testament laws that were required of the Jews. Non-Christian, religious Jews still practice and obey the Old Testament laws. Understanding the process of Passover can help us understand the process of keeping God's laws in the Old Testament.

In order to understand why the Jews celebrate Passover, here is an explanation of the Biblical and historical event. The unique rituals that are performed during the Passover include the Seder and the Seder table, the questions that are asked to a young one, the special food that is eaten, such as Matzoh, and the songs that are sung, including the ones of deliverance.

About 3000 years ago the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians under the rule of Pharaoh Ramses II. According to the book of Exodus, Moses, a simple Jewish shepherd, was instructed by God to go to the pharaoh and demand the freedom of his people.

Moses' plea of "let my people" go was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send severe punishments to the people of Egypt if the Israelites were not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request for freedom. In response, God unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues on the people of Egypt.

Here is an ordered list of the plagues: 1. Blood, 2. Frogs, 3. Lice (vermin), 4. Wild beasts (flies), 5. Blight (cattle disease), 6. Boils, 7. Hail, 8. Locusts, 9. Darkness, and 10. Slaying of the first born.

The holiday's name, Pesach, meaning "passing over" or "protection" in Hebrew, is derived from the instructions given to Moses by God. In order to encourage the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, God intended to kill the first-born of both man and beast. To protect themselves, the Israelites were told to mark their dwellings with lamb's blood so that God could identify and "pass over" their homes.

However, the Pharaoh was unconvinced and refused to free the Jewish slaves until the last plague. When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom, the Israelites left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake their bread, so they packed the raw dough and took it on their journey. As they fled through the desert, they would quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today, to commemorate this event, Jews eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover.

Though the Jews were now free, their liberation was incomplete. The Pharaoh's army chased them through the desert towards the Red Sea. When the Jews reached the sea they were trapped, since the sea blocked their escape. It was then that a miracle occurred. The waves of the Red Sea parted and the Israelites were able to cross to the other side. As soon as they all reached the other side the sea closed trapping the Pharaoh's army as the waves closed upon them. As the Israelites watched the waters of the Red Sea sweep away the Pharaoh's army, they realized they were finally free.

Passover celebrates this history. The first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called Seders in which the stories and history of Passover are celebrated. Special foods, plates, and silverware are all a part of the Seder.

The Passover Seder

Taking place the first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday, the Seder is the most important event in the Passover celebration. Usually gathering the whole family and friends together, the Seder is steeped in long held traditions and customs.

Leading up to the first night of Passover, the home is cleaned and cleared of all yeast foods, called hametz. All hametz is either eaten before Passover begins or "sold" to non-Jewish neighbors and friends. The rules surrounding Passover are strict and many, with only special foods, utensils, and dishware allowed. Kitchen utensils and dishware normally used in the home are not be used during Passover. Special dishes and utensils for the Passover holiday are taken out of storage, cleaned and used.

Only foods that are "Kosher for Passover" are allowed. No leavened (containing yeast) foods or grains are eaten. In their place matzoh and foods containing matzoh are eaten. This is to commemorate the Israelites who fled quickly into the desert with no time for their breads to rise and were forced to bake the dough into hard crackers in the desert sun. All foods prohibited during Passover must be disposed of the morning of the first night of Passover.

With its Passover dishware and silverware, the Seder table is different than the regular dinner table. The centerpiece of which is the Seder plate, a special plate containing the 5 foods that remind us of the struggle of the Israelites in their quest and journey to freedom.

Three pieces of matzoh are placed in a Matzoh Cover (a cloth sleeve or envelope) and placed in the center of the Seder table. Before the meal begins the middle matzoh is removed and broken in half.

One half is returned to the Matzoh Cover, the other - the Afikomen - is hidden, to be hunted by the children at the end of the Seder meal. The child who finds the Afikomen wins a special prize. Some homes break the Afikomen in to many pieces assuring that each child present can find a piece and receive a prize.

The Seder plate contains foods that have special meaning for this holiday. They include:

1. Haroseth

2. Parsley (dipped in salt water)

3. Roasted egg

4. Shank Bone

5. Bitter herbs

Haroseth is a mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon and apples that represents the mortar the Jewish slaves used to assemble the Pharaoh's bricks. Parsley, symbolizing Springtime, is dipped in salt water to remind us of for the tears of the Jewish slaves.

