Lots of informative articles and pieces about Passover (beginning on April 19th) are available:  Of interest might be the following from a Jewish and Israeli view:

  • me-ander (blog), who has been sharing all the details in preparing the home and cleaning for Passover.  (I admire her labor and photos).  Access her blog HERE. One post of particular interest is about (in me-ander’s words)  ”The Passover Story Watch it here. It’s all in pictures, really amazing” – and do take time to read entries about Pesach Cleaning; and “The First Closet“.  Other entries since have been made since then!
  • thesanhedrin.org LEARN MORE ABOUT THE KORBAN PESACH
  • Aish.com has a whole section about Passover on their website HERE, with recipes, info about the Haggadda, and videos. In one video, Rabbi Moshe Feldman gives ten encouraging ideas on how to make the Passover Meal a true family occasion, involving everyone.  See “10 Ideas for Your Seder” HERE. 

From a Christian view come the following:

  • Hebrew For Christians website has a very informative article about ”Passover – The Festival of Deliverance“, including a brief overview, and information on how to prepare for Passover.
  • The Blue Letter Bible has a whole page dedicated to Passover and Resurrection Celebration, including a video about the Passion Week, scriptures covering the Passion week, including engravings with scriptures read aloud, and Bible studies by Spurgeon, Lambert Dolphin, Pastor Chuck Smith, Ray Stedman, and others.
  • Listen to a Passover Message by Bob Todd at Calvary Chapel Paradise several years ago, “Christ, Our Passover by Bob Todd” (MP3), or this study “Christ in the Passover by Ruth Rosen“ (MP3), (With thanks to: Living Torrents). This Easter message is HERE, titled “Reconciliation/Easter”
  • And finally, Passover explained by Dr. David Hocking from Hope For Today’s newsletter “HFT Connect” (you can sign up to get the weekly newsletter HERE)

HFT Connect, April 6th

“PASSOVER BEGINS AFTER SUNDOWN ON APRIL 19TH! All over the world Jewish people will be celebrating Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread beginning April 19th. The details are found in Exodus 12-13. In Exodus 12:14 we read “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” In the New Testament, I Corinthians 5:7-8 reads: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”Here is a brief outline of a Messianic Passover taken from the following passages: Exodus 12:1-20; Leviticus 23:4-8; Deuteronomy 16:1-8
The word “Haggadah” is Hebrew for “story” or “narrative” or “showing forth.” Add the meal, and it is called the “Seder” which means “order.”
Here are the items on the Seder plate:
1. Karpas, parsley, used for “dipping.” It reminds us of the arrival of spring when new growth begins. The Passover marks the end of slavery, but the beginning of a new of freedom, both physically and spiritually.
2. Zeroa, shank bone of a lamb, reminds us of the central theme of sacrifice in the celebration of the Passover.
3. Moror, bitter herbs, reminds us of the bitterness of slavery under the Egyptians, but also of the bitterness of life without true freedom and redemption.
4. Charoset, sweet mixture of nuts, apples, and wine, reminds us of the mortar used in building in Egypt, the sweet taste reminds us of God’s kindness which makes slavery easier to bear.
5. Chazeret, horseradish, used for the second “dipping”
6. Betazag, roasted egg, symbol of a “Festival Offering” offered in the temple on each of the three required festivals to attend, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Also called the “Chaggigah”, also a symbol of mourning over the loss of the two temples.
THE FOUR CUPS OF WINE Exodus 6:6-7
1. The Cup of Sanctification (Thanksgiving) “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians”
2. The Cup of Judgment (Plagues) “I will rid you out of their bondage”
3. The Cup of Redemption (Blessing) “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments”
4. The Cup of Praise “I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
The meal begins with the “Brechat HaNer”, the blessing of the candles, the lady of the house lights them, reminds us that the Messiah was the Seed of the woman to bring light to the world.
1. The “Kiddush” the first cup of sanctification and thanksgiving, everyone drinks of it.
2. The “Urchatz” the washing of the hands, probably the place where our Lord washed the disciples’ feet John 13:1-17
3. The “Karpas”, parsley dipped in small bowl of salt water, represents the tears shed in Egypt and the Red Sea, both of which are salty, everyone eats the parsley dipped in salt water.
4. The “Yachutz” breaking of the middle matzah, symbolizing our Lord’s death, being broken for us, matzah is “pierced” and “striped” and “unleavened”, hidden (His burial) and later to appear resurrection), afikomen, “dessert”
5. The “Maggid” “telling of the story of the Exodus”
6. The Four Questions
1. Why is this night different from all other nights when we can eat regular bread, but on this night, only unleavened bread?
2. Why do we eat only bitter herbs?
3. Why do we dip two times?
4. Why do we recline while we eat?
7. The “Makot” (slayings), the cup of plagues. The use of the finger reminds us of the “finger of God” mentioned in Exodus 8:15.
8. “Zeroa” (shank bone), reminds us that our Messiah is the Lamb of God!
9. “Sulchan Orech” (dinner is served)
10. “Afikomen” Breaking of Bread, after dinner.
11. The third cup, the Cup of Redemption
12. The Cup of Elijah filled and the door opened
13. The fourth cup, The Cup of Praise
ON SUNDAY, after the week in which Passover occurs, the Jewish people celebrate “FIRSTFRUITS”, the first crop (barley) was cut and brought. 50 days later (Sunday) the second crop (wheat) was brought, Pentecost in Greek, Shavuot in Hebrew. I Cor. 15:20-23, the Resurrection is being pictured by the celebration of “FIRSTFRUITS”!
And, as Jews around the world will say: “NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!” 

