Passover

Last week was great because the Passover fell right in between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday! We took the opportunity to celebrate Passover this year with a Seder. Matthew did some research and found a couple of Haggadahs, scripts basically, for how to lead the Seder. We began with a Hebrew prayer and the hostess (me) lighting the candles. Then we followed as closely as we could the basic traditions with 4 different cups of wine (grape juice) praising the Lord, washing the hands, and talking about the Seder plate. The Seder plate consisted of 7 items: The Shankbone of a Lamb, 2 bitter herbs, usually horseradish and romaine roots, parsley, a non bitter herb, charoset (haroset), a yummy concoction of apples, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, lemon juice, and grape juice, and salt water, and a roasted egg. The shankbone is in rememberance of the Sacrifice, ultimately for Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us, the bitter herbs remind us of the bitterness of bondage, the parsley and the roasted egg reminds us of spring and new life, the salt water represents the slave's tears, and the charoset is reminiscent of the mortar used. There was also Matzah, unleavened bread, because the slave's did not have time for the bread to rise in their haste and the hot sun baked the unleavened bread.
We did not have the more traditional meal of gifilte fish or matzo ball soup, although I would love to learn how to make them. Mainly, I just could not stand to buy something prepped that looked disgusting and probably full of preservatives. Instead we enjoyed turkey with some wonderful friends that we attend church with (the Duffields). It was great to bring in the traditions of other religions and also to feel the Spirit and remember our Savior through it all. It is little known that when we look for the coming of Elijah at the end of the Seder, that Elijah did come during the Passover to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple. The Lord fulfills His promises and will continue to do so!