BEHOLD THE LAMB

An Original Messianic Celebration of Passover

Leigh Rood Fransen

Behold the Lamb:

An Original Messianic Celebration of Passover

Copyright 2013 - Leigh Rood Fransen.  All Rights Reserved.

Published by Aviv Moon Productions.

www.aroodawakening.tv

Ebooks are not transferable.  They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

All Rights are reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the owner.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Preparations

Passover Service

Song Options

Recipes

Week Of Unleavened Bread

About The Author

Foreword

I first laid eyes on this Passover haggadah (telling) an hour before my plane landed in Buenos Aires.  For the previous ten years I had celebrated Passover at our home in Israel, but this year I decided to go into exile to share the Gospel of the Kingdom with the saints of Argentina.

Each re-telling of the Passover story focuses on our deliverance from slavery in Egypt – but until its fulfillment, it was a fore-telling of the messianic fulfillment of the prophetic shadow pictures embedded in the Temple service.  Now we look back at the event and remember what Yeshua accomplished on that momentous day in Jerusalem.

For our family, no two Passovers Seders (order of service) were ever the same.  Each year was an opportunity to take a different path to the cross where “the Lamb of God” was the substitute for not only the nation of Israel, but for the whole world. This year, I was about to tell the Passover story in English and Spanish in the city of Cordoba. I was proofreading my eldest daughter’s proposed haggadah text at this most propitious moment.

As I read Behold the Lamb – an Original Messianic Celebration of Passover I imagined myself, with an interpreter, telling the Passover story from this unique perspective.  It was simple, inspiring, and unencumbered with the rabbinic traditions that often cloak the beauty of the original Temple service.  This was the spirit of the service that King David put in place – a prophetic picture of the coming Messiah.  Right then, for the first time in my life, I decided to follow a written haggadah in my telling of the Passover story.  Neither I, nor anyone at the table that night, will forget that beautiful, life-changing experience as we “beheld the Lamb” in this distinctively messianic Seder.

This Passover haggadah will guide you through a family or congregational experience that will take you through the history of a male lamb as the substitution for Abraham’s son, Isaac; for the sons of Israel; and for all the sons of Adam.  Even in exile, you can still enjoy the fun and foreshadowing festivities embedded in the Feasts of יהוה with friends and family this Passover.

Next year in Jerusalem…

Michael Rood,

A Rood Awakening! From Israel

Introduction

For over 15 years I have witnessed thousands of people becoming excited about celebrating the feasts of יהוה, only to find frustration when trying to figure out exactly how they should celebrate.  Many go to the traditions of rabbinic Judaism, copying Jewish services for a lack of any other option.  For those who follow Messiah Yeshua, this presents some challenges.  After all, Yeshua expressly commanded us not to follow the doctrines and commandments of men over the commandments of יהוה.  The modern Jewish Passover “seder,” the product of nearly two thousand years of traditions added after the destruction of the Temple, leaves a lot to be desired.

How should we then celebrate?

This booklet features a uniquely messianic Passover service.  After years of using other haggadahs (literally “the telling”), I decided to focus on keeping the service concise, family-friendly, and yet profound.  I started from scratch, opting to tell the story of Passover from the framework of the creation and redemption of humankind through Messiah Yeshua.

This service is short enough to complete in about 30 minutes, depending on the songs chosen, and is intended to be finished before dinner is served.  A few elements are borrowed from other services at my discretion.  You should feel free to use this haggadah as a guide to develop your own family or congregation seder.  My goal was to make a service that would be memorable and meaningful, and fill a need in our local community of messianic believers.  I hope you are blessed by it.

I have opted to render the holy name of the Father יהוה  in Hebrew letters.  The correct pronunciation for this name is a matter of some controversy; please pronounce it as best suits your conviction.  “God” has been replaced with the transliterated Hebrew Elohim, pronounced “el-o-heem.”

