How to Have a Christian Passover Meal with Children (Even Little Ones!)

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1. Cynthia Perry says

   March 24, 2016 at 12:45 am

   I just wanted to let you know that this sounds great. I hope we can do it as well as yours sounded! Thank you!

   Reply

   • Jpipe says

     April 01, 2021 at 1:08 pm

     Hi- I understand your decision to remove the post but I’m sorry you felt compelled to do it. I want to offer that while our celebration of Easter is different than the Jewish celebration of Passover, the death of Jesus ( The Lamb) is a DIRECT parallel of the Jewish Passover. Scott Hahn has an amazing book on it called The Fourth Cup.

     Reply

     • Jenn says

       January 27, 2022 at 1:14 pm

       It's only a direct correlation in the Christian Bible. Jesus has nothing to with anything when it comes to Judaism. Please keep that in mind when considering appropriating our holidays for Jesus. I am fairly charismatic. I can write a book saying Jesus was a Zombie who rises every spring to eat the brains of Christians. I can gather a following that can become a cult that can become a religion. I can have my religion celebrate Easter with a midnight service followed by zombie style ramblings through the street while moaning. We can still call it easter, but don't worry, because it wouldn't be YOUR easter. We just happen to have a holiday on the same day, by the same name. Ours is just about zombies, so it isn't offensive.

       Reply

       • Tara Ziegmont says

         January 27, 2022 at 2:35 pm

         This is a really good analogy that makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you for it.

         Reply

       • Karan says

         March 10, 2024 at 8:28 pm

         Respectfully, I disagree. The passover is also in our Bible, it's a big part of our belief. For example, if you read Isaiah 53, it directly points to/prophecies Jesus. As Christians we see that much of the Old Testament does this as well. God has used so many prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to the New Testament, including the Passover. Though the seder meal itself may be a Jewish tradition, celebrating Passover is not just for the Jewish religion.

         Reply

         • Jenn says

           March 19, 2024 at 8:27 pm

           I am not getting into this with you. it's clear your mind is made up. you are ignoring exactly what the people who can read Isiah in the original language have asked you not to do. feel free to use this resource to understand the various interpretations: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.53?lang=bi
           I hope you change your mind about holding a seder. not everything has to be for you.

2. Cheryl says

   March 30, 2017 at 7:25 pm

   This is wonderful!!! Thank you so much!

   Reply

3. Nicci bird says

   April 13, 2017 at 8:18 am

   Can't wait to do this tonight with my family! Thank you for the effort you've gone to. Grateful that you shared x

   Reply

   • Jenn says

     March 26, 2021 at 10:56 pm

     Thank you!

     Reply

4. Beverly Everritt says

   February 12, 2019 at 8:00 pm

   Thank you for a simple version. I plan to have a Seder meal with my grandchildren!!

   Reply

   • Tara Ziegmont says

     February 14, 2019 at 1:33 pm

     I hope you all love it!

     Reply

   • Rebecca says

     March 22, 2021 at 10:04 pm

     "Seder meal" is redundant. You probably also say "challah bread," which is also wrong. Please don't appropriate our religion and culture. -- Signed The Jews

     Reply

5. Jessica says

   April 12, 2019 at 9:40 am

   🙂

   Reply

6. Vicki says

   April 29, 2019 at 2:39 pm

   Getting hung up on the breaking of matzoh and your statement that Jesus was broken for us. Jesus actually was not broken (as was the norm at crucifixions to speed death) in order to fulfill prophesy. Properly translated, his body was given for us. Still, think I will find useful things in this for my class.

   Reply

7. Jenn says

   March 22, 2021 at 8:43 pm

   Please don't do this. It's hard enough for Jewish people to find the supplies for our week long festival, we don't need Christian people buying up all the matzos too. Also, and I know you will delete me for saying this, as you have the other Jews, but this is cultural appropriation. Jesus has nothing to do with Passover, he never even had a seder. Seders didn't start until after the 2nd temple was destroyed.
   It's really offensive to see our holy rituals taken and used in this way. I know you think you're showing an interest and sharing, but this is stealing. You are stealing from a culture and religion that has already had so much stolen from it.
   Judaism is whole and complete the way it is. It doesn't need Jesus, please don't insert him into our holy days. Judaism is also a closed practice, meaning an outsider needs to be invited to share our customs. And before you say, "I'd be delighted if a non-Christian decided to try on of our holidays," remember, you are the dominant religion in the US, what we hear is you want us to be "normal" like you. Christianity celebrates proselytizing, whereas Jews are forbidden to do that, so your perspective is going to be very off the mark when it comes to all things Jewish.
   I hope you read this comment, realize it's here to educate you on a religion you don't understand, and help you going forward. I hope you leave this comment up so your readers can see the Jewish perspective. Barring that, I hope you take down the entire post and issue an apology, while also letting your readers know what you have learned. Right now, this is an accidental antisemitism, please don't make it a purposely antisemitic act.

   Reply

   • Tara Ziegmont says

     March 23, 2021 at 9:00 am

     Actually Jenn, I do not delete comments unless they are hateful or vulgar. I have deleted a number of name calling, swearing, disrespectful comments on this post (as I have on many other posts), and I do not feel any remorse about it. However, I am publishing your comment because I found it to be insightful and honest. I do read each and every comment before I decide to publish or delete, and my slant is to publish them whenever possible (aside from those which I have already called out). I welcome dissent, and I am not afraid to learn and admit when I am wrong. I am not upset with you for challenges my views.

     After speaking with some close friends who are Jewish, I have decided to delete the bulk of my post but to leave the URL and comments here so that I could educate other Christians as to why celebrating a "Christian Passover" is not as respectful as we intended. I am also going to share a Maundy Thursday service in its place so that those interested in adding to their Easter observances can replace a Passover seder with something more appropriate. I don't know that I'll be able to research and share that in the next few days, but I will try.

     Please understand that my Christian Passover was never about converting anyone or spreading Christianity. It was written as a celebration of our shared heritage. I do believe that Jesus became the Passover lamb, so I thought this was a natural way to educate my children on the history of our faith. I am not the brand of Christian who believes that everyone should believe in Jesus. I respect that every person has his or her own relationship with God (or non-relationship as the case may be), and that relationship guides the person's morals and choices. I don't think it's my place to tell others that they are wrong, even if I myself believe differently.

     I hope this all makes sense, and I would welcome a continued dialogue if you are willing.

     Reply

8. Jenn says

   March 25, 2021 at 5:29 pm

   Hi Tara,
   You invited me to reply again, and keep this conversation going. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and engage with me. I hope, though some of the things I have to say might sound harsh, we can continue the respectful dialogue. I've spent some time thinking about what I wanted to say, and I hope it all comes across clearly. I will be using quotes from your new intro and reply to me to help illustrate my thoughts.
   First though, I want to stress that Passover is not a shared heritage. Jesus did celebrate it, however he celebrated the way Jews did before the destruction of the 2nd temple. He never had a seder because seders did not exist yet. He didn't even eat matzos the way we do today. Matzos, as you probably know it, is an Eastern European (Ashkenazi) tradition. It's not something all Jewish people eat. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews (Southern Europe, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern Jews), for example, might eat something closer to pita. I am not a historian, but, as I understand it, Jesus would have eaten a soft, flat, bread as well. It’s meaning has nothing to do with Jesus, because Jewish people do not believe Jesus was the messiah, he isn’t mentioned in the Tanakh, or any Jewish story or writing. Jews for Jesus and Mesianics believe Jesus was the messiah, but, they are not Jewish, they just use our name (This is the one thing all Jewish people agree on, no matter the movement.)
   In your new intro you say " In 2021, I came under fire from a small group of Jews who felt my Christian Passover was deeply upsetting. They stalked me on Twitter and left hateful comments (which I promptly deleted) here on this post," and later say "I have deleted a number of name calling, swearing, disrespectful comments on this post (as I have on many other posts), and I do not feel any remorse about it." This is your platform and you should absolutely run it the way you want, but please keep in mind: It's not a small group of Jewish people who find Christian Seders upsetting, just search the phrase in Twitter and you can see most of us begging Christians not to do it again this year. I also want to emphasize I used the word "again." We deal with this every year. I didn't see the comments you felt were hateful, they may well have been, but it is also possible you were seeing decades of frustration in play. I really cannot stress enough how frustrating and upsetting it is to see such an important Jewish holiday colonized by non-Jews every year.
   I also take umbrage with saying you were “stalked.” That, combined with your other words paint a picture of a cabal of Jews who are making it their mission to get you. Many people don’t realize the words they use to describe Jewish people come from centuries of antisemitic tropes, and actually cause us physical harm. In reality someone saw another example of a Christian seder and was upset, like most of us are, and expressed that feeling to you. Again, they may not have done it very nicely, but after the umpteenth time of having to say it, patience wears thin.
   You wrote, “After speaking with some close friends who are Jewish, I have decided to delete the bulk of my post but to leave the URL and comments here so that I could educate other Christians as to why celebrating a ‘Christian Passover’ is not as respectful as we intended.” I am glad you listened and learned, that’s one way to show respect for cultures different than our own. I was disappointed to see that the bulk of the post was not yet deleted, nor was there a reason that a Christian Seders are considered extremely disrespectful. I also want to touch on your statement, “Please understand that my Christian Passover was never about converting anyone or spreading Christianity.” I understand you did not intend for that, but Christian Supersessionism and Hegemony are very real, especially in the US. People do these things without realizing what they are doing is wrong or hurtful. Understanding where the hurt and angry feelings come from will help you understand the minority religion. A great way to gain more perspective is to follow rabbis on Twitter. Follow Jewish conversations as well. You will see a great many viewpoints, because Judaism encourages discussion and interpretation, and even within the different movements, there are different ways of doing things. There is also this amazing piece in the Washington Post, from 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/04/22/adding-jesus-to-a-seder-dinner-not-kosher/. It’s important to listen and absorb, before asking questions, to get a feel of the rhythm and pace of our in group conversations. A lot of people assume Judaism is Christianity without Jesus, but we are a wholly different construct. Your Old Testament, and our Torah are actually much more different than many churches teach, but that’s a conversation for another day (Also, we actually have waaaaaaay more than 10 commandments, like 603 more).
   I am going to quote your final paragraph here, “I respect that every person has his or her own relationship with God (or non-relationship as the case may be), and that relationship guides the person’s morals and choices. I don’t think it’s my place to tell others that they are wrong, even if I myself believe differently.” You and I agree here, to a point. Judaism, being structured so differently from Christianity, allows for religious atheism. I, in fact, am both very religious (within the Reform movement of Judaism) and don’t believe in a diety. There are even atheist rabbis (that’s just a fun little fact a lot of non-Jews don’t realize). Unfortunately the US is a Christian Country, though, not officially. Christianity is “the norm” here. Every Christian holiday, like Christmas and Easter, have giant displays in stores, decorations, etc. Every holiday the supermarkets know about, we get the same display of matzah, honey, apples, yahrzeit candles, and juice. Every holiday. People call Chanukah “Jewish Christmas,” which is not accurate at all, and I have always had to use PTO to take the actual important holidays, in the fall and spring, off. I point all this out to say that though you didn’t mean to do it, by taking a sacred Jewish holiday and inserting Jesus, you have “normalized” it as a Christian holiday, and it isn’t. It never was, and it never will be. We, as a people, have spent 5781 years being killed, stolen from, deemed illegal, forced to move, and survived several genocides. Much of this was perpetrated by Christians. I am sure, given our history, you can understand why we would be protective of our rites and ceremonies, and why we are a closed religion.
   This has been incredibly long and written over a few days, so please forgive the rambling. The main point is: Jewish people are a minority, and we don’t take from minorities, it’s considered cultural appropriation. If a Jewish friend invites you to their seder, go, have fun, learn, eat. If a synagogue or JCC hosts a seder that is open to the public, call and see if you can attend that. You will most likely be welcomed (Though, don’t take offense if you are not. There’s been a rise in antisemetic attacks and people are wary. Also, sometimes we need a space where we don’t have to educate anyone and we can just be.)
   Please let me know if you have any questions. This is a hard topic, and I am sure it can be a bitter pill to swallow, but it is so, so, so important to understand Jewish points of view. Thank you.

