The Messianic Times - International Messianic Jewish News and Information

If you could create a fifth question for the Passover seder, what would it be?

In Jewish homes across the world, we remember the story of the Exodus. Every year we gather around the Passover table, debate over whether it should be four “sips” or four actual “cups” of wine, watch the Ten Commandments on television, or perhaps find ourselves locked in heated discussion over the necessity of gefilte fish. Any participant in a Passover seder will have memories and stories to share. We are commanded in Scripture to teach our children not only the ways of the Lord, but specifically about our Exodus from Egypt. And in obedience to that command, Jewish youth around the world today can recall the story of our long-ago ancestors.

It’s also imperative, however, for our children not only to recall the Passover story, but to understand why things happened the way they did. As followers of Yeshua, we see the Exodus story enhanced with the knowledge of Messiah’s fulfillment of the holiday. The seder reminds of the unleavened bread talked about in Luke 22:19. We read about the Passover lamb slaughtered for the sins of the people and look to our own Passover Lamb who took on the sins of the world. In the midst of every detail, we also marvel at how Yeshua is so clearly evident in Scripture from beginning to end. This is the legacy Torah commands us to teach our children.

With that in mind, we talked to some Messianic youth to ask:
1. What do you remember from celebrating Passover in your homes, and 2. If you could create a fifth question for the Passover seder, what would it be?

Sarah Edelstein
Philadelphia, PA, Age 16

1. I remember always having a huge group of people gathered together (family and friends). My uncles Joel or David would always randomly call on someone to answer a question, and we’d say, “Pass!” The afikomen was also a lot of fun. One year, I got $20 between my two uncles. The charoset also disappears off of the table VERY quickly.

2. Why does charoset taste so good!

Ben Weisman
Santa Barbara, CA, Age 18

1. I remember the horseradish. We had a seder where one kid thought he was cool and could eat lots of horseradish…but he couldn’t and wound up throwing it up all over the table.

2. Why do we have a weird plate in the middle of the table?

Brittany Stetson
Acworth, GA, Age 22

1. When I was young, we made our own seder plates out of plaster, and they sat on the table every Passover. After that, it was very special to see it on the table year after year.

2. Why can’t charoset be served at EVERY Jewish holiday?

Jeri Chadwick
Hartford, CT, Age 22

1. I remember it being a fun family time. When I was little I enjoyed watching the (kosher) food being prepared, and then as I got older learning how to make my own matzah ball soup was fun too. Our family followed the same haggadah every year and it always involved singing songs like Chad Gadya (an old Aramaic song Jews used in the 8th or 9th century—Dad loved to educate us!). Then there was the search for the Afikomen, which would result in a one dollar prize in our house. My older brothers always out-searched me. In a scriptural sense though, I remember Passover being a time of learning about Messianic prophecy. It amazed me that with so many elements at Passover that obviously point to Yeshua being the Messiah, that there was ever any confusion. The Last Supper was a Passover seder, before the atonement of the Lamb, and God wouldn’t remit sins without the shedding of blood (Leviticus), and it was the blood on the doorposts that caused the Angel of Death to pass over the Israelites…amazing stuff! So, in our household we learned the whole story, not just that the Jews got out of Egypt finally—though it makes for a nice abridged version.

2. Was chocolate covered matzah discovered yet? If not, they were totally missing out!!

Danielah Blackburn
Cincinnati, OH, Age: 21

1. There were always so many people around; whether it was at the big congregational seder, or at my family’s house, there were always people. Having so many people around made Passover feel like Christmas for Jewish people. Even though there was not a lot of festive decor (unless you count the shank bone) or presents, it is a special time of year when families and communities come together. The second thing I remember is laughter. Jews in a room with a lot of food they are not allowed to eat for about an hour and a few glasses of wine is a recipe for comedy. There was the year the cook took actual matzah and rolled it into balls for the soup. One jumped out of the bowl and rolled across the tablecloth. The third thing I remember is hearing the song “The Sacrifice Lamb” every year, to remind us of the sacrifice Yeshua made for us.

2. Why, on this night, do people concentrate on ridding themselves of physical leaven in their lives and not the spiritual leaven (aka sin?)

Charlotte Machado
Sebastian, FL, Age 18

1. I remember Passover always being around Easter with the cakes and pastries and not being able to eat any of them.

2. Why are we supposed to remember coming out of Egypt?

Micah Goldberg
Atlanta, GA, Age 20

1. I remember celebrating in Oregon when we were on vacation. We would put on a seder in a church for my grandparents. I remember having to answer the 4 questions at a very young age.

2. Why do I want to ask the 4 questions NOW… when I’m too old to be asking them?

Kerah Hanes
Ark City, KS, Age: 20

1. I remember an incredible story that’s rich with ancient history and culture, stage fright while singing the four questions with my sisters, the faces of the people who pile on the bitter herbs, and last but not least, the distractingly awesome smell of roasting lamb.

2. Why on this night do we dress up when the Israelites were in their traveling clothes?

Josiah Weinstein
Boca Raton, FL, Age: 22

1. I remember my mom going nuts cleaning the house, pulling everything out of the freezer, cabinets, etc. My mom had a recipe for charoset that was and still is amazing. My dad would cut up and marinate the lamb, and it smelled so good—but I hated it. Apparently before I can remember, I ate too much one Passover and threw it all up, and I can’t stand the taste ever since.

2. Why did God have to harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Austin Machado
Sebastian, FL, Age 15

1. I just remember the horseradish.

2. Why do we only use certain pages of the haggadah?