Preparations

1. Clean house!

Exodus 12:14-15 states, “So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a Feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have removed leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”

What is leaven?  This is a matter of some dispute.  Leaven is anything that causes dough or bread to ferment and rise.  So, any kind of baked good is clearly leaven: bread, muffins, bagels, etc.  Many have chosen to rid their homes of anything that lists a leavening agent on the ingredient list, for example: yeast, sodium bicarbonate, baking powder, beer.  This sometimes includes food items that don’t seem to be leavened.  Ingredients like “yeast extract” are avoided by some families and ignored by others.  You are encouraged to rid your house of “leaven” to the point of your conviction.

In our family, we identify all the “leaven” in our house about a month before Passover.  During that month, we try to “eat down” all the leaven, so there isn’t much left.  We save a little bit for the day of Passover, and then we hide the pieces in the house for the children to find.  They search the house until all the pieces are accounted for, and then we remove it from our property and say a prayer.  Leaven can represent sin, and this is our way of symbolically searching our lives and hearts for sin, and casting it away.

Many families equate removing the leaven from their homes with a kind of “spring cleaning.”  This is can be a nice tradition.  Every room is cleaned carefully with the idea that crumbs of leaven could be lurking.  Even the toaster is carefully cleaned out to eradicate breadcrumbs.  Be sure to take the last of the leavened trash out!  We have sometimes taken the last (small) bag of trash to a local gas station for disposal, so the leavened trash would not be on our property for Passover.  Some families burn the remaining leaven.

2. Decorate!

How, and to what extent, you decorate for Passover is up to you.  I recommend at least a nice table centerpiece.  You will need this for some of the suggestions in the service in this booklet.  I like to use the motif of lambs.  Stuffed animal lambs and/or small plastic toy lambs are good options.  You might incorporate some candles, which are used in the service.  A small symbolic doorway can be constructed from almost any medium if you prefer not to use an actual doorway during the service.

3. Set Places!

Each place setting needs to have a plate, eating utensils, and a cup for grape juice or wine.  There should be a candle designated for each participant; the easiest way to do this is to put tea candles in a shallow glass at each place.  In addition, each participant needs to have access to a few symbolic food items: plain matzah, bitter herb, parsley, and matzah spread with butter and honey.  These can be placed on each plate, or on one or more platters for the table to share.  It is a good idea to place carafes of grape juice or wine on the table so the cups can be refilled as necessary.

For bitter herb, I like to just buy fresh horseradish root and peel and shred it myself.  You may use any plant you find bitter.

4. Food!

Passover is a feast, and food is a vital part of any feast.  Show יהוה that his Feasts are important to you by splurging as much as you can to have really good food on Passover.  Suggested foods for dinner include roasted lamb (Deuteronomy 16:1-7) and sodden oxen (also known as stewed beef) (2 Chronicles 35:12-13).  In the Orthodox Jewish tradition lamb is not served, and an intentionally broken lamb shank is displayed during the meal to remind the participants that this seder is not a true Passover sacrifice.  In the absence of the Temple, and in obedience to the scripture (Deuteronomy 16:5), everyone must understand that this is not an actual Passover sacrifice lamb.  However, this should not discourage believers from enjoying this particular meat on this day, provided it is clear to guests that this lamb is dinner, not a sacrifice.

Service for Passover: Instructions

One participant should be the designated reader, to read aloud all plain text.

All bolded portions are for all participants to read aloud in unison.  Anything in [brackets] does not need to be read aloud, but may be explained by the designated reader.

Passages in italics are to be read as if they were the voice of the Almighty by a selected reader.

Each participant should have: a candle and matches; a cup of wine or grape juice and access to refills; access to a real or symbolic doorpost; access to a plate containing matzah, bitter herb, parsley, and matzah spread with butter and honey; a copy of this booklet.

The planner should pre-select songs to be sung at intervals as desired.  Suggestions are provided.

Passover Service

The story of Passover begins at the very beginning, when darkness was on the face of the deep.  And Elohim said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

[Participants each light a candle.]

“Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, Creator of the Universe, who created light and said that it was good.”

Elohim created the Earth and every living thing in it.  He created male and female humans and put them in the Garden of Eden.  Elohim told them they could eat the fruit of any tree, except for one.  But the woman and the man did eat from that tree, and in that moment, sin entered the world.  No longer could the man, Adam, and the woman, Havah, walk with Elohim, nor could they live in the perfect garden He had created for them.  But Elohim longed for people to walk with Him again, so he made a plan to reunite the Creator with the created.