   Reply

9. Jenn says

   March 25, 2021 at 5:56 pm

   I just saw your most updated version. I find it much better than before, so thank you for that. I would advise that Christians do not hold their own seder, even sticking to the purely Jewish way of doing things. Try to get invited to a Jewish one, but holding your own would be devoid of the meaning, imo. I would also ask that you re-frame the "bullies." Put yourself in our shoes and imagine having this topic come up every year, at a time when we are already in more danger than usual (google "blood libel," the first time I learned about it I was 9 and there was no google. My mom had to explain it to me. Imagine being 9 and finding out that people actually believe in "blood libel.").

   Reply

10. Arielle says

    March 26, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    I saved this last year or so ago on pinterest, and was just referencing it for our celebrations this year. At first I was really disappointed about the decision that you had made, but after I read your whole post and the dialogue in the comments, it really made me stop and think. I did a little extra research of my own, and I have now decided not to practice a "Christian Seder." I am going to honor a last supper, but I will not imitate the Seder. I did not know that Seder originated after the destruction of the temple, and was therefore not the meal that Jesus ate with his disciples. I will respectfully recognize Seder as a Jewish tradition, and pray them a safe and blessed holiday. Thank you for listening and learning and sharing with your readers.

    Reply

    • Tara Ziegmont says

      March 26, 2021 at 10:09 pm

      Thank you so much for commenting. Readers like you who are willing to change their minds based on new information are exactly why I kept the post up but changed it. I am glad you are willing to learn and grow along with me.

      Reply

    • Jenn says

      March 26, 2021 at 11:00 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply

      • Herlyn says

        March 16, 2023 at 1:22 pm

        Hello Everyone,

        I am a Christian and for the first time I also was preparing to start a Seder Tradition with my Family. I am so Thankful to have come across this wonderful discussion. I enjoyed the details explaining why it is NOT appropriate for us as Christian to decide to host a Jewish Seder. Thank you for educating me and many! I am delighted to share my new knowledge with more Christians!

        I also read the Washington post article shared by Jenn. Another great source of education 🙂

        Thank you again!

        Reply

11. Laura says

    March 27, 2021 at 12:22 am

    Hey Tara, I found your blog looking for some meaningful things to include in our family's Easter traditions. I respect your decision to change your post and the dialogue that you've encouraged here in the comments. In the spirit of that dialogue, I wanted to share a thought.

    As a Christian, Passover is deeply important and meaningful. For the part it plays in the overarching story of the Bible as well as the more focused events leading up to Easter, this feast carries profound symbolism that we should not forget. Which is the whole point of the feast, yes? To remember!

    I understand that for a Jewish person a Seder dinner is entirely different. It carries different symbolism and meaning, and connecting Christ to it would be offensive, and understandably so. However, I don't think you should shy away from observing the elements of Passover very relevant to our faith.

    As we work towards peace without abandoning our mutually exclusive truth claims, we will possibly find each other's beliefs offensive because we do not believe the same things. Christians believe Jesus was the messiah. Jewish people say he was not the messiah. Muslims believe Jesus was simply a prophet. Some see Passover as a religious feast, some a cultural tradition, some a mark to begin fasting (Ashora). So on, etc. Our claims will inevitably offend each other. The solution is not to abandon our claims but to talk them out in love and where we can not agree, move forward in peaceful disagreement. Which I think you have worked hard to do here.

    Therefore, it might be beneficial to reframe the meal you observe on Holy Week as a Passover meal instead of a Seder meal. Not that you need any more work to do, ha! Keep what is true to the Christian faith without violating those traditions that do not belong to us. Elements that are significant to us from Exodus would be 1.Lamb, 2.Unleavened bread, 3.Wine 4.Bitter herbs.

    Anyway, I'm not really sure you needed another voice in the comments, but I hope it is another perspective welcome in the conversation.

    God bless you!

    Reply

    • Jenn says

      March 27, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      Hi Laura,
      As I rest up before first night Seder, I want to take a moment to respond. I've already laid out most of my thoughts pretty thoroughly in previous comments, including how I feel about the dominant religion, and one with such a history with my own, taking religious rituals from minority religions. Maybe the easiest way to think of it is as colonizing. You have the best of intentions, you have your thought out reasons, but, at the end of the day, it's still taking without thinking of the people it harms.
      There is no connection between the exodus from Egypt and Jesus, as he isn't in our bible at all. Jesus never had a Seder. Seders came with Rabbinic Judaism, which didn't start until the destruction of the 2nd temple. To be honest, other than some of the prayers, it is unlikely Jesus would even recognize Judaism for what it is today.
      We may disagree, but we should still respect each other. Holding a Seder because it is important to Easter brings Jesus into the mix, which, as you rightfully noted is disrespectful. There are so many other beautiful traditions that are your own, ways you can honor Jesus's sacrifice for you. This holiday, this religious rite belongs to the Jewish people. It's always been ours. You are more than welcome at my Seder table if we ever get out of this Pandabear, but holding your own is disrespectful.
      Oh, and to show we aren't a monolith I was talking about this with my best friend, who is orthodox (I'm reform), and her take is, "Hey, if they're not killing us, and they're not making it about Jesus, they can call their dinner whatever they want."
      Btw, saying "Seder meal" is redundant. The word Seder, when used in this context, is a specific kind of ritualistic meal. And fun fact, we don't just have Passover Seders.
      !חג פסח שמח
      Chag Peasach Sameach!

      Reply

      • Laura says

        March 28, 2021 at 12:47 am

        Hi Jenn, I kept an eye on my email hoping you might respond, and I appreciate you taking the time on the cusp of such an important season. I too am making preparations for the week and before I focus my attention on the task at hand, I wanted to pop into this room of the internet one more time and talk with you (and Tara! Hi Tara!)

        I agree that Christians shouldn't hold Seder. Thank you for the correction on how to use the term. I think you have helped those of us present in this comment thread to come to a deeper understanding of current Jewish tradition and practice. I understand now that Seder and Passover are not synonymous. I also understand the Passover meal Jesus ate with His disciples is not the same as what Jews practice today.

        That being said, I hope you will hear me when I say, Christians aren't stealing your traditions. We don't exist without them! We were birthed out of them. While it is not my racial heritage, it is my spiritual heritage - a child of God's promise to Abraham.

        You are a part of the literal chosen people of God through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). A big part of fulfilling God's promise to Abraham was establishing the great nation of Israel. However, Christians understand this promise as eventually expanding to the whole earth in the radical inclusivity established through Jesus. Jesus was a Jew, His disciples were Jews, the first followers were Jews. It was years later that those same disciples realized that what Jesus had done was for the gentile as well as the Jew. Christians didn't come into Judaism and take your traditions. Like a child, we were born from them. And similarly to children and parents, as Christianity matured many of our practices, rituals, traditions departed from those of our Jewish forefathers, but that doesn't mean those same practices, rituals and traditions don't carry deep meaning for us.

        I hear you say that Jesus isn't in Exodus, but when I read about the Israelites painting the doorposts with the blood of the spotless lamb to escape God's wrath poured out on Egypt, I see the blood of the sinless Christ painted on the doorpost of my heart that God's wrath and judgment for sin would pass over me. The bitter herbs the Israelites were commanded to eat in memorial of their slavery in Egypt, I eat in memory of my enslavement to sin. The wine symbolic of the Jews redemption from slavery to the Egyptians, I drink as a symbol of my eternal redemption from slavery to sin. So, yes, for me, Passover is totally about Jesus. That's why it is so significant that His death fell on the evening of Passover.

        I know we disagree. I understand you don't approve of my interpretation. However, I hope you will understand that for me to deny this as part of my faith would be for me to deny God and, while you don't approve, I am obligated to follow Him whatever disdain it may garner.

        What I hope we can agree upon is that our various identities - man, woman, Jew, Christian, American, Indian, Ethiopian - do not diminish our shared humanity, our shared struggle and brokenness, our need for understanding and love and truth. I hope you will see me less like a member of the bully majority brandishing their religion as a weapon, and more like a real person, sitting at her kitchen table, trying to find community and peace with another person passionate about their traditions and identity.

        It is sad that we are most likely at an impasse ideologically but I hope that we can go our separate ways in peace with something upon which to meditate and grow. I know I feel this way!

        Thanks for reading. I look forward to any additional thoughts you'd like to share, but also understand that we may be at the end of this conversation. And thanks for hosting this discussion Tara. Who knew a blog post could host such fruitful discussion.

        God bleass you both!

        Reply

        • Tara Ziegmont says

          March 30, 2021 at 10:23 am

          Jenn and Laura, I hope you both see this comment and know that I am extremely grateful to both of you for sharing your views on this post so eloquently, thoughtfully, and fairly. I know you disagree, and it can be hard to debate something as deeply personal as faith, but I commend you both for making it work. I also commend both of you for attempting to educate each other and the strangers who will see these comments. It will make a difference to the world.

          I have a few things to point out.

          First, to Laura, I think the point that Jenn is trying to make is that the Jewish Passover, as it is written in the Torah (the Jewish version of our Bible, but it is very different from our Bible even though it has some parts in common). I think Jenn and other Jews object to Christians using the modern day Seder to point to Jesus. I agree with them on this point. Jesus did not observe the Seder as it didn't exist when He was alive, so I don't think we have a right to observe it either. At the same time, I agree with you that Christianity eventually was birthed out of Judiasm (I don't think anyone could dispute that fact.), and the Passover in the Exodus sense is part of our shared heritage. That's actually the reason that this post exists to begin with, to celebrate the shared history of the Passover.

          Second, to Jenn, I think Laura also has some salient points, foremost of which is that for Christians, the liberation of the Israelites during Passover does point to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. Not to say that gives us a right to the Jewish Seder because, as I have said several times above, it doesn't, especially given the new information that you provided about the Seder arising from the destruction of the 2nd temple long after Jesus was dead. But I do think it gives us a right to observe our own version of the Last Supper where we eat lamb and wash feet, etc. without using the actual Seder liturgy. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's a problem with Christians preparing and eating a meal with dishes similar to those in a Seder, as long as we aren't appropriating the script and structure of the religious service. I think that's also what Laura is trying to say. I know we are in the middle of your Holy Week and understand if you can't or don't want to respond now (or ever really as would be your right). I thank you again for your willingness to be open and honest and help to educate the uneducated, myself included.

