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Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi)

Heading up to Feast, the traditional spring cleaning, which takes place before the holiday, has been the order of the day in Jewish homes throughout Israel.

Every vestige of leaven (yeast) will be replaced by food products labeled “Kosher for Pesach,” indicating that the rabbinate has inspected its ingredients to ensure it is leaven free.

On the 15th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, families and friends will gather around a festive holiday table to retell the story of our ancestors’ exodus from Egyptian slavery.

The evening meal is called the Passover Seder. Seder, in Hebrew, simply means “order,” indicating that there is an order to the way in which the meal is eaten.

At each place setting is a Passover Haggadah, a beautifully illustrated book detailing the order to be followed, which includes Scripture, traditional songs, poetry and more.

At the center of the table is a Passover plate, with the six elements that help tell the story of the exodus from Egyptian slavery.

Parsley (karpas), representing the humble beginnings of the nation of Israel, is dipped in salt water, symbolizing the tears shed by our forefathers.

1. Horseradish (maror) represents the bitterness of slavery.
2. Charoset – A mixture of apples, red wine, nuts and cinnamon, represents the mortar the Israelites used to build Pharaoh’s storehouses.
3. Shankbone (z’roah) symbolizes the sacrificed lamb whose blood on the lintels of the Israelites’ homes caused the Angel of Death to pass over their dwellings.
4. Roasted egg (beitzah) represents the sacrifice made when the First and Second Jewish Temples stood. 

Also on the table is a beautiful white matzo (unleavened bread) cover with three pockets. At the beginning of the meal, the leader of the Seder will break the middle matzo, place it in a white napkin and hide it somewhere in the house.

This piece of matzo is called the afikoman (desert). At the end of the meal, the children will search for the afikoman and whoever finds it will get a reward. Giving the kids something to look forward to helps them make it through the long Seder service.

Another traditional element on the Passover table is the full glass of wine for Elijah, the prophet, who will herald the coming of the Messiah. At a certain point in the service, the leader instructs one of the children to open the door to allow Elijah to enter.

On this holiday, retelling the miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery reminds us of God’s eternal covenant with Israel, a fact that’s carried my people through centuries of persecution.

One day soon, all Israel will know the Truth. I know that because God said so, and He is faithful.