Many years later, there was a man named Avram who lived in Ur.  יהוה called Avram to come out of Ur, leave everything behind and dwell in Canaan.  Avram did so, but had to go to Egypt due to famine.  When Avram was able to leave Egypt, יהוה told Avram that he would give the land of Canaan to Avram and his descendants forever.

יהוה empowered Avram to defeat all the pagan kings in the land.  It was then that Melekh-Tzedek, the King of Righteousness, priest of El Elyon, brought out bread and wine, blessed the Almighty, and blessed Avram.  Thus was instituted the blessing for bread and wine.

[Holding up matzah:] “Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

[All eat a piece of matzah.]

[Holding up wine:] “Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, King of the Universe, who gives us the fruit of the vine.”

[All drink some wine and refill cup if needed.]

For a long time Avram had no children.  יהוה changed his name to Avraham and promised that he would be father to many.  At times Avraham doubted יהוה’s promise that his descendents would be as numerous as the dust of the earth.  But his wife Sarah conceived and bore him a son who he named Yitzchak.  This son was to be a father to a great nation.

After these things, Elohim tested Avraham.  He said to him,

“Avraham! Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitzchak, and offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you.”

Avraham prepared to do as he was told.  Yitzchak asked him, “Father, I see the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”  Avraham replied, “יהוה will provide himself the lamb.”  Avraham built an altar, then bound and prepared to sacrifice his son.  At that moment, an angel called out to him,

“Avraham!  Don’t lay your hand on him!  Now I know you are a man who fears יהוה.”

Avraham saw a ram with his horns caught in a nearby thorny thicket.  This was the replacement יהוה had provided!  Avraham offered up the ram instead of his son.  Thus was instituted the “shadow picture” of a male lamb as a substitute offering.

Yitzchak later had a son named Yaakov, also called Yisrael, and Yisrael had twelve sons.  When a famine again came over the land of Canaan, Yisrael’s tribe relocated to Egypt, just as Avraham had once done.  The people of Yisrael stayed in Egypt and became slaves to Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  They were forced to make bricks and build cities and temples dedicated to the pagan Egyptian gods.

We eat bitter herbs to remind us of how bitter slavery is.

[Participants each take a taste of bitter herbs.]

Many years later, a new Pharaoh was afraid of the people of Yisrael.  He cruelly decreed that all their newborn sons must be killed.  One mother hid her son and put him in a basket on the river Nile.  An Egyptian princess found the child and named him Moshe.  Moshe was raised in Pharaoh’s house.  When he was a grown man he left Egypt and dwelt in Midyan, and became a shepherd.

One day, Moshe saw a burning bush on a mountain.  The bush seemed to be on fire, but was not being burned up.  Moshe went up to see the amazing sight.  When he got there, יהוה called to him saying,

“Moshe, Moshe! Take your sandals off your feet, because the place you are standing is holy ground.  I am the Elohim of your father, of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.  I have seen how my people are being oppressed in Egypt and I have heard their cry.  I am going to bring them out of Egypt to a good land flowing with milk and honey.  Therefore I will send you to Pharaoh, so you can lead the descendents of Yisrael out of Egypt.”

Moshe went to Pharaoh and demanded that he let the people go.  But Pharaoh said, “Who is this יהוה that I should let Yisrael go?  I don’t know יהוה and I won’t let the people go!”

So יהוה sent ten plagues upon Egypt:

[Each participant uses a finger to put a spot of wine on their plate for each plague:]

Blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death.

[Suggested songs: Ten Plagues of Egypt, Go Down Moses, Take Us Out of Egypt]

The last plague, death, came upon all the firstborn of Egypt.  To keep the firstborn of Israel safe, יהוה told them that each family should choose a lamb.  The lamb must be perfect, a male in its first year, and none of its bones were to be broken.  Each family slaughtered the lamb at dusk, and smeared the lamb’s blood on their doorway.  יהוה said,

“I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn, both men and animals, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt.  The blood will serve as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the death blow will not strike you.”

