Our Family's First Passover

The children and I have spent some time this month studying the Jewish celebration of Passover, which culminated in us having our first-ever family Seder this week. 

The best resources we found to study Passover were this video by Messianic Jew Zola Levitt, and the book Why On This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah.

The first step we took for our Passover preparation came the ritual of cleaning-up every speck of dirt an dust we could find...

Then came the fun part:  preparing the food.

Our Family's Passover Menu:

Matzo Ball Soup

Unleavened Bread

Latkes (potato pancakes)

peas

grape juice

Ashkenazi Haroset (a mixture of apples, walnuts & cinnamon)

Beitzah (boiled eggs)

parsley and salt water

fresh-grated horseradish (for the bitter herbs)

celery sticks (for the Karpas)

and a lamb shank, for representative purposes

We set our best table possible, lit the candles, and began the ceremony....

We were of course sure to save a place for Elijah.  Which sparked the funniest part of our Passover.  Anna - who is six -  absolutely, unquestionably believed that Elijah was coming to our house.  She kept looking for him all day.  Anna apparently likens Elijah to the Tooth Fairy.  If you leave a tooth under your pillow, the Tooth Fairy is sure to come.  And if you leave a place-setting for Elijah...

Things Learned From Our Passover Celebration:

•  I learned that making Jewish food is not easy.  There's very little of it that you can throw in the oven or in a Crock Pot and walk away from.  Much of the food has to be cooked on the stove at the last minute.
• Anna learned that when searching for the Afikomen, you can also find a lost doll, an M&M in the couch cushions, and a quarter.
• Tim learned that although they might look similar, Matzo balls don't taste as good as dumplings.  However, the boys learned that they are pretty big fans of unleaved bread.
• The kids learned that Jesus can be found all through the rituals of Passover, from the food eaten to the verses spoken.  Which is pretty uncanny considering how long Passover preceded the birth of Jesus.
• We learned that for 450 years before Josiah, the Israelites did not celebrate Passover.  One of the first things Josiah did as king was to re-instate the remembrance of Passover.
• We learned that even Gentiles like ourselves have the ability to know God better by understanding Passover.

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!!!