Shalom! We are so blessed each of you has come to celebrate this wonderful feast of the Lord with us.

At the Seder, every person should see himself as personally going out of Egypt. Beginning with our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we recount the Jewish people’s descent into Egypt and recall their suffering and persecution. We are with them as G‑d sends the Ten Plagues to punish Pharaoh and his nation, and follow along as they leave Egypt and cross the Sea of Reeds. We invite you to experience this time appointed by God for those He has redeemed. A time observed by Yeshua, His disciples, and His faithful followers.

Come, taste, and see that the Lord is good! Psalm 34:8

Preparation for Passover

All: “……on the first day remove the leaven from your house.” Exodus 12:15

In the Home:

In the days leading up to Passover, Jewish families all over the world diligently search every nook and cranny of the home to locate and remove all leavened items. This is in keeping with the Biblical command to properly observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

All: "'For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses." Exodus 12:19-29

Host: When the last bit of leaven is removed from the house and the final cleansing ceremony performed, the father of the home makes the pronouncement, "Adonai, our home has been purged of all leaven to the best of my knowledge and is now ready for Your presence."

One of Messiah’s last earthly acts was the celebration of Passover.

All: “He said, ‘As you go into the city you will see a certain man. Tell him, 'The Rabbi says: My appointed time has come. I will eat the Passover with My disciples at your house. The disciples did as Yeshua told them and prepared for Passover there in the furnished upper room.” Matthew 26

Host: Gathering His friends in a small upper room in Jerusalem, He led them in a seder. “I have earnestly desired to celebrate this Passover with you.” (Luke 22:15). It was there, in remembrance of deliverance from Egyptian bondage, Yeshua revealed to them the mystery of God’s plan of redemption. He spoke to them of His body and His blood. He told them He would have to die.

In the Heart:

As followers of, and believers in Messiah Yeshua we are to prepare our hearts by searching for leaven and removing it. Does this search shed light on Paul's instruction?

All: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 1 Cor 11:28

Host: A symbol of sin in the Bible, yeast is a living organism which will multiply uncontrollably until it completely permeates the entire lump of dough. Likewise, sin will completely corrupt our souls and spread throughout our lives, leaving no part untouched.

All: " Your boasting is terrible! Don’t you know a little leaven works through the entire batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven so you may be a new batch without yeast-- as you really are. " (1 Cor 5:6-8).

Host: As we prepare to walk in the sandy footprints of an ancient people, let us examine our hearts and put far from us the leaven of sin in order that we be ready for Adonai’s presence.

Avenu MalChaynu, Our God and King. We invite you to search our hearts and reveal hidden sin through Your Holy Spirit. Thank You that when we confess our sins, You are faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness through Your Son, Yeshua. Thank You for the powerful symbols You gave us in the Passover. I pray each one here is touched in profound ways by the message of redemption through the blood of the Lamb.

Lighting the Festival Lights

Host: As light for the festival of redemption is kindled by the hand of a woman, we remember our Redeemer, the Light of the world, was born as the promised seed of the woman. (Genesis 3:14-15)

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav uv’dahm Y’shua haMoshiach, v’tsivanu, l’hadleek naer shel Yom Tov.

Blessed art You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, Who has set us apart by Your commandments, and in the blood of Yeshua the Messiah, and in Whose Name we kindle the Festival lights.

First Cup: SANCTIFICATION, or Set Apart

All “ I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

  Exodus 6:6

Host: We do not sanctify the cup or the wine, rather we ask Adonai to set apart this time to honor Him. Please remember we are to completely consume each cup. As such, please do not take too much wine. We do not want to encourage drunkenness. Let us fill our cups and bless the Lord:

All: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam

Bo-ray po-ree ha-ga-fen

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

(Drink first cup).

Urchatz, Washing of Hands

ALL: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who can stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure hearts….” Psalm 24:3-4

Host: The washing of hands was customarily done by the servant or the slave of the house. At this point in the seder Yeshua must have puzzled His disciples as He assumed the role of the servant.

