Passover

2
nd
th
Passover
– 5 grade Sunday school
March 29, 2015
Students will experience the Seder meal to understand the
connection to The Last Supper as Jesus ate with and spoke to his
disciples.
The following includes:
1) A pamphlet to explain the foods and traditions associated with a
Passover meal also called the Seder. We’ll have copies for you in the
room also.
2) Background information for the teachers so that they can explain the
meal to students as they are introduced to the Seder
3) New Testament scripture and context to help explain to students that
Jesus was having a Passover meal with the disciples in the Upper
Room and how it connects to Communion that we celebrate now.
We will have the food items, plates, cups, etc. for you on that morning. All
children will go to the Sanctuary AT 9:45 for the palm procession. While
they are gone, teachers and a team of helpers can finish getting the tables
set so that children will have a sampling of the foods and grape juice to
experience a Seder meal together. Once students return to their rooms,
teachers begin with an explanation of what they are about to experience
and why. Ensure that you focus on the explanation of the Seder and
connection to Communion. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, followed by
Maundy Thursday to remember the Last Supper and Good Friday to
remember the day that Jesus died upon the cross. All of these events lead
us to Easter Sunday when we celebrate that Jesus rose from the grave,
defeating death, and providing everlasting life.
Let’s Have a Passover Seder!
his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and
his courts with praise; give thanks
to him and praise his name. For the
L ORD is good and his love endures
forever; his faithfulness continues
through all generations.”
Psalm 100
Step 14: Finish by drinking the rest
of your grape juice.
Step 11: Remember that piece of
matzah that got hidden earlier?
Now you get to look for it—and
eat it!
Step 12: Thank God for a delicious
meal and then take a third drink of
grape juice.
Step 13: Read Psalm 100 or sing
your favorite praise song to God for
the great miracles he performed for
the Jewish people.
“Shout for joy to the L ORD, all the
earth. Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the L ORD is God. It is he
who made us, and we are his; we are
—————————————
Now you have enjoyed a traditional
Jewish Seder meal. This will help you
too to realize how God loves you and
has set you free to enjoy
life in His care.
Let’s Have a
Passover Seder!
Passover is an important Jewish holiday when Jews
celebrate the fact that more than three thousand years
ago God rescued their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.
This miraculous story is found in the Bible, along
with instructions from God to the Jews about holding
a special meal, called a Seder, to remember the great
work He did at Passover.
P
erhaps there’s a food that
reminds you of a certain event
that happened in the past.
Maybe Smores make you think of
camping out. Or turkey makes you
think of Thanksgiving.
In a similar way, Jewish people
use certain foods at the Seder meal to
remind them of what God did to save
them at Passover.
Special Foods
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2600
Chicago, IL 60602-3356
info@ifcj.org • ifcj.org • 800-486-8844
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, President
Credits—Page 1: shepherd boy illustration—Jpegwiz/dreamstime.com, Passover cup—Bratan/iStockphotos.com, Seder plate—Liudmila Chernova/iStockphotos.com,
Passover food illustrations—bortonia/dreamstime.com. Page 2: Passover meal illustration—copyright free. Page 3: Matzah bread—Michael Flippo/dreamstime.com,
Girl breaking matzah—Noam Armonn/dreamstime.com. Page 4: Boy eating matzah and reading—Noam Armonn/dreamstime.com
Here are some of the foods included
in the Seder meal and what these mean:
Charoset is a mixture of apples,
nuts, and grape juice that
reminds Jews of the mixture
that the Israelite slaves used
to make bricks and of the
hard work the slaves did.
Zeroa is a piece of roasted lamb.
This reminds Jews of the lamb that
God told them to prepare for
a special meal the night
before they were freed
from Egyptian slavery.
Maror and chazeret are two
bitter herbs, though some Jews use
horseradish and romaine
lettuce instead of these
sharp herbs. These
foods remind Jews of
their bitter lives as slaves in Egypt.
Baytza is an egg that is first
hard-boiled and then roasted.
Jews serve this at the Seder
meal as a reminder of the festival
sacrifice during the time when a great
Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem.
Karpas is a green vegetable, usually
parsley or celery, that reminds
Jews that everything is alive
and new in the Spring, when
Passover usually occurs.
Before You Begin
Seder is a special meal, so we eat it
at a table and make special preparations.
Below is an adapted Seder for you to
follow. You will need the following
items: grape juice, romaine lettuce
(instead of maror and chazeret),
(Continued inside)
Let’s Have a Passover Seder!
applesauce or applesauce mixed with
Grape-Nuts (instead of charoset), saltwater, water in a bowl (or hand sanitizer
or wet wipes), parsley or celery
(instead of karpas), and a stack
of three matzah crackers.
Matzah is a special bread made
without yeast that is similar to
what the Israelites took