Another Symbol of Spring

Shank is the symbolic of the sacrificial lamb offering, the bone can come from whatever the family is eating, such as the leg bone of a roasted turkey. Bitterness is reflected by the freshly grated horseradish. This reflects the bitter affliction of slavery.

During the Seder 4 glasses of wine are poured to represent the 4 stages of the exodus:

1. Freedom

2. Deliverance

3. Redemption

4. Release

A fifth cup of wine is poured and placed on the Seder table. This is the Cup of Elijah, an offering for the Prophet Elijah. During the Seder the door to the home is opened to invite the prophet Elijah inside.

After the meal is eaten, the children search for the Afikomen. The Seder is finished when the children have found the Afikomen and everyone has eaten a piece.

Why is this night different from all other nights?

The Four Questions

It is said that the Seder is celebrated especially for the children. It is important for Jewish children to be and feel involved in the celebration of Passover. Much of the ceremony is based on the commandment in the Bible that says, "And thou shalt tell thy son." Exodus 10:2 reads, "And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD" (KJV).

At the Seder the Haggadah, the Book of Exodus, is read and the history celebrated with its stories, songs and prayers.

Why? Why? Why? Why is this night different? Why do they eat such unusual foods as Matzoh, the unleavened bread, and Maror, the bitter herbs? Why do they dip green herbs in salt water? Why do they open doors? Why do they hide and then eat the Afikomen?

At the Seder it is the youngest child at the table that answers the 4 questions asked at Passover.

On all other nights they eat all kinds of breads and crackers. Why do they eat only matzoh on Pesach? Matzoh reminds them that when the Jews left the slavery of Egypt they had no time to bake their bread. They took the raw dough on their journey and baked it in the hot desert sun into hard crackers called matzoh.

On all other nights they eat many kinds of vegetables and herbs. Why do they eat bitter herbs, maror, at our Seder? Maror reminds them of the bitter and cruel way the Pharaoh treated the Jewish people when they were slaves in Egypt.

On all other nights they don't usually dip one food into another. At our Seder the Jews dip the parsley in salt water and the bitter herbs in Charoset. Why do they dip their foods twice tonight? The Jews dip bitter herbs into Charoset to remind them how hard the Jewish slaves worked in Egypt. The chopped apples and nuts look like the clay used to make the bricks used in building the Pharaoh's buildings.

They dip parsley into salt water. The parsley reminds them that spring is here and new life will grow. The salt water reminds them of the tears of the Jewish slaves.

On all other nights they eat sitting up straight. Why do they lean on a pillow tonight? They Jews lean on a pillow to be comfortable and to remind us that once we were slaves, but now we are free.

The Haggadah itself stresses the importance of the Seder as "a spectacle meant to excite the interest and the curiosity of the children." Everything in the Seder is meant to make the children curious and to ask questions.

Passover Recipes

Almost as important to the Jews as the exodus, they cook certain foods for the special occasion of Passover. Here is a list of some Passover food. Included are the recipes for traditional charoset, Matzoh balls (Knaidlech) and Passover bagels.

Traditional Foods

Gefilte Fish

Traditional Charoset

HOW TO MAKE TRADITIONAL CHAROSET

Makes 20 1/2-teaspoon servings

Keeps 3 days under refrigeration

Ingredients

3 ounces (75g/3/4-cup) walnuts 1/4 large cooking apple Kosher wine to moisten 2 level teaspoons cinnamon 2 level teaspoons sugar

Instructions

Mince the walnuts and the apple. (You can use the food processor for this.) Moisten with the kosher wine and flavor with cinnamon and sugar. The consistency should be that of mortar.

Matzoh Brie

Grandpa's Geshmirte Matzo

Matzoh Balls (Knaidlech)

HOW TO MAKE MATZOH BALLS (KNAIDLECH)

Ingredients

3 eggs 3 tablespoons chicken fat 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons hot water or chicken soup 3/4 cup matzoh meal

Instructions

Separate the eggs

Beat the yolks until light colored and thick.

Add the chicken fat, which should be at room temperature, and the salt and water or soup.