          Reply

        • Jenn says

          April 02, 2021 at 3:57 pm

          Hi Laura,
          I'm not sure if you will see this, as today is Good Friday. I only know about Good Friday as it related to Jewish people, but however you celebrate it, I hope it's beautiful and peaceful!
          I waned to address your comment that we are the "chosen people." I honestly think this translation has done us no favors, as the word "chosen," has a very different connotation in English than what it means in Hebrew. We aren't chosen to be special or better than anyone. The easiest way I can describe it is we are chosen to fulfill more mitzvot, or commandments. 613 to be exact. Basically, we are chosen to do more chores. A big part of Judaism is "doing the work." It's less important to believe in Gd than it is to do the work to ensure a peaceful, perfect world. We believe, once we have done the work to heal the world, end wars, clean up the environment, etc, THAT'S when Eliahu HaNavi (Elijah) will herald the Mashiach (messiah).Afaik, there's no rule saying other religions can't help us, just that this is what we got on the chore wheel of Gd. I know a lot of my Christian friends are shocked to find this out, so I thought it might be a good idea to explain.
          I also want to say that yes, Jesus was Jewish, though there is nothing in our Tanakh (an acronym derived from the names of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (Instruction, or Law, also called the Pentateuch), Neviʾim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings); I lifted this from the internet, btw) that points to Jesus. That only came about in the Christian Bible, so, to us, we don't really share a heritage. Further, so many of our rituals and practices changed when the 2nd temple was destroyed that it is doubtful Jesus would even recognize us as Jewish. There are so many kinds of Jewish people too, all over the world, all with different practices and beliefs, depending on where they ended up in the Diaspora. You are probably most familiar with Ashkinazi Jews, like me, as we are who are most depicted in media... (That's a whole other kettle of fish though. The media DOES NOT do a great job of portraying us accurately.) Even within my ethnic group of Ashki, we have many sub groups... I forget where I was going with this, I just always get excited when I start explaining how diverse our tiny group of people are. Oh, I remember! I understand, for you, the Passover story is connected to Jesus, however, it isn't to us, at all. Which is fine. I know I get a little weirded out when Christians talk about celebrating Passover because it is fairly new to me. For probably the first 35 years of my life this was Easter territory, and most Christians tried to get me to celebrate Easter, rather than what is happening now.
          Anyway, I do like having this opportunity to have a civil conversation about the differences in our beliefs. I think so often people think we all need to believe the same thing, rather than rejoicing in, and learning from, our differences.
          Happy Easter, please enjoy a hot crossed bun for me. I love those things so much, but it's still passover, so I can't have them. I am counting down the minutes until sunset tomorrow, believe you me (If anything doesn't make sense, just blame it on my lack of leavening and wheat, barely, rye, spelt, and oats.)

          Reply

          • Kala says

            March 10, 2024 at 1:04 am

            Hi Jenn, I know this thread is a few years old, but maybe you'll see my comment! I see you mentioned a few times that the Torah is different from the old testament. And somewhere (though I can't seem to find the comment again, rereading this thread) that there are differences in meaning that can be ascribed to translation issues (Hebrew vs. Greek - sorry, I can't find your comment to quote anymore detail). I understand that the Torah and the OT refer to different cannons of books, with the Torah being included within the OT. But what I'm scouring the internet for, and having a hard time finding, are translational/meaning differences between the two. Could you please point me to these differences you alluded to?

12. Kelly says

    March 28, 2021 at 4:37 pm

    God bless you Laura. Your words ring true in the name of peace and love. Thank God Almighty for the gift of graciousness and acceptance, of wisdom and insight. Have a wonderful Passover!

    Reply

    • Jenn says

      March 19, 2024 at 7:55 pm

      sefaria.org (https://www.sefaria.org/texts) is a great resource because it is in the original Hebrew and offers various translations (I recommend translations by Jews). the Tanakh is our holy texts so it's the stuff you will recognize.
      one funny thing -
      -the red sea is actually the sea of reeds, but someone forgot an 'e'

      Reply

13. Jesse Phillips says

    March 29, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    Thanks for sharing. I wish I could find the original post. I must differ with those who say this is not a Christian tradition, Jesus himself said "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me."
    Jesus is repeatedly called the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, *** which he did at passover *** this is not a coincidence. this is not a coincidence (saying that twice instead of using all caps). The Passover points to Jesus. This is why God instituted the Passover, to point to the Messiah. No wonder we are getting angry push back on it, Jesus said this would happen.

    No, we are doing a disservice and telling a lie by going along with the lie that this is cultural appropriation. The Passover is all about Jesus. This must be said.

    Funny, this is exactly how the Pharisees reacted to Jesus: he didn't follow their traditions the way they wanted, they raged and killed him for it, in the process entirely missing the Messiah they claimed to be waiting for. To me, this feels very much like an extension of that.

    This tension is at the heart of what Jesus came to do. We are wrong if we just bow to the pressure instead of telling the truth.

    Reply

    • Arielle says

      March 30, 2021 at 9:37 am

      Hello Jesse! I just wanted to respond and say that I sympathise with your feelings. I just wanted to clarify that, at least for me, I have acknowledged that the Jewish traditions of Seder are different than the passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples. I will still celebrate passover and a last supper and rejoice in Jesus as our passover lamb - but the Seder is a specific ritual with a liturgy and meal elements that were not what Jesus ate with his discliples, and therefore not necessary for me to practice, especially if it causes offense to our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith. I will however still be eating lamb, breaking unleavened bread and drinking wine - and my husband will be washing the feet of our family. May God love you in your zeal, and may He lead you in the way of peace and worship.

      Reply

      • Tara Ziegmont says

        March 30, 2021 at 9:58 am

        Thanks for your comment Arielle. I think you make a very important distinction. The problem that the Jewish people I've talked to have with the idea of a Christian Passover is that we are taking their liturgy that has been passed down by the generations and originated long after Jesus died. I also heard that it can be difficult to find things like matzoh especially during the quarantine, so there were objections to our buying it and making it even harder for them to find. If you bake your own unleavened bread (I'm add a link to a very nicely done e-cookbook for Christians at Easter time which includes a recipe for unleavened bread), I think that would assuage that particular worry.

        I think the Seder is a beautiful ceremony but, like you, I am choosing not to use it as I have in the past out of respect for my Jewish friends. However, I don't think anyone would object to us enjoying a delicious meal of lamb, unleavened bread, wine, and even haroset. Haroset is a Jewish Passover staple made with diced apples, honey, and nuts, and it is a very tasty topping for the bread. I think (hope) that it wouldn't be offensive to make and eat it outside of the Seder.

        Adding in the feet washing to your Maundy Thursday meal is a perfect way to observe our Last Supper in my opinion. I think we're going to do the same, although I would like each person to wash the feet of the next rather than having my husband do everyone's (although I respect that you are keeping it to one person which is much more like the actual Last Supper).

        Reply

        • Arielle says

          March 30, 2021 at 10:11 am

          Oh yes, I am planning on making my own unleavened bread. It's really easy and really yummy, and adds a special touch. As for feet washing, we have a 9, 7 and 4 year old (all boys), so having an adult set the example, since it is our first time, I feel will be the best approach for us, haha!

          Reply

          • Tara Ziegmont says

            March 30, 2021 at 10:42 am

            That's going to be an adventure! I hope it is a beautiful experience for all of you. Just a thought, maybe write out what you will say before and after ahead of time. That's something that I would like to do and will of course share, but I don't think it's in the cards for this year.

            In my house, my husband already feels like he's a servant to the rest of us (and says so during arguments), so I think it would be more symbolic of servant leadership if either I did everyone's or if we all did one other person. I should have clarified that above. But my girls are 10 and 13 so a lot older and able to understand the servant leader concept.

          • Arielle says

            March 30, 2021 at 11:02 am

            Tara, that makes a lot of sense (also chuckling over "says so during arguments" - haha ;). I hope you all have a meaningful ceremony. And, full disclosure, I may totally be participating in the foot washing - we haven't actually discussed the particulars yet - I just designated my husband earlier for clarity of communication ;).

    • Tara Ziegmont says

      March 30, 2021 at 10:10 am

      Hi Jesse. Thanks for commenting. I think we need to make a clear distinction, and one that I personally believe is important though I know it is not popular among Christians and especially Evangelicals. Not meaning any offense to you, I do not believe it is my right or duty to try to go on the offensive and convert other people who do not believe in Jesus. Judiasm is a faith and a heritage that believes in God, just a different version of him from Christianity. I personally think it would be disrespectful of me to try to make them believe in my version of God. I respect their right to practice their faith as befits their culture and traditions. Like I said, I know this is not popular among Christians and will likely draw criticism as being a false teaching and as counter Biblical.

      What I am trying to say is that the Passover in the Christian Bible can be drawn to Jesus, absolutely. He freed us from our sins just like God freed the Israelites. But I don't think it's fair to say that the Jewish Passover as it is presented in their Torah is about Jesus. Their faith is as sacred to them as ours is to us, and they simply don't believe in Jesus and resent Christians' attempt to make the Jewish Passover about Him.

      As I stated clearly in my post above, I don't believe I am bowing to pressure. I believe I am acting out of love and respect for those people who have been honest and fair in their explanations to me (including Jenn who has commented here several times and many of my own personal friends who were willing to discuss the issue with me). I think I have done the right thing by removing the Seder script from my post, but I published your comment as a dissenting voice which also has a place here. You are welcome to come back and comment further to clarify and share you view, but I would caution you to remain civil and fair. I will not publish any comment that is hateful or attacking, and I feel like your comment above is flirting with that line.

      Reply

    • Jenn says

      April 01, 2021 at 7:05 pm

      Hi Jesse,
      Tara touched on this, and did a great job. I just want to reinforce our bible, the Tanakh, is very different from your OT. This isn't often taught in churches, from what I understand, but when the Tanakh was translated into Greek by early Christians, and then other languages, it was done so with Jesus in mind. So, when the OT points to Jesus, please know that the this isn't the case in the original Hebrew. Believe me, I've been learning Hebrew since I was 2 years old so I could read from the Torah. In our Tanakh, the Talmud, Mishnah, etc, the is no Jesus. Judaism is a full and complete religion without Jesus, which many don't realize. Both religions are valid, but it is always worth remembering, nothing in any of our works mentions Jesus as all. He is a wholly Christian entity to us.*

      *Not the Jewish Lorax, someone is bound to disagree with me.

      Reply

    • Jenn says

      January 27, 2022 at 1:41 pm

      Hi Jesse. Quick FYI. Passover has nothing to do with Jesus. That time period probably has dep significance for you and other Christians, but Jesus has nothing to do with Judaism at all. He was just a Jewish guy and a Pharisee, who was kind of a heretic and destroyed trees (BIG TABOO in Judaism), and places of business. The outer courtyard of The Temple was meant to be a market and money exchange so that pilgrims could change out their money - tithes could not be paid with coins that had a king's head/likeness on it as that was idol worship. Jesus's tantrum made it impossible for pilgrims to worship after traveling long ways, and business owners to sell their wares to the travelers who needed food, bed rolls, sacrificial animals, etc.
      Pharisees were the precursors to modern, rabbinic, Jews. Without them we would not have made it past the destruction of the 2nd temple. You do not know a single Jewish person who is not ideologically descended from a Pharisee. Your own messiah was a Pharisee (most likely. Unfortunately there are no first hand accounts of Jesus). When you use "Pharisee" in a derogatory way you are insulting modern Jews. Please keep that in mind and instead of saying Pharisee, say what you actually mean: hypocritical, "legalistic" (though to be fair, I wouldn't recommend using that in connection to the Jews either), etc. To do otherwise you don't care about the feelings of Jewish people.

      Reply

      • Robin says

        March 20, 2024 at 4:57 pm

        FYI, when you say Jesus was a Pharisee you are insulting Him & Christians. He was most definitely not a Pharisee. He knew the Mosaic law as well as the Pharisees and Sadducees, but He repeatedly warned us against them. Are there no descendants of the Sadducees?

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          March 20, 2024 at 8:18 pm

          No, the Sadducees, who existed prior to the destruction of the temple and actually displayed more of the traits Christians attribute to Pharisees. I don't think they were able to adjust to the changes. this link has more; https://study.com/academy/lesson/sadducees-overview-history-facts.html#:~:text=Are%20there%20still%20Sadducees%20today,in%20common%20with%20the%20Pharisees. I accept that most of the people here approach their religion, Bible, and god than I do (or any other Jew because we are orthopraxic). I also accept that most of the people here believe Jesus is the Messiah and god/God's child(?) while Indo not. it would be really nice if you could accept the fact that calling someone a "Jew" in any form is an insult. even if you truly, ahistorically, believe Pharisees were bad, and erroneously think one type of Jew is somehow better that any other type of Jew. we famously disagree with each other on everything, some of us are pure evil, but we are still one people. if you insult one group you insult everyone.*.
          *Keeping this in mind, give the Jewish version of Isiah 53 a read some time

          Reply

          • Robin says

            March 21, 2024 at 2:21 pm

            I am aware there were differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees, among them that the Sadducees didn’t believe in an afterlife, which Christ’s resurrection and the hope that offered for eternal life presented a problem for them. You are correct that Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lamb of God and last blood sacrifice necessary.
            I have heard many self-identify as a Jew, including my friend and neighbor, and have never heard that using that word is an insult. I am curious why you use it repeatedly if you consider it an insult?
            I am also aware that there are different walks of Judaism, having worked with the Orthodox during my nursing career in Baltimore and having known Ashkenazi as well. You accuse me of believing “one type of Jew is somehow better”, which is an incorrect assumption. I don’t believe anyone is better than anyone else. We are all created in His likeness, none better than another.
            You’ve commented a lot in this thread throughout the past several years, offering opinion & some enlightenment of aspects of Judaism, but at the same time seeming to seek offense by others while adding your own insult by accusing others of antisemitism and making offensive assumptions. I am happy to respectfully debate differing opinions, express curiosity in search of other’s perspectives and agree to disagree, but don’t appreciate name calling and false assumptions.