[Participants take wine, as a symbol of blood, and use parsley to apply it to the outside doorways of the house.  Alternately, it may be applied to the symbolic doorways in the centerpieces on the table.  In absence of either option, wine may be applied to participants’ plates in the shape of a doorway.]

The people had to prepare their meals quickly that night, because they were getting ready to leave Egypt.  They ate unleavened bread, or matzah.  יהוה commanded that every year we eat only matzah and no leavened bread for seven days, so each year we celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

So the people of Israel left Egypt and camped by the Red Sea.  Pharaoh decided to pursue them, and יהוה blocked his way with a pillar of fire.  יהוה opened up the Red Sea and the children of Israel walked through on dry ground.  When the pillar of fire died and Pharaoh pursued them through the sea, the sea closed up on him and his army.  The children of Israel were free from Egypt at last!

[Holding up cup:]  Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, King of the Universe, who brought us out of Egypt!

[Drink wine.]

[Suggested song:  Horse and Rider]

We eat honey and butter on our matzah to remind us that freedom from slavery is sweet, and to remind us that the land יהוה promised Israel was “flowing with milk and honey.”

[Participants eat the matzah with butter and honey.]

יהוה gave the children of Israel righteous laws to live by.  They eventually settled in the land promised to the sons of Avraham, which came to be known as the land of Israel.  Thousands of years passed.  Some of the people forgot about Passover, but there were always some who remembered, and who each year slaughtered a lamb in remembrance. The people were at times wicked, and many refused to keep יהוה’s laws.

From time to time prophets arose and foretold of a Messiah would come to Israel and save them from sinfulness.

Two thousand years ago, a child was born, the only begotten son of יהוה Himself.  His name was Yeshua, and he is the only person who ever lived a sinless life.  That means that he kept every one of יהוה’s laws perfectly.  A prophet named Yochanan laid eyes on him and proclaimed,

[All participants:]  “Behold, the lamb of יהוה who takes away the sin of the world.”

Like the Passover lamb, he was perfect.  Just as a male lamb was the substitute for the firstborn of Israel, so Yeshua prepared himself as the substitute payment for all humankind.

At Yeshua’s last supper, the last evening before Passover that year, he took some bread and broke it:

[Each participant holds a piece of matzah.]

“Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

And he said, “Take, eat, this represents my body, broken for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”

[Each participant breaks and eats some matzah.]

Likewise he took the wine:

“Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.”

And Yeshua said, “Take, drink: this represents my blood, shed for you, that you may have your sins forgiven.”

[Each participant drinks some wine, refills cup.]

The next day, at the same time the Passover lambs were being prepared for slaughter, Yeshua was sentenced to die on an execution stake.  Like the lambs, he had committed no crime.  Some of the people were given a choice to set Yeshua free, or to set free a criminal.  The people chose to set the criminal free.

Yeshua was whipped many times and a crown of thorns was forced onto his head.  He was nailed to an execution stake.  At the time when the very last Passover lamb was sacrificed, he cried, “It is finished!”

[All participants:] It is finished!

And his spirit left his body.

The people were eager for him to die before Passover started, so they decided to break his legs to speed the process.  Before they did so, they realized he was already dead; thus, the picture of the bones of the Passover lamb to remain unbroken was fulfilled.

They pierced his side, and out poured blood and water.  Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities.  The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

On Passover, we remember:

I am the criminal, I am the one who has sinned.  I am the one who ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  I sinned against the Almighty, and I deserved to die.  But like Yitzchak, I was spared.  Like the criminal, I was set free.  Yeshua took my place.  He brought me out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, of idolatry, of false worship.

His blood covers the doorposts of my house, separating me, keeping me holy.

When Yeshua blessed the fruit of the vine at the last supper, he said, “I shall certainly not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in the reign of My Father.”

We drink this cup in anticipation of that glorious day when we will drink the cup of celebration with our King of Kings.

[All participants raise cups of wine.]