All: Let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah. Who laid aside His rights and privileges as Diety and became a servant. ( Philippians 2)

Reader 1: Yeshua removed His outer garment, took a towel, and tied it around His waist. Then He poured water in a basin, and washed the disciples’ feet, and wiped them with the towel. He came to Peter who asked, “Lord, why do You wash my feet?” Yeshua answered, “What I do, you do not understand now, but you will afterward.”

Reader 2: Peter replied, “You shall never wash my feet.” Yeshua answered, “If I do not wash you, you won’t belong to Me.” Peter replied, “Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and head!” Yeshua said to him, “the one who has bathed only need to wash his feet; he is completely clean.” After this, He put on His outer garment, and resumed His place, and asked them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?” (John 13:4-12).

Host: These Jewish disciples had lived with their Rabbi for three years studying Torah and studying His every move. Did they appreciate the meaning of this symbolic act of cleansing? Did they recognize Yeshua was anointing them for ministry? Washing them as the priests washed before Temple service?

All: You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Exodus 29:4

….when they approach the altar to minister to Adonai…   they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance   for Aaron and his descendants (the priests) for the generations to come.” Exodus 30:18-20

Host: Our Messiah demonstrated important spiritual lessons for them and us. First lesson: he who is greatest of all must be a willing servant. Here was the Lord of the universe, Creator of all, stooping down to wash their dirty feet.

Second lesson: In a world full of temptation and sin, we need cleansing from our daily dirt. In order to perform His will faithfully and obediently, we must be washed daily in the Word and in His Spirit. (Ephesians 5:26).

Finally, since Yeshua was about to become the suffering servant of the Almighty, He would be the only One Who could cleanse them. Graciously, we, too, have been made clean before God through Messiah's atonement. As such, we are His “kingdom of priests, ministers of and to Adonai” (Isaiah 61:6, I Peter 2).

Let us now offer the bowl of water to one another and share in this handwashing ceremony.

Parsley, or Karpas

All: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20

We know God makes all things work together for good for those who love Him…. Romans 8:28

Host: The word  karpas, meaning a fine linen, is an appropriate introduction to the events recounted in the Haggadah. It is symbolic of Joseph’s sale into slavery, the act which began the migration to Egypt.

Our patriarch Jacob gave his son Joseph a colorful striped garment inciting envy in his other sons. In angry reaction to their father's shameful favoritism, the brothers stripped the striped garment, threw Joseph into a pit, then sold him for a slave’s ransom to a passing Ishmaelite caravan. They dipped the garment into animal blood and brought it to their father for identification. Knowing Jacob would recognize the garment, they counted on his conclusion that his beloved son had been destroyed by a wild animal. (Gen. 37:31-36).

All: In the same way, Yeshua was beloved of the Father, hated by His brothers, stripped of His garment, and sold for the price of a slave, yet He repaid evil with good. Thus we see Joseph as a foreshadow of the Messiah of Israel.

Host: Today most simply regard the green karpas as a symbol of new life in spring.  Fitting as well since all life is created and sustained by Elohim. Wonderfully, through Messiah’s atonement, we can have new life.

All: If anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation…... (2 Cor 5:17).

Host: (Raise salt water) Life in Egypt for Israel became one of enslavement, pain, suffering, and tears, represented in this salty water. Let us take a piece of the bitter vegetable, dip it, and remember that sometimes life is immersed in tears.

ALL: So also our Messiah came to bear our griefs from sin. “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3, 4, Matthew 27-21-23).

Baruch atah Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha’olam borey por-ree ha’adamah.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.

The ECHAD

Host: These three matzot are wrapped together for Passover. Rabbis call these three a unity, or echad. Some consider it a unity of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We who know Messiah see in this symbol the unique tri-unity of our God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. In the matzah, we see a picture of Messiah.    See how it is striped.

All: “But He was wounded for our crimes, crushed because of our sin; the chastening which makes us whole fell upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5).

Host:  See how it is pierced.