          • Jenn says

            April 02, 2024 at 5:33 pm

            To answer a few more of Robin's comments:
            Using the word "Pharisee" to describe the actual, historical, group is fine. Using it to insult a person is not. In a similar vein, the name "Robin" is beautiful. If I start telling folks they are acting like a total Robin, meaning an appropriative Christian supremacist, THAT is insulting. If you are fine with that, then I guess you can continue to use Pharisee to insult others. I am still unclear why you think it is ok to insult a person by telling them they are acting like a Jew. I also don't know what to say about you thinking it's an insult to Jesus, other than if you think that's true then you obviously think one type of Jew (Pharisees, the only ones who still exist, hi, pharisaical descendant right here) is lesser than another type (Sadducees). This means you KNOW the way you use it is insulting. If Jesus existed as a Jew now would you be upset if someone called him "Reconstructionist?"
            Jews have no consensus on an afterlife, nor have we ever, and it's not something we care to focus on. Whatever you think you know about Jewish afterlife is likely incorrect, or at best told through a Christian lens. Neither the Pharisees nor the Sadducees would have agreed with their own cohorts, let alone anyone else about the afterlife.

            Quick clarification: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Beta Israel, etc are all regional designations of ethnic Jewish practices. Ashkenazi Orthodox Jews and Sephardic Orthodox Jews have different practices based on what was available in the part of the world the ended up post diaspora. Within each stream of Judaism, regardless of regional ethnicity, there are smaller groups like Modox and Chasidim (to name only 2 of the vast subgroups of Orthodox Jews), or Classical Reform and NuReform. Meeting a few Jews in Baltimore (we only make up 0.2% of the world population) means you have met a few Jews. You haven't met authorities on ALL of Judaism (I am not one either, none of us are). We have our own minchag. Do you speak for Hindus, assuming you have met one?
            I am on this thread a lot because there are a lot of people like you who believe they have the right to appropriate whatever they want from wherever they want. If you feel insulted by seeing the word "antisemitic" perhaps there is something in you you need to work on. I do not presume to know more than you about whatever prejudices affect your minority, it's extremely prideful to assume you know better than Jews when it comes to antisemitism. Personally, when I say something ignorant, offending another person, and they call me out, I thank them for taking the time to educate me and make it a priority to learn more and do better. I don't understand why this wouldn't also be your approach.

          • Robin says

            April 05, 2024 at 12:22 pm

            Jenn, so this is my 3rd attempt to reply to your comment below as there’s no “reply” option below it and for whatever reason this keeps glitching and my previous 2 lengthy replies disappeared just as I was typing my e-mail to post. Also, I did not see your reply below prior to replying to your other comment.
            Will you answer why you say using the word Jew is an insult? I’ve never heard that in over 50 years of conversations with others within Judaism and genuinely would like to know why you say this rather than just to hear you repeat that it is.
            I was referring to Pharisees in the historical context. Jesus was not a Pharisee, so you saying that he was is an insult because it is not true. It would be the same if I said Moses was something that he was not.
            I’m not terribly offended by your false accusations, more curious about why you think it’s ok to accuse folks of something based upon your assumptions. You stated, “Personally, when I say something ignorant, offending another person, and they call me out, I thank them for taking the time to educate me and make it a priority to learn more and do better.” I’m not seeing that here, which is a shame because this could be an opportunity to share rather than berate. I do wish you a joyous upcoming Passover.

    • Scout says

      January 05, 2023 at 1:58 am

      So is Chai tea and panini sandwich and The Los Angelos Angels, along with many other nouns. I don't think it is appropriation to combine a foreign word with a word in your own language, to help differentiate and explain what is being spoken about. As a Christian it doesn't upset me that Muslim's remember the sacrifice offered of Abraham as being Ishmael - even though in our scriptures it cleary shows how it was Isaac, and the Torah was written long before the Quran.

      Reply

      • Jenn says

        March 21, 2024 at 8:49 pm

        I wrote a too long reply that got erased when a technology mishap happened. Here are the cliff's notes:
        English has been absorbing words from every place it's been. It's bad when it negatively affects the culture of origin or it gets turned into an insult. It's fine (if annoying when people are literally just saying "tea tea", pick one, chai or tea. Both words mean the sa... ok, I am good) to call tea "chai", it's fine to eat a panini. It's fine to partake of things other cultures SHARE with us. It's not fine to appropriate sacred rituals, like a seder. It's not fine to assume your reading of a translated and edited version of our texts is the only interpretation.It's not fine to speak about another culture as if one knows more that the people of that culture. I don't speak for all Jews*, not even Jews from my own synagogue. I think it's a good policy for everyone.
        *When I use "we" I am using my own experiences speaking with other Jews.

        Reply

    • Jenn says

      March 20, 2024 at 12:59 pm

      FYI, there is a lot offensively wrong with what you said. I want to strongly caution you against using "Pharisee" as a pejorative because it's just another, older, word for Jew. Now we have distinctions like Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi, and within those groups: Orthodox, Reform, and Masorti, to name a few (not to mention the many subdivisions). Pre-destruction of the 2nd temple we had groups like Pharisees. The Pharisees are the ones who kept us going after the destruction of the temple and ushered in Rabbinical Judaism ("but Jesus was a rabbi" you say. No he wasn't, not in the same sense as now). To say "Pharisee" as if it has any sort of bad connotation would be very similar to me using your grandmother's name in the same way. It's rude, antisemitic, and you can just say "hypocrite" because that's what you mean, you don't mean "person who works with a group to set up social programs to benefit everyone in the community."

      Reply

14. Jennifer Lambert says

    March 30, 2021 at 10:20 am

    Isn't it wonderful that we can revise our faith and traditions and when we know better, we can do better?
    We learned about world religions and festivals and holidays with our history curriculum and researched.
    We too used to celebrate Jewish holidays as a family and even at church one year, flavoring them with Messianic teachings, but we realize how that's offensive and incorrect and we're doing things differently. The Jewish holidays came about centuries after Jesus walked the earth.
    I've had many strangers tell us what we're doing is wrong no matter what we do, but other Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu friends think it's lovely that we teach our kids anything about other faith traditions.

    Reply

    • Tara Ziegmont says

      March 30, 2021 at 10:25 am

      Thank you for your comment Jennifer. I completely agree that it is wonderful that we can revise, learn, and grow in our own faith as well as our respect for and of other faiths. I think it is crucial to our humanity that we allow for differences of opinion and unquestioning respect of those differences. I am really proud of the conversation that is developing in the comments here as we respectfully disagree with one another and learn from one another.

      Reply

    • Jenn says

      April 01, 2021 at 6:55 pm

      Hi Jennifer,
      I think it's great to teach kids about other cultures and religions! It does foster understanding and tolerance. I am also glad to hear that you understand now why taking the rites and customs from those different cultures is offensive. I love growth!
      I've Just realized tomorrow is Good Friday, and Sunday is Easter. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful and fulfilling time. Please eat some carbs for me tomorrow, as I am still forbidden for another couple of days.

      Reply

    • Jenn says

      January 27, 2022 at 1:49 pm

      I appreciate this so much. I agree that everyone should learn about marginalized religions and cultures. Before Covid our synagogue would host a Seder, inviting a local church and any other Christians who wanted to see what it was about. All we asked was that people come to learn, not preach. I know other religions sometimes have similar programs. Schools too, though more often than not, it's only if there is a Jewish kid in the class and the parents can be strong armed into coming in to do a demonstration of something.
      I think now, more than ever, it is important to learn as much as we can about religions that are not Christianity. With the recent Synagogue Hostage situation in Texas, near daily attacks on Jews/Jewish institutions, and states like Tennessee banning graphic novels like Maus (a REALLY good educational tool to explain the Holocaust to children/ young adults who don't know about it), it's imperative to educate everyone so minority religions are no longer othered and put in danger.

      Reply

15. Julie says

    March 30, 2021 at 9:28 pm

    Oh but that is the whole point of the Passover, showing the links to Jesus! And that's just it, their passover IS about our Jesus!! I just celebrated/observed our first passover seder last year as a family with small children, and I was blown away by the beautiful and amazing pictures that pointed to Jesus! 1 Corinthians 1:23 " we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles" So Tara, I know it will offend some Jews, but don't let that stop you from showing the beauty and hope Jesus brings us as the Passover lamb!

    Reply

    • Tara Ziegmont says

      March 31, 2021 at 9:14 am

      No no no no. That is absolutely not correct. It is so blatantly false that I considered not publishing your comment, but I went ahead and published it because I am sure you are not alone in your misunderstanding and hope to educate others as to why this point of view is harmful both to Christians and Jews alike.

      First, "their" Seder is the result of thousands of years of Jewish history - and it started well AFTER the death of Jesus. The Jewish Seder as it is observed today has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus, and we Christians have no right to poach the Jewish tradition and distort it to make it about Him. That's like taking Ramandan or Holi and making them about Jesus; it just doesn't make any sense. I can hear you saying that the Passover *IS* about Jesus, and the Christian version of the Passover absolutely is, but just because the Jewish Passover and the Christian Passover are based on some of the same historical events DOES NOT MAKE THEM THE SAME TRADITION.

      Please, I beg of you, read the rest of the comments and learn about the differences between the Jewish tradition of Passover and the Christian version. The Christian version does not and should not contain the Seder script (that I used to share on this page), which was first mentioned in the Torah (that's the Jewish Holy Book) in the Jewish rebellion against Rome which was crushed in 70 A.D. by Titus who called for the destruction of the 2nd Jewish temple. The Passover Seder was started by two rabbis at the time - 70 A.D. and has evolved over almost 2,000 years into what Jews celebrate today.

      Given all of this, I can't connect the dots between "their Passover" and the Christian Passover. It just doesn't make sense.

      If you don't believe me and the others on this page, here are a few research-based articles that I found:

      Christianity Today article – https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/march-web-only/jesus-didnt-eat-seder-meal.html

      Jewish website article – https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/the-surprising-ancient-origins-of-passover-1.5244961

      Reply

      • Jenn says

        January 25, 2022 at 8:15 pm

        This is an amazing response. Thank you for listening and being an ally

        Reply

      • Liz says

        April 08, 2022 at 12:32 am

        I’ve been doing a modified Passover Meal/Teaching time/meal connecting and teaching the first Passover with all that went on at Easter for years. Mine was heavily influenced by the Hebrew4Christains website which is one made by Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah. So in a way, via online resource, I have been invited into this tradition and I graciously and gladly enjoyed the fullness which my family and I have participated in. I’m sad about all this discord when people are aiming for teaching moments with their families. Should I be mad that some Jews have Santa clause? By no means! Peace and love to you all, may we encourage one another on to goodness. It wasn’t an accident that Jesus was put to death on the same day of the Passover (the slaughter of the lamb)- Christians believe (and all the first Christians were Jewish including Jesus, of course!) that the Passover lamb was pointing to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice which we believe is what allows salvation and restored relation ship with God. It is commanded in Exodus to celebrate Passover to remember God’s saving of His people. I am so thankful to be brought into this. I’m saddened that it offends people.