Blessed are you, יהוה our Elohim, King of the Universe, who has created the world, and who has redeemed the world, by the blood of Messiah Yeshua, our Passover.  Amen!

[All participants drink their whole cup.]

Next Year in Jerusalem!

[Suggested closing songs: Wonderful Merciful Savior, The Lamb’s High Banquet We Await]

Song Options

The Ten Plagues of Egypt

(Sung to the tune of The 12 Days of… , this has become a fixture at A Rood Awakening! Passover events.)

In the 1st plague of Egypt, יהוה gave to thee:

(&) The Nile River flowing with blood

(2nd) - Herds of Croaking Frogs

(3rd) – Swarms of biting lice

(4th) – Flies as thick as darkness

(5th) – DISEASE ON ALL LIVESTOCK

(6th) – Boils upon their faces

(7th) – Hail on land and beast

(8th) - Locusts eating gardens

(9th) – Days of deepening darkness

(10th) – Firstborn a’ dying

Go Down, Moses

Click here to learn the tune to Go Down, Moses.

When Israel was in Egypt’s land

Let my people go!

Oppressed so hard they could not stand

Let my people go!

Go down, Moses

Way down in Egypt’s land

Tell old Pharaoh

To let my people go!

Thus saith Yah, bold Moses said

Let my people go!

If not I’ll smite your firstborn dead

Let my people go!

The pillar of cloud shall clear the way

Let my people go!

A fire by night, a shade by day

Let my people go!

As Israel stood by the water-side

Let my people go!

At Yah’s command it did divide

Let my people go!

When they had reached the other shore

Let my people go!

They sang the song of triumph over

Let my people go!

Your foes shall not before you stand

Let my people go!

And you’ll possess fair Canaan’s land

Let my people go!

Go down, Moses

Way down in Egypt’s land

Tell old Pharaoh

To let my people go!

Take Us Out of Egypt

(sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”)

Take us out of Egypt

Free us from slavery

Bake us some matzah in a haste

Don't worry 'bout flavor—
Give no thought to taste.

Oh it's rush, rush, rush, to the Red Sea

If we don't cross it's a shame

For it's one, two, ten plagues,

We’re out!

Praise יהוה’s name!

The Horse and Rider

Click here for the tune of Horse and Rider.

(Note: lyrics have been altered to more closely reflect the scripture.)

I will sing to יהוה

For He has triumphed gloriously

The horse and rider thrown into the sea! [clap clap clap] (x2)

יה-וה, my strength, my song

Has now become my victory (x2)

Yah is El and I will praise him

My fathers’ Elohim and I will exalt Him (x2)

Wonderful Merciful Savior

Click here for the tune and lyrics to Wonderful Merciful Savior.

(Lyrics not reproduced here due to copyright.)

The Lamb’s High Banquet We Await

To the tune of “Put another nickel in…”

(plugging your nose optional)

The Lamb’s high banquet we await

In snow white robes of royal state;

And now, the Red Sea’s channel past,

To Yeshua, we sing at last.

Upon the altar of the stake

His body hath redeemed our state;

And tasting of symbolic blood

Our life is hid with Him above.

That Paschal eve Yah’s arm was bared;

The devastating angel spared:

By strength of hand our hosts went free

From Pharaoh’s ruthless tyranny.

Yeshua, Paschal Lamb, is slain;

The Lamb of Yah that knows no stain;

The true oblation offered here,

Our own unleavened Bread sincere.

O Thou from Whom hell’s monarch flies,

O great, O very Sacrifice,

Thy captive people are set free,

And endless life restored in Thee.

Yeshua rising from the dead,

From conquered hell victorious sped;

He thrusts the tyrant down to chains,

And Paradise for man regains.

Recipes

These recipes are intended as suggestions to aid in your planning.  Especially if you are not accustomed to cooking meats, you will find a digital meat thermometer to be very helpful.  Other kitchen items I suggest include a food processor, a slow cooker, and an electric roaster.  You could probably borrow these items if you do not have them, as they are fairly common.  However, you can get along without them.

