The Third Grade Class learn and participate in the Passover Seder Dinner as Mrs. Koenigsberger guides the students through the student as they use our "hands-on" Good Shepherd approach to learning.

Passover Seder Dinner:

God told the Israelites the Passover shall be commemorated by eating the lamb roasted over the fire, unleavened bread called matzoh, and with bitter herbs, usually horseradish. There have been other elements added to the plate, including green vegetables, a roasted egg, haroset (apple, nut and wine mixture - that symbolizes the brick and the mortar that Israel's enslaved ancestors had been forced to make in Egypt), a bowl of water for washing the hands after each part of the meal, a dish of salt water and four cups of wine.

All of the foods are placed on a special Passover plate which is placed over the three ceremonial matzoh. The matzoh is placed in a linen pouch called the matzoh tash. Within the matzoh tash were three different section. One piece of matzoh is placed in each section, individually set apart yet united in the one container.

The meal is in two parts: the ceremonial foods; the matzoh, horseradish, roasted meat, haroset and other items which are eaten first and the feasting foods; soup, lamb or some other meat, vegetables, and dessert.

An empty table is set for the Seder Passover Dinner to represent the Prophet Elijah; in hopes that he would come to announce the coming of the Messiah.

The Third Grade Class prepare to learn about the Messianic Passover Haggadah.

Roger, Brenna and Josh raise their glasses because...

When Jesus began His last Passover supper, He offered a cup to His disciples and said, "Take this, all of you, and drink from it" (Lk.22:17). Let's hold up our first cup together and bless the Lord!

Grace is washing Sam's hands to represent...

When we wash each others' hands, we remember how Jesus, on the night of His last Passover supper, poured water into a bowl and washed the disciples' feet for them, like a servant. He asked them, "Do you understand what I, your Lord and Teacher, have done for you? Now in your hearts you should be willing to do the same kinds of things for each other" (Jn.13:12-14).

Sabrina respectfully washes Nikki's hands...

while Mrs. K helps Roger was his.

Why is Matthew holding up this piece of celery?

To represent Parsley... God commands His people to celebrate certain special holidays every year forever.

The Third Graders dunk their celery into a glass of salt water...

We dip our celery in the salt water and eat it to remind us of our ancestors' tears and of how miserable our own sin makes us. We also remember how God parted the salty Red Sea to lead His people to new life.

Mrs. Koenigsberger holds the Matzoh high for all to see...

On all other nights we eat any kind of bread, but on Passover we eat matzoh, unleavened bread. When our ancestors left Egypt, they were in such a hurry they didn't have time to let their dough rise. Instead, the baked it flat. The Scriptures tell us that leaven is a symbol of sin.

The Bitter Herb...Radish represents...on Passover we eat maror, bitter ones, to remember how bitter life was for our ancestors in Egypt.

The Children Sing...

The Second Cup: The Cup of Plagues...

When we say the name of each plague, dip a finger into your cup and let a drop fall onto your napkin, making the cup of joy a little less full as we remember the cost of our freedom.
Blood--Frogs--Lice--Wild Animals--Cattle Disease--Boils--Hail--Locusts--Darkness--Death of the Firstborn!

The Haroset: The Israelites worked very hard to make brick and clay to build cities for Pharaoh. We remember this in a mixture called haroset, made from apples, cinnamon, honey, nuts, and wine. Now again scoop some maror onto a piece of matzoh, but this time, before eating it, dip it into the sweet haroset. We dip the bitter into the sweet to remember that even the most bitter things in life can be sweetened by our hope in God.

Last is the egg. It is called hagigah, a name signifying the traditional offering brought to the Temple on feast days. The egg is now a symbol of mourning, reminding us of the destruction of the holy temple in Jerusalem. The hardness of the shell also reminds us of the hardness of Pharaoh's heart--and of every heart that won't accept God's love. But the egg is also a sign of new birth and eternal life, since the shape of it shows no beginning and no end. God wants us to break the sadness and hardness of our hearts and be born into new life, everlasting life with Him. We will share the egg later, during the seder meal.

Remember God's promise, "You will be my people and I will be your God" (Ex.6:7)