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          April 08, 2022 at 12:31 pm

          I am sorry to inform you that Jews for Jesus and all their messianic iterations are a Christian cult started by Baptists for the sole purpose of converting Jews through lies. Please do not look to them as a source for anything Jewish. We (Jewish people) agree on nothing EXCEPT that one cannot worship/view Jesus as the messiah and still be Jewish. They are appropriators of the worst kind, which makes their seders even worse than a straight up Christian seder because they lie. Jesus has absolutely NOTHING to do with Judaism. He was just some Jewish guy. I am Jewish, Ivanka and Jared are Jewish (sadly), do you plan to worship us too? We've completed the same amount of messianic requirements as Jesus.
          PLEASE, do not hold seders anymore. It is appropriative, antisemetic, and rubbing salt in the wounds of Jews. If you read though the comments you will see what a dangerous time of year this is for Jews, please do your part to protect us by protecting our customs and way of life by not taking it to make Christian. You already have dominance over Western culture, please leave ours alone.

          Reply

          • Tara Ziegmont says

            April 08, 2022 at 1:40 pm

            Jenn,

            Thank you for continuing to return to this post year after year and educate people. I'm sure it must be frustrating for you to have to repeat your message over and over (and over and over), but I appreciate the time you take to respond thoughtfully and respectfully. I wish I could do more to thank you.

        • Ann says

          April 16, 2022 at 10:36 am

          You are correct. Speak to Messianic rabbis. By not doing this we are not obeying God. God says you will do this forever and ever. It’s the Lords feasts. All that accept Him will be expected to do these.

          Reply

          • Jenn says

            April 16, 2022 at 12:25 pm

            Hi Ann,
            Jews for Jesus and other messianic groups were started by a Baptist preacher as a cult to lure Jews to Christianity. They engage in cultural genocide, and are NOT Jewish. They hurt real Jews by making people like you think they are legitimate. I understand, as a Christian, you will feel differently which is as it should be, however Jews view worshipping Jesus as Idol worship. This is not a denigration of your faith, it's an explanation of our (Jewish people) religion and why people who worship Jesus can never be Jewish. Jews know Christianity exists, if we are interested we'll convert. In the meantime, please do not speak for Jewish people, as a Christian you have no right, and I find it strange that you would wait until most of us are offline for Shabbat v'Pesach. I SHOULD BE offline, but now I am left correcting you. This is upsetting.

      • Ann says

        April 16, 2022 at 10:33 am

        that’s just not true. The matzoh itself represents the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The middle matzoh, Yeshua, is broken. It’s hidden an wrapped in white linen. It’s the last thing you eat at night. Millions of messianic Jews tell this story. Rabbi Alan Levine has a great Passover boom on Amazon. This isn’t a Jewish feast. It’s the Lords feast. Anyone that accepts Yeshua is commanded to celebrate this. This was celebrated for 400 years after His death! Constantine changed it. Please talk to messianic rabbis before you change!

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          April 16, 2022 at 12:27 pm

          You are engaging in cultural genocide. Stop this antisemetic nonsense now. To quote my previous response to you:
          Hi Ann,
          Jews for Jesus and other messianic groups were started by a Baptist preacher as a cult to lure Jews to Christianity. They engage in cultural genocide, and are NOT Jewish. They hurt real Jews by making people like you think they are legitimate. I understand, as a Christian, you will feel differently which is as it should be, however Jews view worshipping Jesus as Idol worship. This is not a denigration of your faith, it's an explanation of our (Jewish people) religion and why people who worship Jesus can never be Jewish. Jews know Christianity exists, if we are interested we'll convert. In the meantime, please do not speak for Jewish people, as a Christian you have no right, and I find it strange that you would wait until most of us are offline for Shabbat v'Pesach. I SHOULD BE offline, but now I am left correcting you. This is upsetting.

          Reply

          • Ann says

            April 16, 2022 at 8:35 pm

            I’m sorry but I’m not a Jews for Jesus and if you read Isaiah 53 Gentiles are grafted in and that’s a fact. You can choose not to believe this and it’s your right. But we will obey what God has told us to do each year to honor Him. You can not “correct. “ anyone following Gods instructions.

          • Tara Ziegmont says

            April 17, 2022 at 12:03 am

            Hi Ann,
            I'd like to know the verse in Isaiah 53 where the Bible says that Christians should celebrate a holy feast that was started 40 years after Jesus was crucified? Because I read the whole chapter, and I can't find it in there. Also, I don't see the word "Gentile" in the chapter at all, in either the NIV or NLT translations. It says He was pierced for "us" but it doesn't specify who "us" is. So, I'd like to know where you are getting your "facts" from because it doesn't appear to be from the chapter you quoted.

          • Ann says

            April 17, 2022 at 1:57 am

            Please stop quoting anything. To judge others is also against God. Yeshua is His name. NOT Jesus. Miriam was His mother. Isaiah 53
            Foretells Yeshua as does Genesis. I am NOT a Jews for Jesus person. Gentiles obeyed God ..worshipped on Shabbat and did all of the Lords feasts. They are not the Jews feasts. They are for all who believe in Him. They did this for 400 years until Constantine changed it.
            If you read Rabbi Alan Levine’s book on Passover you can argue with him if you like, but He knows the Bible backwards and forwards! His book is on Amazon. I’ll buy one and send if you like. Happy First Fruits!

      • Ann says

        April 17, 2022 at 2:07 am

        Tara..Isaiah 53 foretells Yeshua. His name is NoT Jesus.. if you read the feast it says these are the Lords feasts. They are for ALL who believe in God. It doesn’t say the Jews feasts. All Gentiles worshipped on Shabbat, did all the feasts for 400 years after His resurrection. Constantine changed what Gentiles did. We are not Jews for Jesus. We are messianic Jews. Read rabbi Alan Levine’s Passover book. I’ll be happy to send to you! All of Yeshuas deciles were Jewish and many Jews were messianic while Yeshua walked the earth! Gentiles always celebrated Passover. Yeshua IS represented in the Passover. The traditions today aren’t in the Bible either ..the Seder plate snd Elijah cup. You do know afikomen is a Greek name. It came later. Why? It’s wrapped in white linen snd hid! Why do you think that is?

        The Jews don’t own that history no more then southerners own the civil war. They were a part of it. Millions of Jews are accepting their messiah every year. And Yeshua WAS and IS Jewish. Bless your Feast of first fruits!

        Reply

        • Tara Ziegmont says

          April 17, 2022 at 9:53 am

          We are going to have to agree to disagree. This post is not about Jews for Jesus or Messianic Jews. That is a topic that is beyond my expertise and experience. It is about Christians holding Passover Seders and why that's not a good idea.

          I can't understand your point of view for several reasons:

          1. I read the Christian Bible, and I know what it says, and Isaiah 53 in my Bible does not say what you claim. It is clear to me that you read and trust a different Bible which is your right. In my faith, Easter and Passover are about Jesus. In my research, the name Jesus was derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, so for me, they are the same person. If you believe something different based on your own research, that is fine for you. I will not try to convert you to my Jesus, and I would appreciate if you did not try to convert me to your Yeshua.

          2. The Passover Seder, as it is observed by Jews today, dates back to AD 70 which is 40 years after the death of Jesus. He did not hold a Seder, and thus Christians shouldn't hold one today. That is not to say that He didn't observe Passover, which he did at the Last Supper. That is not in dispute. Passover as the Lord's feast is part of the shared heritage of Christians and Jews, but it is different from the Seder. I have not been able to find adequate information to support what an acceptable Christian Passover would look like without the Seder which I know is not acceptable.

          3. I have done my own research online and in books, and I will not accept the word of one man over the sum total of all the scholars I've read. Just because Alan Levine published a book that's available on Amazon does not not make what he says true or Biblical. Also, just because some people on the internet say that Jesus held a Seder does not make that true either.

          Reply

          • Ann says

            April 17, 2022 at 2:57 pm

            We will agre to disagree. Just remember you held a Seder till you were judged by nonbelievers. That’s huge. I. Leviticus it states you will do these things forever. These are the a lords Feasts. Not the Jews feasts. All that believe in Him are commanded. I obey what God tells me to do. Messianic Jews are Jews. Jen is no authority nor does she have the right to tell anyone to stop obeying what God commands. You said you sought out scholars. But if they are non believing Jews you will get that answer. Rabbi Levine spoke as you did till he studied scripture. If you would at least ask messianic rabbis you would learn the truth. What does it hurt? It cost you nothing. What if God had you do that Seder to get you on the journey He called you too. Easter means the goddess of fertility. That’s a fact. Why the bunnies and chicks. Signs of fertility. Those are other Gods. Another fact. I won’t bother replying. Do as you will. Im grateful the people God is calling to HIS feasts.

          • Tara Ziegmont says

            April 17, 2022 at 4:19 pm

            Actually, you are wrong. I held a Seder until I learned that Jesus didn’t. I revised my behavior given the new information. It is true that I was prompted by non-Christians to learn more, but I would not have changed my observance without solid reason. Learning the true history was the reason that I needed.

            From all your previous comments, I think you do what Rabbi Levine tells you to do, not what God says to do in the Bible.

            If you believe that Jesus or Yeshua is the Messiah, then surely you also know that His death and resurrection made the Old Testament laws (Mosaic Laws) obsolete. The New Covenant is spelled out in the New Testament and replaced the Old Testament laws. There is nothing about the Passover under the New Covenant. You can read more here:

            https://www.str.org/w/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today-

            As far as worshipping bunnies and chicks and the goddess of fertility? I’m not even going to respond to that because I’m pretty sure the Jews and Christians can agree that worshipping other (false) gods is a sin.

          • Ann says

            April 17, 2022 at 3:03 pm

            Oh I don’t understand how you feel their Seder is different then the ladt supper it is not.
            God commanded the story of the exodus be told. Quickly, with unleavened bread so they could be ready to leave. They sent plate is all tradition. Not in Bible. Jesus does not translate to messiah. Yeshua was is His given name in the original OT. I read the Hebrew versions. The original text. We are Jewish. Js were only around in the 1500s.

            Be blessed!

          • Tara Ziegmont says

            April 17, 2022 at 4:00 pm

            Please do some research. The Jewish Seder dates back to AD 70, which is 40 years after Jesus died, so it’s impossible that Jesus had a Seder for The Last Supper. As you like to say, that’s a fact.

            Frankly, I don’t get the impression that you are interested in learning actual facts, but here are some reputable sources that you can read to learn:

            https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/march-web-only/jesus-didnt-eat-seder-meal.html

            https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/the-surprising-ancient-origins-of-passover-1.5244961

    • Becca says

      April 08, 2022 at 1:34 pm

      NO

      Reply

16. Ellie says

    March 31, 2021 at 11:22 am

    Although I’m glad you deleted much of your original post, I’m a bit upset by your new explanation.“In 2021, I came under fire from a small group of Jews who felt my Christian Passover was deeply upsetting. They stalked me on Twitter and left hateful comments (which I promptly deleted) here on this post” . This feels like you’re victimizing yourself and trying to deflect some of the blame away from you and towards the ‘angry Jews’. This seems unnecessary to post as they are not the ones appropriating our sacred traditions. They had every right to be angry and should not have been tone policed and shamed on your page. Also, I think you should note that Christians SHOULD NOT celebrate Passover the way Jewish people do (i.e Seder) unless it is led by a Jewish person. Otherwise, it’s still appropriation rather than appreciation in the presence of a Jew.

    Reply

    • Tara Ziegmont says

      March 31, 2021 at 12:19 pm

      I'm sorry to hear that you are troubled by my new explanation. I was, in fact, victimized by a very small (fewer than 10) group of Jewish people who called me names and used hate speech regarding my blog, my weight, my Christianity, and my person. I'm sorry if the fact that I called that out offends you, but I will not change the fact that I did call it out. See, I think ANYONE who bullies someone else, regardless of whether the attacker is morally right or morally wrong, is wrong. Hatefulness is never okay; two wrongs don't make a right. Did those people have a right to be angry? Sure. Did they have a right to personally attack me? No, they did not.