If preparing a great feast seems overwhelming to you, remember that you can keep Passover dinner as simple as you like!  Buy a box of matzah, a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or two, a big bag of pre-washed salad, a box of mashed potato flakes, and a bottle of Welch’s grape juice, and you’ve got a half-way decent leaven-free meal in no time.

However, to really make a festive offering, consider going outside of your comfort zone and doing some home cooking.  Most of my suggestions are so simple, they aren’t even written in traditional recipe format, and they would be difficult to mess up.  Be sure to enlist the help of family or friends who will attend your Passover service.

If you are an experienced cook, feel free to take a look at these ideas and see if there is something new that appeals to you.  The recipes I have included are all grain-free except for the matzah, and they are all developed with optimum health in mind.  I use a lot of butter in my cooking as I believe this is the tastiest of the healthy fats, but you may feel free to substitute coconut oil or home-rendered animal fats if you like.

Matzah

Matzah, or unleavened bread, is one Passover food that is not optional!  Most people will probably buy matzah, as it is available in most grocery stores around Passover time.  However, I suggest making your own.  It is a fun activity that children and adults alike enjoy, and helps us get into the Passover mindset.  The store-bought version tends to taste like cardboard.  The homemade versions, although not necessarily delicious, at least have some character.

Many people, myself included, are concerned about using modern, hybridized wheat.  Our family does not normally eat any wheat.  For Passover, we order heirloom einkorn wheat berries online.  This is an ancient form of wheat that contains significantly less gluten and is much less likely to cause untoward health effects.  For more information on the harmful effects of modern wheat, I recommend the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis.  I suggest einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, spelt, rye, barley, or oats.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Start with a cup of flour, or grind one cup of grain into a fine flour. Add ¼ tsp finely ground sea salt.  Add cold water a tablespoon at a time, mixing it all together with your hands, until it forms a dough-like consistency.   If you are having a hard time getting it “doughy” enough, try adding a teaspoon or more of tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.  Optional: add up to one tablespoon of coconut or olive oil.  My taste-testers liked it with olive oil best.

Separate the dough into four balls.  Roll each one out to about 1/8 of an inch thickness, and poke many holes into it with a fork.  Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.  You can also bake on a wire rack, which may shorten the cooking time.  Matzah may have a cracker-like crispness, or may appear closer to a pliable flatbread, depending on your exact ingredients.  Flip matzah over, and cook for up to 5 additional minutes.  Yield 4 pieces of matzah.  One or two pieces of matzah per person is enough.  You may break it into smaller pieces for serving.

Roasted Lamb Leg

I suggest roasting your leg of lamb in an electric roaster, if you have access to one.  The lid makes it self-baste and makes for a moister end product, and it leaves your oven open for other dishes.  You can buy a large electric roaster for about $20, and I think it is well worth it.  However, you can certainly roast it in your oven.  Estimate that most people will eat about half a pound of meat.

Preheat your oven or roaster to 200 degrees.  Rinse your leg of lamb and pat dry.  Place in the electric roaster or in an oven-safe dish.  Mix together some herbs in a bowl, about a tablespoon each of parsley, pepper, rosemary, salt, and thyme.  Melt a stick of butter and stir in about a tablespoon of diced garlic.  Rub melted butter all over leg of lamb, then rub spice mix all over.  Open a jar or bpa-free can of diced tomatoes and pour over the top.  Add a branch of fresh rosemary if you have it. Place a few slices of cold butter on the top.  Cover with lid or tent completely with foil.  Cook for 4-6 hours or until internal temperature is between 150-160 degrees F.  (If it is ready early, you can always keep it warm until dinnertime.)

Sodden Oxen

The easiest way to make “sodden oxen” is in a slow cooker.  My family loves this easy meal:

Place a large beef roast in the slow cooker.  Drain a jar of sundried tomatoes, and put them all over the roast.  Add 1/3 cup of water or white wine* to the bottom of the cooker.  Cook on low for 6-9 hours (longer if the roast is very large).  Add about 8oz of feta cheese, crumbled, over the top of the meat.  Cook on low another hour.

