Passover
Feast
Family Home Evening
The main purpose of a Passover
Feast is to celebrate the fact that God spared the Children of Israel, in the
days of Moses, from the last plague he sent down upon Egypt. Another purpose of
the feast is to review and learn about the Passover and exodus of the
Israelites, and to understand how the Lord protects His people today.
[ The Jewish feast includes many
symbolic foods and rituals, some of which we will use and explain in this
Family Home Evening. (Read about the
plagues and Passover in the Bible, Exodus 7-12; and read the article “The
Passover Supper” on pages 74-75 of this month’s Ensign—April 2014.) We will not try to go through the 15 steps of a ritual Jewish Seder
here, but will talk about the symbolism of the foods eaten, the story of the
plagues and exodus, and how the Passover relates to Latter-day Saints. ]
1)
To Begin . . .
The first thing you can do as a
family to prepare for your Passover Feast is to symbolically rid your house of
all unleavened bread. (Exodus 12:15)
Activity: Place some kind of
raised donut or cinnamon roll in 10 baggies, and hide them throughout the
house. Have the children search for and find them. Once the house is clean of
unleavened bread, you can hold your feast, or dinner. (You could save the
treats for an after meal dessert.)
2)
Next . . . Eat Your Feast
The foods you will need for your
feast are:
1. Unleavened Bread: Fry bread, tortilla,
or crackers of some kind—symbolizes the
fact that they were in a hurry and did not have time for yeast bread to rise,
and also that Christ is the bread of life.
2. Bitter Herbs: Horseradish, parsley,
peppermint, chives, romaine lettuce, or some other kind of bitter tasting herb—symbolizes the bitterness of slavery and the
bitterness of Christ suffering for our sins.
3. Fruit Paste: a mixture of chopped nuts, apples, cinnamon,
and honey or grape juice—symbolizes the
mortar used between bricks to build storehouses and pyramids for the Pharaoh.
4. Vegetable and Salt Water Dip: Cut up
celery, carrots, broccoli and/or cauliflower and some kind of vegetable dip in
place of salt water—symbolizes new life,
and the shedding of the tears of the Children of Israel. (It used to be a sign
of royalty to dip food in sauces, and of course slaves did not have dips.)
5. Boiled Egg: A regular hard-boiled egg—symbolizes the renewal of body and spirit,
the arrival of spring, and mourning for the loss of the Jerusalem Temple.
6. Meat: Lamb, goat, or chicken—symbolizes the Passover lamb sacrificed on
the eve of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. It also represents the sinless
Christ who sacrificed for our sins, and the absolute dedication required of
God’s covenant people.
3)
Now . . . Hold a discussion on “The ten plagues of
Egypt and the Exodus”
You
might want to watch part of the movie “The Ten Commandments.”
The
plagues are:
1.
Water is turned
to blood (Exodus 7:19, 20)
2.
Frogs cover the land (Exodus 8:5,6)
3.
Lice throughout all the land (Exodus 8:16, 17)
4.
Flies plague the Egyptians, but not the
Israelites (Exodus 8:21-24)
5.
Death of Egyptian cattle, (and other animals),
but not the Israelites (Exodus 9:3-6)
6.
Boils and Blains upon the Egyptians (Exodus
9:8-11)
7.
The land is
smitten with hail, fire, and thunder (Exodus 10:22-25)
8.
Locusts cover the land and eat the greenery (Exodus
10:12-15)
9.
Darkness covers the land for three days
(Exodus 10:21-23)
10. All the firstborn of Egypt die, both man and
beast. Those Israelites are spared who put the blood of the lamb on their
doorposts (Exodus 11:4-7)
“For I will pass through the land of
Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both
man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
And the blood shall be to you for a
token upon the houses where ye are:
and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be
upon you to destroy you, when I smite
the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:12, 13)
After the last plague, Pharaoh
lets the children of Israel leave Egypt where they have been slaves for the
past 430 years. The Lord institutes the Passover, and the feast of unleavened
bread that they and their posterity might remember this Passover forever.
“And
this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the
LORD throughout your generation; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for
ever.” (Exodus 12:14)
After the Israelites left,
Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after them with his soldiers on their
horses and chariots. Moses led the Children of Israel to the Red Sea where the
Lord opened the waters and allowed the people to pass through the waters on dry
ground. (Exodus 14:16) A pillar of fire kept the Pharaoh and his host from
passing through the Red Sea until all the Israelites were safe on the other
side. Then, when the Pharaoh and his soldiers were well into the Red Sea on dry
ground, the Lord instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea and
cover them with water.
“Thus
the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw
the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
And
Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the
people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.” (Exodus
14:30, 31)
As
Latter-day Saints, we are also a covenant people. Each week when we attend
Sacrament Meeting, we renew our covenants with the Lord when we partake of the
sacrament, which has replaced the sacrificial burnt offering of the Israelites.
The Lord delights in our repentance and thoughtful covenant renewal. In the November 1995 Ensign, on page 68, and
again in the April 2014 issue on page 75, Jeffrey R. Holland says:
“Do we see [our weekly sacramental
service] as our Passover, remembrance
of our safety and deliverance and
redemption?
“With
so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel
of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is.”
As
Latter-day Saints, we know that the Lord protects His covenant people when we
keep His commandments, just as He did the Children of Israel when they did as
He commanded.
Note that those same Israelites
who were obedient in putting blood on their doorposts, and following the Lord’s
instructions in their deliverance from slavery, had trouble remembering the
lesson of obedience. As a result, they spent the next forty years wandering in
the wilderness, trying to learn obedience.
4)
Ask These Questions:
How might you avoid wandering in a wilderness
of disobedience?
In what ways has the angel of
darkness passed over you in the past week, month, or year?
What other blessings and
protections come from belonging to the Lord’s Church and partaking of its
covenants?
(So
many helpers through life’s journey—Prophet, Bishop, teachers, home teachers,
visiting teachers, a Ward Family, the gift of the Holy Ghost, Temple blessings,
understanding of the Godhead and of where we came from, our purpose on earth,
and where we are going, The Book of Mormon and its insights, the Welfare
program, etc. Our blessings are endless.)
5) Finally . . . Play a game, color the coloring book pages, watch some of “The Ten Commandments,” or eat those donuts/cinnamon rolls!
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