      Thank you for sharing your opinion regarding Christians holding their own Seder, but yours is one person's opinion. As I wrote in the post, I spoke to a dozen different people, all Jewish, some practicing and some non-practicing, and the majority thought Christians holding a traditional Seder was fine as long as it sticks to the Jewish practice and doesn't bring in any Christian ideas or themes. The overwhelming opinion from my own conversations was that it was "weird" (direct quote from one friend), but not objectionable. I'm sure there are a lot of Jewish people on both sides of the issue, so I won't debate with you who is right here and who is wrong. I am simply sharing what was told to me by Jewish friends who claimed they were being forthright and honest.

      Reply

      • Jenn says

        April 01, 2021 at 6:06 pm

        Hi Everyone! I am going to *try* and keep this brief as, I think I have already made most of my points. I have seen a lot of people here say that Passover is part of your heritage and tradition, which was (is) confusing to me because Christians worked so hard to separate themselves from us, as well as followed a man they believed to be the Messiah, which isn't what Judaism is about. I think, what it comes down to is a deep misunderstanding of Judaism and our beliefs. I am not a rabbi, nor a Jewish educator, so I am not the best person to explain this but: In our Bible, the Tanakh, there is no Jesus. There is nothing to point to Jesus, there is nothing that can be interpreted to mean Jesus. All interpretations involving Jesus came after Christians broke off and started their own religion. This is also why many of us don't see us as having a shared heritage. Our bibles are too different, and in the intervening years this has become a very dangerous time of year for Jews, because, for centuries, we were attacked at this time of year for perceived crimes against Jesus.
        That leads me to my next point: The Pharisees. Using Pharisees as an insult is antisemetic. They are actually the precursors to rabbinic Judaism. Here is more information about the different ancient Jewish sects: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/lets-talk-about-sects/
        There's much more to say about antisemitism in general. It's not just hate speech and violence. It's also microaggressions, speaking over Jewish people, or explaining to them why they are wrong to feel upset about things. Playing into stereotypes, even if you think they are complimentary, etc. Many times no malice is intended, but they are behaviors that need to be unlearned. I believe that everyone involved in these conversations are doing so in good faith, so I am not saying this in anger, just as education.

        Spring is a time of celebration for many religions and cultures. There are similarities in celebrations too. I know eggs are important for both Jews and Christians this time of year. I know (think) you are celebrating the rebirth of Jesus, much like the earth renews itself every spring. I know that Pesach (Hebrew word for passover) is the root of several language's word for Easter. I think it's important to acknowledge our similarities and rejoice in the rituals we have separately created for this time of year. I get the impression the people I am speaking with are not Catholic, but they too have some beautiful rituals for this time of year, Jesus already included.
        I was going to talk about Christian Hegemony and Supersessionism, which is prevalent in this country, and why borrowing traditions from us might not seem like a big deal when they absolutely are, but instead, I will leave these links: https://christianhegemony.org/what-is-christian-hegemony and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersessionism along with this data about how few of us there are: https://www.jewishdatabank.org/content/upload/bjdb/2019_US_Jewish_Population_(AJYB,_Sheskin,_Dashefsky)_DataBank_Final.pdf
        If you want to learn the basics of a Pesach (passover) Seder (without copying it please) check here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/passover-pesach-101/
        I truly hope all of you are invited to a seder hosted by Jewish people at some point. I think sharing customs can lead to a greater understanding, and frankly, you haven't lived until you've heard 30 or so (My family is big) people singing about a goat, off key, on purpose. I'd stay away from the fully Jewish ritual foods like charoset (Sorry Tara, if I ever meet you I will make you some.)

        I will close by saying, I'm not the Jewish Lorax, I can only speak for me. Here is a blog post written by a Rabbi, which will probably be more clear and contradict me at points, which is normal in Judaism: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-do-we-do-about-christian-seders/
        I hope I haven't confused things too much. I still encourage everyone to follow Jewish voices online. As with any minority, the point is to listen first, then ask questions. Don't, however, try to convert anyone, because that goes poorly.

        Reply

        • Neva says

          April 09, 2022 at 11:00 am

          Jenn,

          You mentioned there being a large difference between bibles.
          What bible do you read?

          Thanks in advance,
          Neva

          Reply

          • Jenn says

            April 10, 2022 at 1:18 pm

            Hi Neve,
            Jews read the Tanakh comprising the books of law (Torah,) the prophets, and collected writings. Many people think it's the same as the Old Testament, but due to translation errors, editing, and adding of Jesus, they are very different. I've also seen that the various Christian bibles vary, based on the publisher/movement/denomination. I'm less familiar with that though

        • Ann says

          April 16, 2022 at 10:38 am

          Please seek a Messianic Rabbi. Yeshua is in the OT. Isaiah 53 explains it also.

          Reply

          • Jenn says

            April 16, 2022 at 12:32 pm

            Jesus is not in the Tanakh, Ann. I am happy to go over the Hebrew with you some time to show you. You need to stop promotion of a cult as a source of Jewish information. This is incredibly upsetting that you speak over Jews this way. Please reflect on your behavior and if you are truly ok with the cultural genocide you are committing. I don't want to have to paste this comment again:
            Hi Ann,
            Jews for Jesus and other messianic groups were started by a Baptist preacher as a cult to lure Jews to Christianity. They engage in cultural genocide, and are NOT Jewish. They hurt real Jews by making people like you think they are legitimate. I understand, as a Christian, you will feel differently which is as it should be, however Jews view worshipping Jesus as Idol worship. This is not a denigration of your faith, it's an explanation of our (Jewish people) religion and why people who worship Jesus can never be Jewish. Jews know Christianity exists, if we are interested we'll convert. In the meantime, please do not speak for Jewish people, as a Christian you have no right, and I find it strange that you would wait until most of us are offline for Shabbat v'Pesach. I SHOULD BE offline, but now I am left correcting you. This is upsetting.

      • Jenn says

        April 01, 2021 at 6:22 pm

        I am so sorry that people made comments about your body. That is never appropriate and should not have happened. I do agree with Ellie about your wording. Not everyone who reads your posts are good (Just basic statistics), and often it only takes a hint of "permission" for someone with hate in their heart to attack us. The Tree of Life shooter springs to mind as a fairly recent example. I don't know what was said about your Christianity, and I am sure it hurt you deeply, but please consider the damage than can be done to an entire synagogue because one unhinged person decided they were given the go-ahead to make us pay. I know you don't see us as a majority/ minority, but we are, and those dynamics can get dangerous.
        At the end of the day though, this is your blog, your platform, and your post, you can do whatever you wish on it, and your feelings are true to you, and that's important. Words have power, and we all need to remember that.

        Reply

      • Ann says

        April 17, 2022 at 2:11 am

        You spoke to a dozen? Do you know how many MILLIONS of Jews celebrate Passover with Yeshua? I’m sorry you were attacked. That’s the enemy. He’s afraid everytime someone obeys Him. God tells us to these forever. All that believe in Him. Do not let a human, prone to mistakes, take away what God has commanded. The Bible tells us we will be attacked for obeying Him ! Hold fast! Pray for strength! Blessings…

        Reply

17. Robin says

    April 01, 2021 at 2:23 am

    I stumbled upon this post searching for Resurrection Sunday meal inspiration. As a Christian very much interested in Jewish history, I can understand the desire to participate in a Seder, as I’ve had that longing for many years myself & have not had the privilege of being a humble guest of a Jewish family. I do understand the difference between the last meal Christ shared with his disciples & the Seder which came to be years later. I feel a kinship for those of Jewish descent, as who knows if my family may be descended from any of the ten “lost” tribes of Israel that were scattered throughout the world after their release from captivity, as well as the fact that my Savior walked in Jewish flesh. However, for Christians He BECAME our Passover as written in I Corinthians 5:7 & therefore Christ is very much about Passover for me. I would never attempt to host a Seder, but do feel it entirely appropriate for Christians to have a Passover meal to celebrate the forthcoming acknowledgement of Christ’s resurrection & defeat of death for all who choose to accept His gift of life. What we Christian’s should do is acknowledge that Easter is derived from a pagan fertility ceremony in worship of Ashtoreth - Ishtar & has absolutely nothing to do with Resurrection Sunday.

    Reply

    • Jenn says

      April 01, 2021 at 6:10 pm

      Quick correction: There were 12 tribes of Israel.

      Reply

      • Robin Scott says

        January 26, 2022 at 12:48 am

        Yes, I do know there were 12 tribes of Israel. I was not including Judah and Benjamin as they are not part of the 10 northern “lost” tribes my comment referenced.

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          January 27, 2022 at 1:05 pm

          I see. That is something Christians focus on. Jews do not, for the most part. You can tell by doing a web search; almost all the sources are Christian (messianics are considered Christians by Jews because their beliefs, while perfectly acceptable in Christian faiths are antithetical to Judaism.)
          I am familiar with the Christianity ubiquitous to the United States, but I am not always in the know when it comes to things like this.

          Reply

          • Robin says

            April 22, 2022 at 12:20 am

            I don’t really know whether it is something Christians focus on or not. I do know that none of the 12 tribes are lost to God. I am curious, how is it addressed within Jewish culture? The only sources I use for my study is the entire Christian Bible, both Old & New Testament and a Strong’s concordance to help with taking the English words back to the original Aramaic, Hebrew & Greek words & their meanings, which give a much fuller & accurate understanding, especially when there’s been a misinterpretation.

    • Ellen says

      April 08, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      For the reasons that others have given, which I encourage you to read, it is not appropriate (or kind, neighborly, loving, etc.) for you to have a "Christian" seder. I'm grateful to Tara for deleting her post -- I'm sorry that people bullied her -- and ask you to honor and respect our traditions, which you can do best by sticking to your own traditions.

      Reply

    • Ann says

      April 16, 2022 at 10:39 am

      Please go to Amazon. Rabbi Alan Levine has a Passover book explaining Yeshua in the Seder.

      Reply

      • Jenn says

        April 16, 2022 at 12:29 pm

        Please stop recommending a con artist as a reputable source of Jewish information.
        Per my previous comments:
        Hi Ann,
        Jews for Jesus and other messianic groups were started by a Baptist preacher as a cult to lure Jews to Christianity. They engage in cultural genocide, and are NOT Jewish. They hurt real Jews by making people like you think they are legitimate. I understand, as a Christian, you will feel differently which is as it should be, however Jews view worshipping Jesus as Idol worship. This is not a denigration of your faith, it's an explanation of our (Jewish people) religion and why people who worship Jesus can never be Jewish. Jews know Christianity exists, if we are interested we'll convert. In the meantime, please do not speak for Jewish people, as a Christian you have no right, and I find it strange that you would wait until most of us are offline for Shabbat v'Pesach. I SHOULD BE offline, but now I am left correcting you. This is upsetting.

        Reply

        • Ann says

          April 17, 2022 at 2:29 am

          Please read Isaiah 53. And stop calling Him Jesus. His name is Yeshua. His mother , Miriam. Gentiles celebrated for 400 years observing sabbath and seders with a Yeshua in them. The fact that you are calling people names, judging them snd commanding them is extremely unsettling and goes against what God commanded! It goes against the 10 commandments.
          My grandmother is Jewish snd husband all the way back to Abraham. Just because you claim that Jews that accept their own messiah are no longer Jewish doesn’t make it truth.
          Millions are accepting their own messiah every year as the end time’s come closer.

          Please don’t cut and paste anymore. We are not Jews for Jesus. Nor did I bully or call you names.
          We all learn in life by researching more then we are taught. It’s how we grow. It’s why God tells us to read daily.. and love your neighbor as yourself.. when God shows His people His truth who are any of us to tell them No.?