with them when they
quickly escaped Egypt.
You will also need
a cup and plate for everyone
at the table, as well as a copy
of the Passover story from
the Bible.
Now that you have these
items on your table, let’s talk about
the one action you get to do during the
meal: lean.
This Seder tradition comes from the
fact that long ago when the Israelites
were still slaves in Egypt, people who
were rich and powerful reclined at the
table when they ate meals.
They did this because they were in no
hurry and had no worries. In contrast,
poor people and slaves would eat while
seated on the floor.
Because the Seder celebrates the
fact that God rescued the Israelites from
slavery and made them free, the Jews
lean on the table during
the Seder meal to feel
like free people did
back then.
Leaning reminds
them that they are
celebrating their
freedom from slavery.
Now you are ready
to celebrate the Seder meal!
The Seder Service
Step 1: Bless the grape juice and then
pour a cup for each guest at the meal.
Everyone takes a drink.
Step 2: Time to wash up! Jews
traditionally wash their hands at
Seder by pouring water on their right
hand three times and then on their
left hand three times. If you can’t
do that, use some hand sanitizer or a
wet wipe to get your hands clean.
Step 3: Take a small piece of your
parsley or celery and dip it in saltwater. As you eat this and taste the
bitter salt, remember the bitter life the
Jews knew when they were slaves.
Step 4: Find the middle matzah from
the stack of three and break it in
two. Pay attention! The larger piece
of the two broken halves is called the
Afikoman. It gets hidden, and you’re
going to look for it later.
Step 5: Read the Passover story from
your handout and then ask the
following four questions. Usually
the youngest child gets to ask four
questions to guide the conversation,
but today we’ll all take turns.
Question 1: Why do we eat
matzah on Passover?
Answer: When Pharaoh finally
let the Jews leave Egypt, they were
in a great hurry to get away from
their life of slavery. There wasn’t
time to let their bread dough rise
before baking it,
so they took the
raw dough with
them into the
dessert. There
they cooked it into
hard crackers called matzah.
Question 2: Why do we eat
bitter herbs at our Seder?
Answer: The bitter herbs remind
us of the bitterness of slavery and the
difficult life the Israelites had before
God rescued them.
Question 3: Why do we
dip the green vegetable in
saltwater and the bitter
herbs in charoset?
Answer: The green vegetable
reminds us of the new life and growth
we see in the Spring. Saltwater
reminds us of the tears from the
Israelite slaves. So dipping the green
vegetable into the saltwater is like the
new life that came from the difficult
life the Israelites used to know.
Bitter herbs dipped in charoset
remind us of the bitterness of slavery.
Charoset has a rough texture like the
clay used to make bricks for Pharaoh.
Question 4: Why do we lean
while we eat the Seder meal?
Answer: Leaning represents the
comforts of freedom. As slaves, the
Israelites knew little comfort. So we
lean to remember and celebrate that
God set them free.
Step 6: After you finish reading the
story and answering the questions,
drink more grape juice.
Step 7: Wash your hands again, only
this time say a blessing as you wash.
Blessed are You, L ord our God, King
of the universe, Who has sanctified
us with His commandments, and
commanded us to wash our hands.
Step 8: Say the blessing for eating
bread, and then these special blessings.
Blessing 1: Blessed are You, L ord
our God, King of the universe,
Who brings forth
bread from
the earth.
Blessing 2:
Blessed are
You, L ord our
God, King of the universe,
Who has sanctified us with His
commandments, and commanded us
concerning the eating of matzah.
Step 9: Time to eat the matzah.
Step 10: Say a blessing over the
bitter herbs, or romaine lettuce. Dip
them in the applesauce mixture
(charoset) and then eat them.
(Continued on back page)
Jesus celebrated the Passover meal in Jerusalem with
his disciples the night before he died. This meal,
celebrated by Jesus, is now called the Last Supper.
LUKE 22:8-13; 17-20
8
So Jesus said to Peter and John, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.’ 9But
they asked, ‘Where do you want us to prepare it?’ 10Jesus told them, ‘As you go into the city,
you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house 11and say to the
owner, “Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his
disciples.”12The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to
use. Prepare the meal there.’ 13Peter and John left. They found everything just as Jesus had
told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
17
Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles,
‘Take this wine and share it with each other. 18I tell you that I will not drink any more wine
until God's kingdom comes. 19Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He
broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, ‘This is my body, which is
given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!’ 20After the meal he took another cup of
wine in his hands. Then he said, ‘This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God
makes his new agreement.’
MATTHEW 26:17-19; 26-30
17
On the first day of the Festival of Thin Bread, Jesus' disciples came to him and asked,