Beat the whites until stiff but not too dry. Fold in.

Fold in the matzo meal.

Refrigerate the batter for about I hour, or until batter is thick enough to form balls.

Drop the balls carefully into 2 quarts of boiling salted water or hot soup. Cover and cook for 25 minutes.

Add Matzoh Balls to soup.

Cook for another 15 or 20 minutes in the soup.

Chicken Soup

Turkey Stuffing

Brisket in Marinade

Non-Traditional Foods

Passover Bagels

HOW TO MAKE PASSOVER BAGELS

Ingredients

1 cup Matzo Meal 1/2 cup Passover Cake Flour 1 cup water 1/2 cup oil 1/4 cup sugar 5 eggs

Instructions

Bring oil and water to a boil and remove from burner. Add dry ingredients, and then eggs, one at a time. After you have mixed completely, bake on a greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 375. I use a large spoon to measure the bagel mixture, and then use my fingers to put a hole in the middle to make it look like a real bagel.

You can double this recipe, but a single recipe makes about 18 small bagels.

Egg Drop Soup

Cheese Balls

Chinese Pesach Stir Fry

Eggplant Parmesan

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs)

Kabsah (Lebanese hamburger)

Citrus Salmon Fillet

Fillet of Sole Florentine

"Quick" Fish

Barbecue Coat

Vegetable/Fruit Dishes

Fruit Casserole

Spinach Bake

Broccoli Kugel

Baked Stuffed Zuccini

Zuccini, Tomato, & Cheese Pie

Onion Pudding

Squash Pudding

Potato and Mushroom Croquettes

Low-Fat/Non-Fat

Salad Dressing (Fat-Free)

Broccoli Knishes

Chicken in Orange Sauce

For Kids

Passover Hot Dog Roll-ups

Passover Pizza

Desserts

Passover Granola

Passover Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

Brownies

Mandelbrodt

Ice Cream Torte Chocolate Torte Chocolate Matzo Torte Chocolate Cream Torte Chocolate-Apricot Torte Orange Icing

Some Passover Songs

In the Jewish religion, they have sung songs many songs. Although in the synagogues, the scriptures are typically read, songs still have a place in the Jewish culture and they surely have a place in their Passover celebration. Here are a few songs that they sing during Passover and their English translations

Dayenoo

Ilu hotsi, hotsianu,

hotsianu mimitsrayim,

hotsianu mimitsrayim,

Dayeinu!

Da, dayeinu! (3X)

Dayeinu! Dayeinu!

Ilu natan, natan lanu,

natan lanu et hatorah,

natan lanu et hatorah,

Dayeinu!

Ilu natan, natan lanu,

natan lanu et hashabbat,

natan lanu et hashabbat,

Dayeinu!

English translation

Had God brought us out of Egypt

and not supported us in the wilderness

It would have been enough!

had God given us the Sabbath and not the Torah

It would have been enough!

Had God given us the Torah

and not brought us to the land of Israel

It would have been enough!

Ma-Nishtana (The Four Questions)

Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh,

Mikol haleilot? Mikol haleilot?

Sheb'chol haleilot, anu ochlin,

Chameits umatsah, chameits umatsah,

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh kulo matsa.

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh kulo matsa.

Sheb'chol haleilot, anu ochlin,

Sh'ar y'rakot, Sh'ar y'rakot,

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh kulo maror.

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh kulo maror.

Sheb'chol haleilot, anu matbilin,

Afilu pa'am achat, Afilu pa'am achat.

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh sh'tei p'amim,

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh sh'tei p'amim.

Sh'b'chol haleilot, anu ochlin,

Bein yoshvin uvein m'subin,

Bein yoshvin uvein m'subin,

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh, kulanu m'subin.

Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh, kula ^nu m'subin.

English translation

Why is this night different than all other nights?

On this night we eat matzah and bitter herbs;

We dip parsley in salt water and horseradish in charoset;

And we recite at the table as we eat.

Avadim-Hayinoo

Avadim hayinoo,

hayinoo,

Ata b'nei chorin,

b'nei chorin.

Avadim hayinu,

Ata,

ata b'nei chorin,

b'nei chorin.

English translation

Once we were slaves.

Today we are free people.