You don’t need a recipe in order to make roast.  Just throw one in the slow-cooker with some (or all) of the following ingredients that go well with roast:  garlic, onions, carrots, celery, salt, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, butter, basil, tarragon, wine, and vinegar.  Add a little liquid (about ¼ - ½ cup) to the bottom of the cooker; you can use water, wine, or stock.  I like to add half a stick of butter on top of the roast.  The slow cooking method makes it really hard to ruin a roast.  One three-pound roast will feed about 6 people.

If you don’t have a slow-cooker, you can use this method in your oven.  Choose an oven-safe pot, dutch oven, or crockery with a lid and heat your oven to 180 degrees F (77 C).  Be sure NOT to open the oven during the cooking time!

*Note: many white wines are treated with unclean animal parts during processing.  To identify a white wine that is “clean,” visit barnivore.com/wine for a list of “vegan” wines.

Roasted Chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Make spice mix of about a teaspoon each of: thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and rosemary.  Add two teaspoons of paprika and sea salt.  Add ¼ tsp each of black pepper and cayenne pepper (more if you like spicy-hot).

Rinse chicken and pat dry, ensuring that no innards are left in the bird’s cavity.  Place in an oven-safe dish.  Melt ½ a stick of butter and pour over the bird, rubbing all over the skin and inside the cavity.  Carefully separate the skin from the breast and rub your buttery hand under there.  Rub spice mix all over bird including under the breast skin.

Roast breast-side down at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature on your oven to 350 degrees F.  Depending on the size of the chicken, it should reach 165 degrees internal temperature in about 1 hour.  Optionally, you can flip the chicken over when you have about 15 minutes left; this will help brown the skin over the breast.

You can also prepare the chicken the same way and cook in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours on low.  No need to add any liquid.  Feel free to add carrots, celery, and onion to the crock as well.  This makes for very tender, juicy chicken that falls off the bone.  One chicken feeds about 4-6 people.

Mashed Cauliflower or Potatoes

Cauliflower makes an excellent, healthier alternative to mashed potatoes!  Simply steam the cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen) until very soft, then place in a food processor with a generous amount (about ½ a stick per head) of butter.  You can add some milk if desired, but only a tablespoon at a time to avoid it getting too runny.  Add sea salt to taste: approx. ½ - 1 teaspoon per head works well.  If you do not have a food processor, you can use a good-quality blender.  One average cauliflower (or two bags of frozen) yields about 4 portions.

For classic mashed potatoes, scrub your potatoes and cut into pieces.  Some people prefer to remove the skin.  Boil the pieces in salted water until they can be easily pierced with a fork.  Use a potato masher, potato ricer, or a food processor to mash the pieces.  Add butter, milk or cream, and salt and other spices to taste and consistency.

Spaghetti Squash

“Mac & Cheese”

Spaghetti squash is an amazing vegetable that automatically turns itself into “noodles” when cooked!  It makes a great substitute for spaghetti and other noodles.  This is our family’s version of “macaroni and cheese.”

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut a large spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds and “guts” out with a spoon.  Place cut-side down on an oven-safe dish, add a bit of water to the bottom (about ¼ cup), and bake for about an hour.  The squash should feel soft to the touch.  Let cool for a few minutes, then remove the pulp of the squash with a fork.  It will automatically come out in long, spaghetti-like strands.  Place strands in bowl.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan on medium-high.  Dice one onion, and sautee in butter until browned.  Transfer onions to the bowl with the squash.  Add ½ cup cream, ½ cup of your favorite shredded cheese, and ½ tsp sea salt to bowl and mix all together.  Add to a buttered baking dish and top with another ½ cup cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes in the 375 degree oven, until lightly browned on top.  Serves about 6.

Spinach Sautee

This is an easy, delicious, and colorful way to add greens to your meal!  You will probably need to quadruple this recipe.  None of the measurements need to be exact.

Melt ¼ a stick of butter in a large frying pan on medium-high.  Slice a purple onion, and add slices to pan.  Sautee several minutes until onions are starting to get soft.  Add in a pound of fresh spinach.  If it won’t all fit at once, just add it a bit at a time.  The spinach will get much smaller in size as it cooks.  Once you have it all in the pan, sprinkle with the following:  sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and a touch of cayenne pepper.  Sautee until all the spinach is wilted.  Serves about 2-4.