And HFT Connect, April 13th:

“PASSOVER AND UNLEAVENED BREAD This coming weekend is Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Jews from all over the world will be celebrating the redemption and deliverance which the LORD GOD of ISRAEL brought to His people over three thousand years ago! Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua as their Messiah and Lord will also be celebrating this coming week. One of the features of this time of year in Jewish families is the use of matzo or unleavened bread. The instructions were clearly given in Exodus 12:15-20 and Exodus 13:6-7. It was commanded, “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread,” says Exodus 12:15, and Exodus 23:15 adds, “Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread, as I commanded thee.” The consequence of not obeying the LORD in this matter was pretty severe. Exodus 12:15 says “for whosoever eateth leavened bread (made with yeast) from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.” Interestingly, Exodus 12:19 adds: “whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.” This was to be celebrated forever. Exodus 12:17 says: “therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever.” Deuteronomy 16:3 tells us why, “that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt, all the days of thy life.”
In Ezra 6:22 it remind us that they “kept the feast of unleavened bread even days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful.”
BUT, WHY UNLEAVENED BREAD, AND NOT REGULAR BREAD? Leaven (yeast) is a substance that affects all that it touches, a process of fermentation. The New Testament tells us that fact in I Corinthians 5:6: “your glorying is not good, Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” The same thing is said in Galatians 5:9. The Jewish Talmud (Berechot 17a) says that “leaven represents the evil impulse of the heart.”
Leaven was a symbol of that which is sinful. It represented the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:5-12), hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and malice and wickedness (I Corinthians 5:8). Unleavened bread is, therefore, the symbol needed to teach us about our Lord Yeshua. It represented the following things about Him:
1. It POINTS to His physical body ,”This is My body”
2. It PROCLAIMS His death ,”My body, which is broken for you”
3. It PROMOTES the fellowship of believers (I Corinthians 10:16) ,”the bread which we break is the communion (fellowship) of the body of Christ”
4. It PRESENTS the need of faith ,”as often as ye eat this bread”
5. It PROPAGATES the truth of His sinlessness, II Corinthians 5:21 says “Who knew no sin” and Hebrews 4:15 ,”yet without sin”
6. It PICTURES His suffering for us ,the stripes of unleavened bread that are caused by the griddle that cooks it ,remind us of Isaiah 53:5 ,”with His stripes we are healed” and the piercing of His side is seen by the piercing of the bread. Zechariah 12:10, “they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced” (cf. John 19:36-37).
I Corinthians 5:8 tells us: “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Our LORD YESHUA is the BREAD OF LIFE!”

Another Hope For Today article about Passover is HERE