          Reply

    • Tara Ziegmont says

      April 17, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      Hi Robin,
      I have been searching for an appropriate Christian Passover meal/observance, and I have had exactly zero luck finding anything from a reputable source. Obviously, I don’t want to poach the Jewish Seder, but I am interested in what would be appropriate. Do you have any resources?

      Reply

      • Robin says

        April 22, 2022 at 1:27 am

        Hi Tara, I’ve only just seen all the recent additional comments on this thread, including your query & I’m sorry, but I don’t have any resources for a Christian Passover meal. I would think that looking at the food elements of a traditional Passover for inspiration would be okay as long as the other aspects of the Jewish tradition that is specific to their Seder were not included. I know it’s a fine line & even that may be crossing it in some folk’s opinion, but I don’t think it’s wrong for Christians that feel a conviction to observe Christ as our Passover as written in our Scriptures, to do so in a way that is inspired by how Jesus celebrated Passover.

        Reply

18. Deborah says

    December 16, 2021 at 10:43 pm

    I was saddened to hear that you removed the link between Jesus and Passover, because the New testament makes it clear in verses like 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 that Jesus IS our Passover lamb.
    "7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

    Here is an article talking about Jesus and passover.
    https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/christ-our-passover

    Scripture says that Jesus came to fulfill the law. He also fulfilled all of the feast days.

    Matthew 26:17 it talks about how Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples:
    "17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”"
    If Jesus did it, then it's not wrong to do. Christians do not have to be apologetic or ashamed to keep a tradition our Lord and God kept. Jewish people are offended if you say that Jesus is God.
    Scripture tells us in Roman's 11:25:
    "For I, brethren, would not have you be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in."

    Here is a list of verses talking about Passover, https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Passover
    many talk about how Jesus was crucified at the time of Passover and Unleavened Bread. That was no coincidence. God planned it that way. Jesus had to fulfill the prophecies. Even from the book of Genesis scripture talks about the the one who must come and redeem man kind. God said that through the jews all the nations of the world would be blessed, that "salvation comes

    Here is an article that speaks of Jesus in the old testament. I highly recommend you read it:https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/lifestyle/religion/the-old-testament-is-about-jesus/article_e24e6b8c-62e5-50ff-95e3-8179de152129.html
    If you told a Jewish person that the coming messiah, the one that they were looking forward to in thier scriptures is Jesus, they would be highly offended as well and deny it. They were caught up thinking of him on too narrow of a way, that he would free them from thier immediate oppression, but those were the ones who rejected Jesus. It talks about at the day of Pentecost that tens or thousands, over 30,000 jews were saved in a day. Those jews were open to the truth. Jesus himself said in John 14:6 "6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
    I'm sure if you said that today many of those same jews that objected to you celebrating Passover would object to the very words of Jesus.

    your right, Christian's do not have to celebrate the same way that a jew does, however a Chrstian can and should celebrate Passover. Passover IS about the death, burial, and resurrection, of our Lord and Savior. Jesus IS our Passover lamb according to scripture. And calling padsover by the name "Easter" is sacrilegious because "Easter" is a pagan name. Hereod whom crucified Jesus celebrated Easter. They had a shadow of the truth because they celebrated new life through death, that shows the word of God imprinted on people's hearts, which they either choose to accept or reject when they find out the accurate truth. I am offended when Christians call Christians'most holy holiday by a pagan name (Easter/Ishtar). Easter is about a carnal fertility and carnal life.
    "Jesus is our Passover lamb" - 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      January 24, 2022 at 9:23 pm

      Amen. I will never celebrate Easter: Israelites were commended specifically not to even speak her name. The last supper is literally a Passover Seder. I’m not sorry at all there are so many non Jews who want to serve their creator the way he has requested. Shame on people putting a stumbling block between the Heavenly Father and his earthly children. If that’s cultural appropriation so be. In my home we’re creating a culture of submitting to the most high. That’s what we should all strive for.

      Reply

      • Kim says

        April 16, 2022 at 10:41 am

        Amen. Rabbi Alan Levine has a great Passover book explaining Yeshua is the Seder. These are the Lords feasts. It never says on Jews celebrate. God worked hard to free them so His son could be born!

        Reply

    • Jenn says

      January 25, 2022 at 8:43 pm

      None of this is correct and a lot of it is antisemetic. How many synagogues have to be attacked before Christians realize the power their words have? You are the dominant culture. You write the history books. You have been behind 2000 years of Jewish genocide. Jews are real people, not shadowy villains in a story. Treat us like real people and don't make our holidays about you. The only connection Jesus had to Passover was that he celebrated it. That's it. Anything your bible says about Passover has nothing to do with us. It isn't our bible, it was written well after Jesus died, and it's about Christian values, not Jewish ones (Judeo-Christian values are not a thing).
      Oh, and Christians actually appropriated the holiday of an old English Goddess named Eostre who was celebrated at the beginning of spring. Nothing to do with Ishtar. That's why it's only called Easter in English and German, but most other languages call it some form of Peasach (passover). Y'all just colonize holidays like you colonized the Americas, Africa, Australia, New Zealand... well, you get the idea. You take a local popular holiday and say, "This is about Jesus now." Appropriation, theft, colonization... you can't have our seders and you can't have our holidays. Lent is coming up and I suggest you give up being antisemetic and appropriative for at least 40 days.

      Tara, I understand if you delete this, but I really don't think you should. I don't think people should be shielded from the anger antisemitism and appropriation causes

      Reply

      • Tara Ziegmont says

        January 26, 2022 at 11:58 am

        I published your comment, but I edited out the name calling. I think you raise some good points, but the personal attack was unnecessary.

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          January 27, 2022 at 2:06 pm

          I am unclear about a "personal attack." I was very careful not to say anything that was untrue. If you are referring to my use of "antisemetic" that is not a personal attack. That is a statement based on the comments above. Again, this is your blog, and you can print whatever you want, but not allowing Jews to call out antisemitism isn't a great thing. Most of us have been trained from birth to spot it, assess the threat level, and either run and warn other Jews or call it out and warn other Jews. I would hope you would at least edit out the antisemetic parts of the comments, if you are editing out my pointing it out. People can't grow if they don't know what they are doing, and why it is wrong. It isn't my job to make people feel better about being antisemetic (especially today, Holocaust Memorial Day), I will, however, let people know when they are being antisemetic so they can rectify their behavior and no longer hurt Jews.
          If this is the name calling you are referring to in your post, along with Jews "stalking" you, it might be a good idea to go back and look at the comments again and see what exactly people are calling out, and how you can improve your language. Already, using a loaded word like, "stalking," is a big problem that many people can take out of context. All a violent person with hate in their heart needs is the smallest opening. The man who held the synagogue hostage 2 weeks ago wasn't Christian, but his reason for attacking Jews was predicated on Christian propaganda that has been casually spoken of and passed down through the centuries. Your (Christians) words have power, ours (marginalized religions) decidedly less so. Please don't Take away the little we have by censoring us. I would rather my comments (and the offending antisemetic ones) be taken down entirely, than be censored by someone who can't understand what they are censoring or why.

          Reply

          • Tara Ziegmont says

            January 27, 2022 at 2:34 pm

            The only word I removed from your comment was "jerk."

      • Laura says

        January 26, 2022 at 1:41 pm

        Hey Jenn (and Tara!), It’s almost been a year and suddenly this thread is blowing up in my email box again. My comments are so old they don’t even show up at first glance anymore, haha. I re-read them this morning and Jenn, I really did enjoy our discussion. I don’t think I really have much to add, but wanted to pop in to say, Jenn, for what it’s worth, I accept you and accept that you don’t agree or approve of the Christian interpretation of the Law, Prophets, Writings and Histories that we call the Old Testament and that the New Testament is irrelevant to your traditions. You have most excellently educated everyone on the difference between biblical Passover and the Jewish Seder, and I am grateful.

        Personally, I don’t think you will be successful in convincing any Christian, except the most unorthodox and insincere, to disassociate Jesus from Passover. We just fundamentally disagree. Don’t you think? And I hope you will see our ideological disagreement as simply that and not a personal attack or degradation.

        Anyway, I wish we could share an actual, real meal together. (Let me know if you're ever in Texas!) I love when people are passionate about their beliefs. It is heartening. I wish we could argue and eat and fume and laugh all in one but alas the internet is a very poor dining room table. Yet, for what it is, I see you and feel we are more alike than different. God bless you!

        Laura

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          January 27, 2022 at 2:21 pm

          Hi Laura,
          I have less of a problem with Christians calling it Passover in other languages (because they already do and have been for centuries). I understand how Passover can figure in to Christian history. However, even your OT and our Bible are vastly different, owing mostly to translation mistakes and editing. Christians will often see Jesus in the OT because he was added there. Reading the Torah in Hebrew, there is no connection to Jesus or anything Christian, why would there be? We didn't know Jesus or Christianity would be a thing. It's in THAT sense that I don't like Christians claiming Passover. I don't like being told that Passover is Jesus's story, because that is simply not true to Jews, and it never will be. That is a Christian thing and there are many holidays to celebrate Jesus during this time, like Mardis Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Mundey (SP?) Thursday, ummm, there's something about Palms, Easter, etc. I guess I don't really see the need for Christians to ALSO have Passover if that's not what they call Easter (English and German call it Easter after the old English Goddess Oestra, other languages use some form of Pascal/Passover to mean Easter).
          As far as a meal is concerned: My friend in NM has developed a Chili Verde Matzos Ball soup recipe I've been wanting to try. If you like spicy, I will make you some and drop it off next time I am in TX (Or have her make some because I would be in TX visiting her)
          Fun Fact re mistranslations: It should be the Reed Sea, not the Red Sea. Someone forgot the 2nd 'E'

          Reply

          • Natalie says

            April 14, 2022 at 10:09 pm

            Whaaaattt?? I always eondered why a sea would be called red. I figured it was a translation thing. Reed makes a lot more sense! Thank you!

          • Scout says

            January 05, 2023 at 5:25 am

            Great detail. I am glad that scriptures can still convey the major truths of a perfect God while having minor flaws attributed to our infallible humanness. Also a fun fact: the name Jesus does not actually appear any part of scripture written in Hebrew, even in the Christian Bible. It is a mispronunciation in Latin based languages of a transliteration (not to be mistaken for a translation) in the greek language of his name in Hebrew, which is why it wouldn't be found in any original language version. I still respond to my name when it is mispronounced when I know I am being called though, so it doesn't bother me much. I
            am wondering if there is such a thing as a Tanakh that has been translated from the original Hebrew into English for unlearned folks such as myself that you could point me to. Also would love to get a digital copy of the Torah etc. in the original Hebrew if possible. I'm wondering as well if you know of a list of differences between the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament that you could direct me to. I would love to educate myself so I can better understand. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and consider my requests!

        • Ann says

          April 17, 2022 at 12:14 pm

          Do you know why it’s blowing up? Because God commanded His believers to do this forever. When people try to change His word and commandments God steps in to get His followers back on track. The fact that Messianic Judaism is growing quickly, NOT JEWS GOR JESUS ..tells you is quickly we are approaching what’s been foretold.
          Millions of Jews do a Messianic Seder snd number growing. Congregation Zions Sake with Rabbi Eric Carlson, is who posted this and might have lit it back up. Kol Mashiach is another large congregation. The enemy is running scared as Gods people are growing!!! Bless you. .

          Reply

19. Deborah says

    December 16, 2021 at 10:57 pm

    Please do not let yourself be bullied out of doing something that you felt led to do, something which you initially knew was correct and right to do. Do not let the truth be choked out by the thorns of this world.

    The jews persecuted Jesus unto death because of what he told them too. They didn't like what He said, so you can't expect everyone to be okay with things you tell them or connections/thoughts ideas that you see. They obviously do not accept Jesus. Why should they be offended at how you worship or celebrate? How you celebrate does nothing to how they celebrate. Many Jews did not like Jesus interpreting or expounding on scripture either. Just something to think about. Do not be afraid or let people make you do things out of fear of offence. We are told in scripture that the gospel Is an offense to the lost. Please please do not be discouraged by it or change what you feel led to do. Do not base how you obey the leading of God on the offense of others, please!

