Passover

by C.M. Hegg

Around this time of the year I am always asked by people who are new to Torah how to celebrate a Passover Seder. I have celebrated Passover my entire life and so the other day when I was asked this question I started to think of some of my favorite Passover memories. I started by trying to recall the earliest Passover I could remember. I think the earliest celebration I recall was in 1987 when the Messianic synagogue my family was attending rented a gym (I have no clue where) and had a congregational seder. I don’t remember much except playing tag with other kids after the meal, my mom helping with food in the kitchen that was attached to the gym, and Carol Cantrell (who later made aliyah) playing some songs on her guitar. 

Throughout the years I have celebrated Passover in a lot of different settings. For a time the congregation I grew up in would rent the Officer’s Club on joint base Lewis-McChord. The congregation would sell tickets for $10 to cover the cost of the food, and the officer’s club would cater the Passover meal. Those were some of the fondest Passover memories as it seemed like a big deal with all the moving parts. There were somewhere around 100 people who would attend and there were always Christians who had never attended a Passover Seder that came to experience it for the first time. I felt like I was helping show first time Passover attendees a look into what Yeshua had done, and like I was sharing something totally awesome with them for the first time. 

The Officer’s Club was also the location of the “Crouton Fiasco of 96” as we fondly call it. That’s when the catering chef had a laps in memory and put croutons on the salad, which of course is forbidden to eat on Passover because croutons contain leaven. My father realized the error after several tables had already gone through the food line. At the ripe age of 15, I took it upon myself to start yelling “don’t eat the salad! There’s croutons in the salad!” Of course the guests who were not Torah observant had no clue why some blond haired, high pitched, annoying teen was yelling about salad. In the end, the appetizer was remade and everyone got crouton free salad, but it's still one of the most remembered stories from past Passovers. 

Eventually, the synagogue decided to start having Passover in individual homes instead of having a congregational seder. Another funny story that we always recall is when one of the elders at the synagogue had his children go to the door to call for Elijah the prophet, they opened the door and started calling “Eliyahu, Eliyahu.” Their young neighbor from a few houses down had been sent by his parents to drop something off. It just so happened his name was Elijah. The way our friend told the story was always hilarious, “they called for Eliyahu and someone called back ‘yes?’ and then Elijah appeared!” 

Although we rarely talk about it, the Covid Seder was one that I always remember. People were so scared of getting sick and lockdowns had just started so no one wanted to come for dinner. At the time I only had three children and we sat down, just the five of us, said the prayers and recounted the redemption from Egypt and our redemption through the Messiah Yeshua. Then we ate a wonderful dinner. It might seem like a sad memory to others, but for me it was absolutely wonderful. It didn’t matter no one else was there to celebrate with us. Our family still had a wonderful Seder. It was probably the easiest Passover meal we have ever put on, and in the end I remember how great it was to share that moment with no one else but my family. 

To be honest, I don’t know what I prefer more, the huge occasion of a congregational Seder, or the intimate fellowship of one at home. For me, Passover has been my favorite holiday for most of my life. I always look forward to it, but maybe that's because I’ve done it so many times. I often hear people say they don’t know how to lead a Seder, or they can’t read Hebrew so they don’t think they can do it right. Passover is not about how well you say liturgical prayers, if you know the right tunes, or if you do everything in the right order. It is true within Judaism, Passover Seder’s look pretty much the same no matter where you celebrate. But for believers in Yeshua we certainly modify the celebration to focus on our Master and His work. You can find videos on how to conduct a proper service, I put together two videos last year that show a conventional Seder and a not so conventional one. But this is not actually the point of the Passover celebration. If you are wondering how to celebrate Passover as a believer, there are really only two things you need to do.

The main point of the Seder is to recall the mighty acts God did when He brought Israel out of Egypt. The Exodus became God’s business card (as it were). After the Exodus, God often identifies Himself with this event. “I am the God who brought you out of Egypt…” As believers in Yeshua, we should recognize the Exodus from Egypt was a prophecy of each one of our salvation stories. Yeshua spilled His blood to redeem us from sin and make us slaves to righteousness (Romans 6). So if you want to celebrate Passover or lead a Passover celebration but feel like you're not sure what to do, here are the two things you need to focus on. 

  1. Focus on God bringing Israel out of Egypt. 
  2. Remember and explain how Yeshua came to give us a second Exodus from sin. 

Everything else should point to one of those two things. Even if you don’t attempt to do a full Seder or don’t want a lot of the tradition, those two elements are the only thing you need to worry about. Tell those two stories and your Seder will be a blessing to you and others. 
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