All: My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. (Psalm 22:16)

But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. (Isaiah 53:5, I Corinthians 15:3, I Peter 2:24)

Host: (Removing and breaking the middle matzah).

Just as the middle piece is broken, Messiah was afflicted and broken. One half is now called the afikomen or the “coming One.”  It is wrapped in a white cloth just as Messiah’s body was wrapped for burial. The afikomen will now be hidden in a special place. Yeshua’s body was placed in a tomb, hidden for a time. But just as the afikomen will return to complete our seder, so the sinless Messiah Who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven will return soon to complete His plan of redemption.

All:  For these things took place in order that Scripture might be fulfilled: ….they will look on Him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for Him…and weep bitterly over Him….” (Zechariah 12:10, John 19:34-37)

For our sake God made Him Who knew no sin to be a sin offering on our behalf in order that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.  2 Corinthians 5:21

No sin, no leaven, no yeast - yet He Rises perfectly!

(Hide afikomen).

Second Cup: Maggid, The Telling

All: “I have remembered My covenant.” Exodus 6:5

Host: As we read the history of our people from Ma'asei haShlihim, may the Everpresent Lord open our eyes to behold wondrous truths from His law.

Reader 1: Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia and said, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land which I will show you.’  God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land, but promised eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—though he had no children at that time.  God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.  But He will punish that nation and in the end they will come out and worship Me here in this place.’

Reader 2: Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Then Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.

Reader 3: But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery. Our ancestors ran out of food. Jacob heard there was still grain in Egypt. He sent his sons to buy some.  When they returned a second time, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. So Jacob moved to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors. 

Reader 4: As the time drew near when God would fulfill His promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.

Reader 5: At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months. When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.

Reader 6: One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. He saw an Egyptian abusing an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian.  Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.

Reader 7: The next day he visited them again and saw two Hebrew men fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’

But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. ‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard this, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian.

Reader 8: Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, God appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of Adonai called out to him, ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and dared not look.

Reader 9: Then the ADONAI said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’

So God sent back the same man his people had rejected previously when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’

Reader 10: By means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years. Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your people. You shall listen to Him.’ Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when God spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.

All: I am the God of your father…..The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  Exodus 3:6

All: “When your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this ceremony? Say…..” Exodus 12:26, 27

(The youngest rises to ask the four questions).

On all other nights, we eat bread or matzah,

On this night why do we eat only matzah?

On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables,

On this night why do we eat only bitter herbs?

On all other nights, we do not dip our vegetables even once.

On this night, why do we dip them more than once?

On all other nights we eat meat which has been stewed or boiled.

On this night why do we eat only meat which is roasted?

We Answer the Four Questions

All: “ You are to observe this event forever; you and your descendants. All the congregation of Israel is to celebrate it. The same law shall apply to the native as well as to the stranger who sojourns among you. ” Exodus 12: 24, 47, 49

Host: As people of faith and, therefore, descendants of Abraham, it is a duty and privilege to answer the four questions of Passover as part of the telling of the mighty works of our faithful God.

All: Why only Matzah?

Host: As the people of Israel were preparing for deliverance from Egypt, they did not have time for the dough to rise. God was painting a word picture, a tangible reminder for generations to come: His people must put away sin and live set apart unto Him.

All: A little leaven causes the whole bowl of dough to swell. (Galatians 5:6)

Host: Thus, for the Hebrews and us, abstaining from leaven symbolizes breaking the old cycle of sinful habits and starting out fresh from Egypt. They did not put away leaven in order to be redeemed; rather, they put away leaven because they were redeemed. During this season of Passover, may we break the old habits of sin and selfishness and begin a fresh, new, set apart life.

Host: (Lifting plate with matza):

This is the bread of affliction our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all those who are hungry enter and eat, and all who are distressed come and celebrate Passover. Adonai invites us to participate in His salvation saying,

All: Come, all you who are thirsty. Come to the waters. You who have no money, come. Buy and eat! Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on him, and turn to our God for He will freely pardon. (Isaiah 55:1, 6; Matthew 5:6, Acts 8; Revelation 22:17).

 The Maror, or The Bitter Herbs

All:  On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but why on Passover, do we eat only maror, or bitter herbs?

Host:  One would think the Hebrews would never forget how terrible it was to be in bondage. One would be wrong. While wandering in the wilderness, they soon forgot the horrors of slavery and longed to return to Egypt! (Numbers 20:5,6; I Corinthians 10). God gave Passover as a reminder of the amazing miracle of the release from bondage, and also as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. Looking back at this historical event, one would think it would be easy for a follower of Yeshua to remember how much better life is under the Good Shepherd Who He gives life and peace (Romans 5:1). Again, one would be very wrong. This annual ritual of Passover is an opportunity for God’s people to remember the bitterness of slavery.

All: …the Egyptians came to dread the people of Israel and worked them relentlessly, making their lives bitter with hard labor – digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work….(Exodus 1:12-14).

Host: As we scoop maror onto matzah, please take enough to allow its bitterness to cause tears as we recall the bitterness of slavery to sin.

All: Know therefore and see it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God. (Jeremiah 2:19).

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav ve-tzvanu al akilot maror.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe Who has set us apart by His word and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.

All: Why on all other nights do we not dip even once, but tonight we dip more than once?

Host: We have already dipped bitter herb into salty water. We dipped matza into maror. We will now dip the charoset. Resembling mortar, it is a sweet reminder that even the most bitter circumstances can be sweetened by the forgiveness and hope we have in Messiah

It is a profound truth that human beings were created by God to serve. We will either serve God or we will serve sin. Should we choose the latter, we will be exactly like the Hebrews who toiled in the hot sun building treasure cities for Pharaoh. We will labor to serve the desires of our flesh. (Romans 6:6-19). Yeshua said, “Everyone who embraces sin is the slave of sin.” (John 8:34)

All:  We work and strive, but our hope is set on the living God, Savior of all people. For no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Timothy 4:10, I Cor 2:9).

Host: As they were reclining and eating, Yeshua said, “Yes! I tell you one of you will betray me.”  They became upset and began asking Him one after the other,

All: “Is it I?”

Host: “It is one of you twelve who is dipping matzah into the dish with Me.” (Mark 14:18-20).

Bless the Lord for the sweetness of His presence and His great and precious promises for His redeemed! Let us eat the charoset.

All: Why Only Roasted Meat?

They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire…..Exodus 12:8

Host: Every family who believed God had to take the closely inspected lamb, kill it, then take the blood and apply it to the doorposts of their homes. Leaving the lamb in one whole piece, the flesh was then roasted with fire. The meat from the sacrificial lamb would nourish them for the journey ahead.

All: " Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones.” Exodus 12:46, Num. 9:12, Psalm 34:20

These things happened so Scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of His bones will be broken," John 19:36

Host: The lamb was to be roasted whole - according to some, a symbol of the unity of Israel. Even more so to prefigure the unbroken body of Him whom the lamb especially represented - the true substitution, atonement, and deliverer of His people from the destroyer, our Messiah Yeshua.

One rabbi states, "they transfix it (the lamb) through the middle of the mouth to its posteriors, with a wooden spit, and they hang it in the midst of a furnace, and the fire below so that it was not turned upon a spit, according to our manner of roasting, but was suspended on a hook, and roasted by the fire underneath, and so was a more exact figure of Messiah suspended on the death stake, enduring the fire of divine wrath.”

The Passover Lamb

All: “The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” – Exodus 12:13

Behold, the Lamb of Adonai! Yochanan 1:29

Host: Rabbi Gamaliel, Head of the Sanhedrin near the end of the Second Temple Period and teacher of Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul, the Apostle), taught the telling of the Passover story was not complete unless the leader and guests discussed three symbols of Passover during the seder: the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, and the Passover Lamb.

We have eaten the matzah reminding us of the haste with which the believing multitude fled Egypt. We have tasted the bitter herbs to remind us of the bitter slavery experienced there.

( Lifting the shank-bone of the lamb).

This roasted lamb shank-bone, or zeroa, is a symbol of “the arm of the Lord” (Isaiah 53:1). God said He would deliver Israel by “His mighty arm.” It also reminds us of all the slain lambs whose blood stained the lintels of doors those who trusted God for deliverance on that first Passover.  Just as ADONAI spared the houses of our ancestors from death, Messiah, the Lamb of God, will soon destroy the power of death over us.

Reader 1: “… on the tenth day of the month Nisan, each man is to take a lamb for his family, one per household – your animals must be without defect….

“You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and the entire assembly of the community of Israel will it slaughter it at dusk.

“They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it.” (Exodus 12:3, 5-7)

Reader 2: “Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is Adonai’s Passover.

“The blood will serve as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over you – when I strike the land of Egypt, the death blow will not strike you.” (Exodus 12:8, 11, 13)

Reader 3: During the first century, the Paschal lamb was chosen by the High Priest (Kohen HaGadol) outside Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan. The High Priest would lead the lamb into the city while crowds of worshippers lined the streets waving palm branches and singing the Hallel (Psalm 118).
It was on this day Yeshua entered Jerusalem probably right behind the High Priest's processional. (Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 9)

The Kohen HaGadol would then take the lamb into the temple courtyard, where it would be tied in public view to be inspected for any imperfection.

• For this reason, Yeshua came and sat in the temple courtyard – to be inspected by the scribes and teachers of the Torah - in order to find fault - yet they could find none. Matthew (chapters 21,22,23), Mark (chapters 11, 12), and Luke (chapter 20)

His final inspection was by Pilate who saw He was innocent and tried to convince the crowd to demand His release. Washing his hands to signify he had no responsibility in the matter, he released the guilty murderer, Bar-abbas and condemned the innocent Yeshua. Removed son of Father.

Host: Redemption through the Passover Lamb was national as well as personal. Even now salvation must be a personal event. In Exodus 12:3 the commandment is to take a lamb. Before we come to know God, He is just one god among many.  Next, God instructs to take the lamb. (Exodus 12:4). It is at this point, we recognize He is the One true God. In the next part of the verse, God specifies, to take your lamb. Each soul must appropriate the lamb for himself. We look to Galatians 2:20 to apply this truth: “the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me. ”

In the Messianic Writings (New Testament), Yeshua is referred to as the Lamb of God more than 30 times. Faith and trust in the sacrifice of God’s Lamb cause a person or a nation to belong to God. Moses designates the multitude who left Egypt as the “hosts of the Lord,” not the hosts of Israel. (Exodus 12). Redeemed by the Passover Lamb’s blood, they all truly belong to God.

All: But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Messiah even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4,5).

Second Cup, Judgement or The Cup of Plagues

All: “I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians….”(Exodus 6:6)

Host: Moses left the wilderness to return to Pharaoh’s palace where he had been raised as son of Pharaoh. Armed with the message from God, Moses knew he would face fierce resistance to the word of the Lord for Pharaoh believed himself to be god.

All : I know the king of Egypt will not let you leave unless he is forced to do so. I will reach out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do there. After that, he will let you go. Ex 3:19,20

Host: God sent plagues to demonstrate the Egyptian gods were not gods at all. With each powerful plague, Pharaoh hardened his heart. The Egyptians were afflicted with discomfort and disease, bane and blight. Still stubborn Pharaoh would not relent. Finally, with the last most awful plague, God pierced the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.

All: For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn, both man and beast. I will execute judgement against all the gods of Egypt. I am ADONAI. Ex 12:12

Host: Let us fill our cups a second time. A full cup is a symbol of joy and indeed on this occasion we are filled with joy at God’s mighty deliverance. Let us also remember the great cost at which redemption was purchased. Innocent lives were sacrificed to bring about the release of God’s people from slavery. A far greater price purchased our redemption from slavery to sin---the death of our sinless, innocent Messiah, the Lamb of Adonai.

As we count each plague, let us dip a finger into the cup, allowing a drop of liquid to fall onto the plate, reducing the fullness of our cup of joy this night. The drops of wine fall into the plate, which is called the cup of the judgement of the Almighty.

All: “Is it for this cup we praise Adonai?”

Host:  No, for even in judgement, Adonai loved the Egyptians as He loved the people of Israel. It is for His infinite mercies we praise Him.

All: Blood! Frogs! Lice! Flies! Cattle disease! Boils! Hail! Locusts! Darkness! Slaying the Firstborn!

(Do not drink the second cup at this time).

 “...a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to Adonai…” Exodus 12:14

Shulcan Orech

The Passover Supper

Tzafun, or Afikomen

Host: Let us continue the Seder and give thanks to the Lord.

ALL: May the name of the Lord be blessed from this time forth and forever.

Host: We praise You, O God, from Whose abundance we have partaken .

ALL: We praise You, O Lord our God, Savior and King who gives bread to all flesh, for Your lovingkindness endures forever.

Host: Please fill your glass in preparation for the cup of Redemption.

Before the destruction of the Temple, the Paschal lamb was the last food eaten at the seder. So when Yeshua broke matzah after the meal and before the 3rd cup, His disciples must have been puzzled. What is He doing? No other food was to be eaten. Yet He took matzah, broke it, and blessed the Father. Giving some to each disciple, He told them to take it and eat. The matza represented His body. Yeshua was showing His disciples in cryptic terms that after His death, the Paschal lamb would no longer have the same significance. He was about to become the better sacrifice, to die once, for all mankind (Hebrews 9:14-15, 23-26). Looking to the time when Israel would be left without an altar and without a sacrifice, Yeshua used the afikomen for the first time to represent His own body! Matt 24:2, Mark 13:2

Baruch Atah Adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, ha’motzti lechem min ha’aretz.

Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth, even Yeshua our Messiah.

Host: Let us now eat the matzah meditating on the broken body of the Lamb of God.

Third Cup, the Cup of Redemption

Host: At the last seder, the first two cups were consumed the traditional way. Then Yeshua took the third cup, known as the cup of Redemption, and said,

All: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20).

Host: He who is the great I AM who had come in the flesh and had stood before them on other occasions teaching: I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am the Light of the world, I am the Good Shepherd, before Abraham was I am (John 8-15) was now telling them, I am the true Passover Lamb who will be offered up for your redemption. Drink this red wine as a symbol of joy. Forevermore it will remind you of My life’s blood, poured out for you!

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam, boray poree ha-gafen.

Blessed are You, Lord of the Universe, Creator of the bread of the earth and fruit of the vine.

Drink of the cup, remembering His blood was shed for our sin.

Fourth Cup – Cup of Praise, Redemption, or Acceptance

All: I will take you as My people and I will be your God. (Exodus 6:7, Revelation 21)

Host: Fill your glass for the fourth and final time and prepare to give thanks to Adonai, our great Redeemer.

This fourth cup is the Cup of Redemption, Praise, or Acceptance. It was this cup that the Messiah said He would not drink until He drank it with the disciples in the future Kingdom. What is this kingdom? It is where God is reigning and ruling and His people are joyfully obeying Him. (Acts 6:7, Romans 1:5).

All: But I say unto you, I will not drink from this day forward of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29).

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam, boreh poree ha-gafen.

Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

(drink cup)

Host: Every Seder ended with the latter half of the Hallel (Ps. 115- 118). Matthew records, “And when they had sung a psalm, they went out.” How fitting that just hours before Yeshua was betrayed and crucified, He and those gathered sang the prophetic words of Psalm 118:

All: ”…..This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. Thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Bind the festal sacrifice with cords up to the horns of the altar.”

Host: Our Passover seder is now complete just as our redemption in Messiah is forever complete. May we never forget our deliverance from Egypt.

Let us leave here as heralds declaring……

All: Behold! The Lamb of God

Who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29

Host: Ye-va-recha Adonai ve-yeesh-me-recha. Ya-er Adonai panav e-ley-cha vee-choo-ne-cha Yeesa Adonai panav e-lay-cha v'yasem l'cha Shalom  

May the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.