Preparations for the holiday begin many days, sometimes many weeks in advance.  Everything in the home is scrubbed and polished.  Carpets are shampooed or steam cleaned, floors are scrubbed, fresh curtains are hung, drawers are cleaned out, furniture is moved, mattresses are overturned, pockets of garments are turned inside out and shaken clean.  While this might seem a bit excessive to some, cleaning for the Passover is the most thorough spring cleaning imaginable.  Just before Passover all-year-round kitchen utensils and dishes are put away to be replaced by those specially reserved for Passover.

     Matzos are the only kind of bread permitted in a Jewish home on Passover.  The Bible is not specific on the preparation of the matzos, but the Talmud (commentaries on the Law) gives details as to the ingredients used which are wheat-flour and water, the proper thickness, and other pertinent information.

     Since leaven is not allowed in the home on Passover, there is a special ceremony known as Mekhirat Hametz (Selling of the Leaven).   Several days before Passover a bill of sale is written out and all hametz (Hebrew for leaven) i s sold to a non-Jew for the duration of the Passover.  The bill of sale is prepared with understanding that it will be returned immediately after the holiday. 

This principle of purging the home of leaven, so that it will be purified for Passover, is so beautifully illustrated in 2 Kings 23:21-23.  “The king gave this order to all the people: ‘Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.’  Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed.  But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem.” (NIV)  Josiah cleansed the temple of all the articles made for Baal and Asherah.  He proceeded to burn them.  He took  the Asherh pole from the temple and burned it.   Next, he tore down the quarters of male shrine prostitutes.  He pulled down the alters the kings of Judah had erected.  Josiah also desecrated and destroyed the high places.  He emptied the tombs of the pagan high priests and burned the bones.  He got rid of the mediums, spiritualists, household gods and idols.

What a thorough cleansing of the leaven in order to prepare the temple for God’s presence.

Now let’s look at what Jesus said about leaven.  He made a statement in Matthew 16:16 “’Be careful,’ Jesus said to them.  ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”  Then in verse 12 it states “…they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (NIV)

     The last cleansing ceremony known as Bedikat Hametz (Searching out the Leaven) takes place on the night before the Passover Meal.  To symbolize the change, from the leavened to the unleavened  bread, the Mother will take bits of bread and put them on the window  sills and shelves.

     The Father will collect the following items: a candle, a feather, a wooden spoon and a paper bag.  As the family gathers around, the Father will say the following prayer:  “Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has commanded us  concerning the destruction of the of the leaven.”  He will then light the candle using its light to search out the leaven.  When he has found the bits of bread that the Mother spread around he will take the feather, not being allowed to touch the leaven, and brush it onto the wooden spoon.  Then dumping the items and the leaven into the paper bag , he will anticipate the next morning.  Upon rising, the bag of leaven, along with the feather and the wooden spoon, will be set on fire and consumed by the fire.  The Father then says as he looks toward heaven, “God, our home has been purged of all leaven to the best of my knowledge and is now ready for your presence.”  All preparation for Passover has been taken care of.  The holiday is about to be ushered in.

     As we think about the various items used in the ceremony, we are symbolically reminded of the salvation story.

• The candle represents Jesus as being the Light of the world.

•  The feather represents the Holy Spirit.

•  The leaven is symbolic of our Messiah, Who was made sin for us.

• The wooden spoon is significant of the altar of Calvary.

• The paper or cloth bag is likened to the Messiah’s grave.

•  The fire used to consume the leaven speaks of the wrath of God’s judgment upon sin.

With its Passover dishware and silverware, the Seder table is different than the regular dinner table. The centerpiece of which is the Seder plate, a special plate containing the 5 foods that remind us of the struggle of the Israelites in their quest and journey to freedom
 

Three pieces of matzoh are placed in a Matzoh Cover (a cloth sleeve or envelope) and placed in the center of the Seder table. Before the meal begins the middle matzoh is removed and broken in half

One half is returned to the Matzoh Cover, the other - the Afikomen - is hidden, to be hunted by the children at the end of the Seder meal. The child who finds the Afikomen wins a special prize. Some homes break the Afikomen in to many pieces assuring that each child present can find a piece and receive a prize

The Seder plate contains foods that have special meaning for this holiday

• Haroseth

• Parsley (dipped in salt water)

• Roasted egg

• Shank Bone

• Bitter herbs

A mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon and apples that represents the mortar the Jewish slaves used to assemble the Pharaoh's bricks
 

Symbolizing Springtime, it is dipped in salt water to remind us of for the tears of the Jewish slaves

Another symbol of Spring

Symbolic of the sacrificial lamb offering, the bone can come from whatever the family is eating, such as the leg bone of a roasted turkey

Freshly grated horseradish reflects the bitter affliction of slavery

 

During the Seder 4 glasses of wine are poured to represent the 4 stages of the exodus

• freedom

• deliverance

• redemption

• release

A fifth cup of wine is poured and placed on the Seder table. This is the Cup of Elijah, an offering for the Prophet Elijah. During the Seder the door to the home is opened to invite the prophet Elijah in

After the meal is eaten, the children search for the Afikomen. The Seder is finished when the children have found the Afikomen and everyone has eaten a piece
 

THE MESSIANIC SEDER PROCLAIMS THESE SPECIAL EVENTS DURING THE SEDER AS A TYPE OF THE BELIEVER'S LIFE IN CHRIST!