Asparagus

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  For fresh asparagus, wash under running water, then snap the bottom, woody ends off by hand.  For frozen asparagus, there is no need to prep it.  Place spears in an oven-safe dish.  Pour 2 tbsp melted butter over the top, then toss with sea salt and pepper.  Place in oven.  Roast for approximately 15 minutes, or until soft but not mushy.  (Note: this preparation method can work for almost any vegetable you can imagine.  Harder veggies like potatoes, turnips, radishes, carrots, etc. will take more time, up to about an hour.)

Alternative prep method: melt 1-2 tbsp butter in a frying pan.  Add some crushed garlic and sautee for a couple minutes.  Add asparagus spears.  Sautee and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add more butter if it seems needed.  Asparagus is ready when it is tender but not mushy.  One bunch of asparagus will provide servings for between 4 and 6 people.

Marinated Carrots

(based on a recipe from wholenewmom.com)

Steam or boil 2 lbs of carrots (either baby carrots, or large carrots cut into bite-sized pieces) until they can easily be pierced with a fork.  Strain.

While the carrots are steaming, combine the following ingredients together: 3/4 cup olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp freshly ground pepper.  Mix well.

Place the strained, warm carrots in a serving bowl and cover with the marinade.  Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, tossing occasionally.  Serve with a slotted spoon.  Yield about 6 servings.

Fruit Salad

Fruit salad is an easy side that most people love.  I suggest keeping it simple: cut fruit into bite-sized pieces and mix.  No added sauces or sugar are needed.  Consider the following salad ideas:

Waldorf Salad: chopped apples, walnuts, raisins, a little mayonnaise, and cinnamon

Melon Salad: chopped cantaloupe, honey dew, and watermelon

Tropical: mango, banana, pineapple

Berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and banana

Chocolate Mousse

This is the one recipe that I would not consider “healthy,” although it is better than a lot of junk out there!  And if you’re ever going to splurge on a delicious sugary treat, shouldn’t it be to celebrate such a wonderful occasion?  I think so. If you are worried about the “raw” egg, any bacteria should be adequately neutralized by the hot cream that you pour in.

Place 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a blender or food processor.  Add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  (Optional: add 1 tsp peppermint extract.)  Pulse together.  Heat 1 cup heavy cream on the stove until very hot, but do not bring to a boil.  Add the hot cream to the chocolate mixture, and blend until smooth.  Pour into ramekins, cups, or dessert dishes, cover, and chill until firm.  Optional toppings include whipped cream and chocolate shavings.  Yield four servings.

Week of Unleavened Bread

The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for 7 nights and days starting the night of Passover.  Although the scriptures do not give us much direction other than eating unleavened bread during this time, it is a good idea to have some plans for setting apart this time.  Here are some family-friendly activity ideas for the week:

1.  Watch Passover-related movies: Prince of Egypt, The Ten Commandments, Messiah – Prophecy Fulfilled.

2.  Read the Passover account in Exodus and the Gospel records of Passover from The Chronological Gospels.

3.  Make a decoration for your door of a red garland, or a wooden sign painted red with a scripture on it.

4.  Have children illustrate the story of Passover, perhaps drawing or coloring a different aspect each day.

5.  Visit a petting zoo and find the lambs.  This is a favorite activity in our family.  We found a local petting zoo that allows children to play with and hold baby lambs.

6.  Plan an act of service.  Perhaps your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen would provide a good opportunity for helping your community.

7.  Make a “Counting the Omer” craft with 49 paper rings.  Remove one ring per day, starting on the first day of the week (Sunday) during Unleavened Bread.  The last ring will be removed the day before Shavuot.

About the Author

Leigh Rood Fransen lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina with her husband, two daughters, dog, and Rhode Island Red hens.  She enjoys cooking, traveling, and catching babies as a midwife.

www.aroodawakening.tv

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Preparations

Passover Service

Song Options

Recipes

Week Of Unleavened Bread

About The Author