The festival of Passover….And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the LORD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it.

For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes … you shall guard the unleavened bread because on this very day, I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. (Exodus 12:14-17)

When is Passover?

The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

And, by following the rituals of Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the
true freedom that our ancestors gained.

What is Passover?

The Passover Story in a Nutshell

After many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, God saw the people’s distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me.”

But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed Gd’s command. Gd then sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops.

At the stroke of midnight of 15 Nissan, God visited the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, Gd spared the Children of Israel, “passing over” their homes—hence the name of the holiday.

Pharaoh’s resistance was broken, and he virtually chased his former slaves out of the land.

The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way
did not have time to rise. Six hundred thousand adult males, plus many more women and children, left Egypt on that day, and began the trek to Mount Sinai and their birth as God’s chosen people.

Passover Observances

To commemorate the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, we don’t eat—or even retain in our possession—any chametz from midday of the day before Passover until the conclusion of the holiday.

What is Chametz?

Chametz means leavened grain—any food or drink that contains even a trace
of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives, and which wasn’t guarded from leavening or fermentation. This includes bread, cake, cookies, cereal, pasta and most alcoholic beverages.

Moreover, almost any processed food or drink can be assumed to be chametz unless certified otherwise.

Ridding our homes of chametz is an intensive process. It involves a full-out spring-cleaning search-and-destroy mission during the weeks before Passover, and culminates with a ceremonial search for chametz on the night before Passover, and then a burning of the chametz ceremony on the morning before the holiday.

Instead of chametz, we eat matzah—flat unleavened bread. It is a mitzvah to partake of matzah on the two Seder nights, and during the rest of the holiday it is optional.

The Passover Seder

The highlight of Passover is the Seder, observed on each of the first two nights of the holiday. The Seder is a fifteen-step family-oriented tradition and ritual-packed feast.

At Shuvah Yisrael our Seder acknowledges that Yeshua is our Passover lamb that was sacrificed for our redemption.

Come celebrate with us the great deeds of the God of Israel.

We will commemorate our deliverance from Egypt and our redemption through Messiah Yeshua.

Come celebrate together the great deeds of the God of Israel. We will commemorate our deliverance from Egypt and our redemption through Messiah Yeshua.

Join Us for Our Seder

This will be a “family friendly” seder with learning for the entire family. A full-course Passover meal will be served.

For more information and registration go to https://signup.com/go/PzXsORB
Date: Thursday, April 6th
Time: Seating begins at 5:30 pm. We will begin at 6PM and conclude @8PM
Place: Praise Christian Fellowship, 52 New Hartford Rd. Barkhamsted, CT
Admission:
$25 per person; $15 children 6-12: children 5 and under$3
Due to limited space please register early. Everyone MUST RSVP AND PAY NO LATER THAN MARCH
30th TO RESERVE PLACES.
Registration is online only