‘Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?’ 18Jesus told them to go to a certain
man in the city and tell him, ‘Our teacher says, “My time has come! I want to eat the
Passover meal with my disciples in your home.”’ 19They did as Jesus told them and
prepared the meal.
26
During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it.
Then he gave it to his disciples and said, ‘Take this and eat it. This is my body.’ 27Jesus
picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said,
‘Take this and drink it. 28This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It
will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven. 29From now on I am not
going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom.’ 30Then they
sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
MARK 14:13-16; 22-26
13
Jesus said to two of the disciples, ‘Go into the city, where you will meet a man carrying a
jar of water. Follow him, 14and when he goes into a house, say to the owner, “Our teacher
wants to know if you have a room where he can eat the Passover meal with his
disciples.” 15The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room furnished and
ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there.’16The two disciples went into the city and
found everything just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.
22
During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it.
Then he gave it to his disciples and said, ‘Take this. It is my body.’ 23Jesus picked up a cup
of wine and gave thanks to God. He gave it to his disciples, and they all drank some. 24Then
he said, ‘This is my blood, which is poured out for many people, and with it God makes his
agreement. 25From now on I will not drink any wine, until I drink new wine in God's
kingdom.’ 26Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
COMMENTARY
Jesus celebrated the Passover meal in Jerusalem with his disciples the night before he
died. The Passover meal was (and still is) a very important meal to Jewish people that
commemorates the Exodus. This meal, celebrated by Jesus, is now called the Last Supper.
Like all important meals, it was prepared for in a special way (Luke 22: 7-18).
The Passover was a communal celebration. Usually families celebrated the Passover
together and so it is interesting to note who Jesus chose to celebrate this, his final
Passover, with – his closest friends and followers. The communal aspect of the Eucharist is
far more than a group of people sharing a meal, it is the coming together of those who
share the belief in the Kingdom of God. When people go to Mass they are remembering
Jesus’ Life, Death and Resurrection and making a communal commitment to go and share
God’s love in the world.
The night before he was crucified, Jesus took bread and wine, and said to his
Apostles:
Take this all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body…
Take this all of you, and drink from it for this is the chalice of my blood...
Do this in memory of me.’ (Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayers)
The Apostles in their ministry carried out this command of Jesus. They knew that each time
they repeated the actions and words of Jesus at the Last Supper, Jesus through the power
of the Holy
Spirit would change the bread and wine into his Body and Blood. The followers of Jesus
have continued to carry out this command to take, bless, break and give in the same way
throughout time by celebrating the Eucharist.
For Reflection and Discussion:
Using simple props (a table, figurines, wine cup, bread), tell the story of the Last
Supper from the above texts. Discuss with students what they might have seen, heard,
tasted, felt and smelled if they had been at the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples.
Discuss the food they may have eaten, what they might have spoken about, what hymn
they may have sung.
Make a visual link to the Eucharist by then changing the Last Supper scene into a Mass
setting by moving the disciples to form the congregation, in front of the table/altar, leaving
Jesus behind the altar and placing a board with a cross on it behind the altar. Discuss with
students what the scene now looks like and how each component comes together in Mass
– the Priest is Jesus and he uses the same actions and words Jesus did, we call the table
an altar, the people who go to Mass (the community) are the disciples celebrating together.
Discuss with students what they see, hear, taste, feel and smell at Mass.
2
Compare the preparations for a familiar celebration (eg. birthday party) to the
preparation for the Mass.
Consider food, decorations, special clothes, people who attend, words said/sung and
actions.
FOR REFLECTION

I wonder how the disciples felt when they shared this special meal with Jesus.

I wonder how Peter and John felt about getting the special meal ready for Jesus and their
friends.

I wonder what Jesus and his disciples talked about at the Last Supper.

Why was the Last Supper so important to Jesus?

Why is it so important to us?

I wonder how the disciples felt about being all together with Jesus to share this special
meal.

Have you seen some of the actions that Jesus did in the Last Supper story in worship when
we celebrate communion?

Have you heard some of the words that Jesus said in the Last Supper story in worship
when we celebrate communion?