    Reply

    • Jenn says

      January 25, 2022 at 8:47 pm

      Oh cool! You are also an antisemite. You're loud and proud about it too. Sheesh. Did you know even the Pope has apologized for the Church spreading the deadly lie that we did anything to Jesus? Did you know that millions of Jews have been killed because of the terrible things you are spouting? Do you care? Probably not.

      Reply

    • Laura says

      January 26, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      Deborah, let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, sister. All men rejected Jesus - Jew and Gentile alike. Harping on the Jewish rejection of Christ in this conversation does not draw attention to the point you are making (Jesus being our ultimate, most perfect Passover Lamb) and does everything to antagonize and incense those present in this comment thread. Tara has facilitated an excellent discussion here. Rather than recommend indifference, be a part of the conversation!

      Reply

20. Ellen says

    April 08, 2022 at 1:10 pm

    For the reasons that others have given, which I encourage you to read, it is not appropriate (or kind, neighborly, loving, etc.) for you to have a "Christian" seder. I'm grateful to Tara for deleting her post -- I'm sorry that people bullied her -- and ask you to honor and respect our traditions, which you can do best by sticking to your own traditions.

    Reply

21. Diana Lozano says

    April 08, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    We did the Passover activity as you suggested -I had already done that before- with my kids 3 years ago. My boy now is 6y and he still remembers.
    As you heard the other comments I want to tell you, that it was a Huge Blessing to us. The Lord use you as He wants for His Glory.
    Thanks for these new activities.
    The Lord is with you.

    Reply

22. Jonathan says

    April 10, 2022 at 9:18 am

    Hi Tara,

    Stumbled upon this blog in my seat h for some Passover Halakha (Jewish laws). While I appreciate your changes and introspection, I think you need to change one more thing:

    That non-Jews should absolutely NOT ever hold their own Jewish Seder. What they should do is maybe express to a Jewish friend (if they have one) their interest in the holiday and learning about the Seder. Growing up we had close family friends who were Christian who would attend our family’s Seder. Whatever their internal reasoning, they kept quiet and learned from us. Anything else is still appropriation as a non-Jew, regardless if you follow the Jewish Seder or not. And the link you have is to an ultra orthodox stream of Judaism, and would 1,000% agree with my statement.

    Thanks

    Reply

    • Jonathan says

      April 10, 2022 at 10:15 am

      *search for

      Reply

23. Sarah says

    April 14, 2022 at 1:57 am

    Jesus has nothing to do with Passover, literally nothing. Celebrate what you believe in but do not call it Passover if you are inserting your beliefs in Jesus.

    Reply

24. Pamela says

    February 28, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    May I suggest that you enjoy a Passover observance with a Messianic congregation who will most likely celebrate our shared spiritual roots and the rich significance of many of the elements that do indeed have prophetic significance! (And you may find some more wonderful Jewish friends - these who will enjoy sharing with you and will not feel that you are being offensive!). Shalom!

    Reply

    • Jenn Harris says

      February 28, 2023 at 5:52 pm

      messianics are Christians who have appropriated Jewish customs. they are an offshoot of the baptist church and not accepted by actual Jews. while I understand Christians do not see it this way, please know that Jews view the worship of Jesus as idol worship and polytheism which is strictly forbidden. messianics are incredibly antisémitic, and now that you have been educated on this I hope you will stop calling them Jews (also incredibly antisémitic) and stop encouraging others to join their cult.
      thank you for listening

      Reply

      • Jenn Harris says

        February 28, 2023 at 6:06 pm

        i would also like to ask Tara to delete your comment and all other antisémitic comments on this page. you probably didn't know, or you never would have suggested appropriation, but néo-nazis recently declared a national day of hate putting all American Jews in danger. unfortunately, as the Christian right gains power in this country Jews are losing our protection and rights. attacks on visible Jews are rising and this time between ash Wednesday and Easter is historically dangerous as we are still being blamed and killed for the death of Jesus. it makes it very difficult to observe our own holidays as we are worried about our safety, dealing with appropriating and cosplaying Christians, and doing it all while getting no time off of work because the government doesn't recognize Jewish holidays.
        again, Tara, please consider removing the comments encouraging appropriation and antisemitism. we have more than enough to deal with right now. everyone else, please be an ally and don't appropriate cultures that aren't yours, don't refer to the messianic cult as "Jews," and don't buy up all the food we need for our celebrations. you have more than enough to enjoy within your own religion, please leave ours alone*.

        *if a Jew (not a messianic) invites you to a seder that would be a wonderful time to listen, learn, and enjoy our culture.

        Reply

    • Jenn Harris says

      February 28, 2023 at 6:11 pm

      i would also like to request that you remove this from your post, "If you want to hold a Passover seder, please find yourself a Jewish version. (Here's one I found from a Jewish website.) I am not Jewish and don't feel qualified to offer you one myself. If you do decide to do a seder, stick to the holy and time honored traditions and don't try to make it about Jesus," as it is wholly offensive and inappropriate to suggest people who are not Jewish appropriate Jewish religious customs for entertainment, which is what it would be for non-jews. not every Jews will agree with me, and that's fine, but it is not ok for someone who isn't even Jewish to suggest such a thing. please remember to be a better ally.

      Reply

25. Meadow says

    April 01, 2023 at 6:08 pm

    Thanks for sharing this. I’m sorry your tradition came under fire. It was loving and grace-filled to honor those who were upset.

    Reply

26. N. Hope says

    April 05, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    Hi! I just wanted to say that my family and I enjoyed your post and we added it to our Easter week. I’m sorry that you deleted the post, but I just wanted to let you j is that we appreciated it and had been doing it for the last 4 years. Thank you for sharing your heart and your family’s experience with us. I pray you have a blessed Easter and continue to share your love for Jesus through your post.

    Reply

27. Sarah says

    January 03, 2024 at 8:56 pm

    The Sundae is a fun twist. My family of Christian gentiles will definitely be celebrating Passover as it's a Biblical holy rememberance. We also do Hannukah! Both are more Christian than Easter or Christmas.
    We do not feel the same need to be as ritualistic about many of the details. But we do our best with the Seder and obstaining from Chametz &c. Although we respect the extra special aspect of the hereditary ceremonies of Hebrews, we are finding a way to partake that is not offensive, but some people will go out of their way to feel offended, and I pity them.

    There IS connection to Jesus, as he was partaking in Passover while preparing to passOVER into death to OVERCOME it while he blessed us with his blood, sparing us damnation. As the Paschal blood was used for the Hebrews. I find it interesting also that Jesus ascended back to the heavens at the time some would have been having second Passover.
    Easter is from the name "Ishtar", goddess of fertility and we do NOT celebrate that. We are grateful for every season God provides and for the renewal of Spring. (And the first of the year as was intended....)
    Just as Christmas was a day to take away from truth and genuine meaning of the Biblical messages of Yeshua, this has been done through Easter.

    We also talk the journey specific to the Triumphant Entry, everything from there through to the last supper and Gethsemane...trials, and "stations of" the cross -though not as drastically as I experienced in Catholic school-as our focus is on all of it and also Jesus' MESSAGING of it all, alongside talking about Exodus. Of course to the point of his sacrifice , and what followed thereafter while he showed himself to people to eyewitness. Before resuming year-round study of the Word of YHWH.

    Reply

    • Tara Gerner says

      January 05, 2024 at 11:20 am

      Hi Sarah,
      Thanks for leaving a thoughtful comment. I do have to correct one thing though, and that is that the Seder that is practiced today was not observed until about 70 years after Jesus died. He may have observed the Passover but he did not participate in a Seder, and that is why Christians today should not do it either.

      Reply

    • Jenn says

      March 20, 2024 at 12:19 pm

      Just a heads up, Sarah. Most of what you said was pretty offensive to Jews. You are not Jewish, the holidays are not for you. If you would like to celebrate them either wait to be invited to a celebration by a Jewish family or do the work to convert to Judaism. Christians chose to divorce themselves from Judaism and our laws centuries ago, that means you have no right to our holidays, and by celebrating them you are appropriating (thieving) traditions that do not belong to you and never have. More importantly, and the reason I chose to highlight your offensiveness, referring to the Jewish god as any derivative of YHWH is incredibly disrespectful to the Jewish god and Jews. It would be worse if you made up vowels to put in there, so at least you didn't do that. We use the Hebrew letters yud-hay-vav-hay as a place holder because the true name of god is neither pronounceable nor is it supposed to be. If you are going to be a culture vulture, at least be respectful about it (that's a trick statement, there's no way to be respectful when stealing another group's culture. All you hope to be is not the absolute worst.)
      I hope you reconsider stealing from us and have a lovely group of Christian spring holidays from cultures Christians have already assimilated out of existence.)

      Reply

28. Shelby says

    February 18, 2024 at 8:17 pm

    Jesus’ last super was a Passover meal. Jesus is in the Passover meal because he is God.

    Reply

    • Tara Gerner says

      February 19, 2024 at 9:24 pm

      The Passover meal that Jesus ate was nothing like the Passover Seder that Christians are stealing from our Jewish friends. If you want to eat the Passover meal that Jesus ate, you will not be following a Seder script nor eating the bitter herbs, lamb, apple haroset, etc. that are common to a Jewish Seder.

      Reply

      • Shelly Johnson says

        March 18, 2024 at 9:28 am

        So I just read through all the comments! Wow…great dialogue. But I’m left with one question…What did Jesus eat?

        Reply

        • Jenn says

          March 19, 2024 at 7:45 pm

          probably, by the time Jesus would have been observing, he would have had unleavened bread, bbq lamb (aka burnt offering), and new year foods like green things (look up tu bshvat, and more food information here: https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.12.5?lang=bi&with=all). the Seder is from when the temple had been destroyed and we couldn't do the old rituals. the meal ritual foods and the ritual practices of the Seder are in place of things like sacrificing a baby goat, having a bbq, and dealing with baby goat blood. Jesus was pre-temple destruction. he was kicking it at the bbq.

          Reply

          • Tara Gerner says

            March 20, 2024 at 4:23 pm

            As I say every year, thank you for coming back and providing such great information. I am sorry that you keep having to do it, but I hope that the message will eventually get out and Christians will stop insisting that this is a good idea.

29. Jenn says

    March 20, 2024 at 1:00 pm

    FYI, there is a lot offensively wrong with what you said. I want to strongly caution you against using "Pharisee" as a pejorative because it's just another, older, word for Jew. Now we have distinctions like Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi, and within those groups: Orthodox, Reform, and Masorti, to name a few (not to mention the many subdivisions). Pre-destruction of the 2nd temple we had groups like Pharisees. The Pharisees are the ones who kept us going after the destruction of the temple and ushered in Rabbinical Judaism ("but Jesus was a rabbi" you say. No he wasn't, not in the same sense as now). To say "Pharisee" as if it has any sort of bad connotation would be very similar to me using your grandmother's name in the same way. It's rude, antisemitic, and you can just say "hypocrite" because that's what you mean, you don't mean "person who works with a group to set up social programs to benefit everyone in the community."

    Reply

30. Elaine Kramer says

    March 20, 2024 at 6:50 pm

    Well, my husband is Jew who accept Yeshua as his Messiah. We celebrate Pessach at home and there is no contradiction with Yeshua’s last supper. Yeshua did celebrate Pessach as described in the book of Exodus, with lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread, actually in the New Testament Pessach is described as the Unleavened bread holiday that Yeshua and His disciples prepared themselves to be celebrating. Yeshua didn’t drink the fourth cup but He did offer a prayer of praise as well he broke the unleavened bread, all of it is described in John’s book! Any way, I liked your way to celebrate it. Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply