Mar 9, 2010
Posted on Mar 9, 2010 in Miscellaneous | 0 comments
What do these three things have in common? Scripture says that wherever the Gospel is preached, the story of the woman with the alabaster jar will be told, “in memory of her.” (Mark 14:1-9) However, her name is never mentioned. You would think if the event was that important her name would be mentioned to add to this memorial. This is where the Moses & the Haggadah come in.
When the Exodus event is mentioned, what main character comes to mind? None other than Moses. However, what main character is mysteriously absent from the Passover Haggadah? Moses.
Why is this so? It is to teach us that the story of redemption is not about this person or that. It is about the plan of Hashem to redeem mankind. Too many times we are miffed when we are not recognized for what a great mitzvah we performed. We’ve done something really great (like holding our tongue when all of our soul is screaming out inside), and yet no one really cares. As a matter of fact, they expect more and push all of our buttons in just the wrong spots.
This is where remembrance becomes the key to our redemption. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about Hashem and His Messiah. If we have done our part, all we can hope to merit is saying, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” (Luke 17:10). “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).
Apr 10, 2009
Posted on Apr 10, 2009 in Personal, Pesach | 1 comment
Invariably, no matter how hard and long we clean in preparation for Chag HaMatzot (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), somewhere around the middle of the week, we open a cabinet or the freezer and there’s a whole package of hamburger buns or something ridiculous like that. This year things are already a little different.
We’ve found a couple of small things that we had forgotten contained vinegar (a type of chametz/leavened food that we have chosen to remove during this time), such as our Ranch dressing that we had mixed up before we had started purging our home. Since it wasn’t labeled, all we thought about was what was in the mix contents. We didn’t think about the mayo that was added to it!
But there was something that was even larger that I, personally found. The actual day of Pesach, I found about three loaves of puffy, white bread in my heart. I allowed my zeal for observing the feast at a higher level than those around me spoil the spirit of the feast. The entire daylight hours of Pesach for my family ended up being a burden, and not a joy. I allowed a conflict of observance to get under my skin and sour our Pesach experience. Fortunately, I was able to work through this with my family prior to our second seder, confessing my sin and asking forgiveness from my family & friends.
I am admitting this publicly, because we need to confess our faults in order to get rid of them, and I also need a reminder for the following years so that I don’t allow it to happen again. I need to remember that we must continually look into the “Law/Torah of Liberty” (James 1:25;2:12), not falling prey to the “leaven of the Pharisees”—hypocrisy. I wanted to be strict in the minor areas, while allowing the larger, more weightier matters of the Torah (love, compassion, etc.) to fall by the wayside. May Hashem use this as a life lesson to draw me (and hopefully others) to the heart of His commandments. I am thankful for a loving and gracious family. Truly love does cover a multitude of sins.
Mar 30, 2009
Posted on Mar 30, 2009 in Miscellaneous | 0 comments
Just wanted to say that if you plan on ordering any Haggadot (plural of Haggadah), you will need to do so today or tomorrow at the very latest to receive it in time for Pesach/Passover, unless we arrange for an alternate shipping method. The response to the Haggadot offering has been well received, for which I am thankful I can contribute to the community of Messiah.
Please keep in mind that you can still download it freely (this link has been updated 3/17/10) if you so desire.
Thank you for your support of this site! Early Chag Sameach!
Mar 17, 2009
Posted on Mar 17, 2009 in Feasts & Holy Days, Pesach, Shop, Yeshua | 3 comments
My Cup of Redemption Passover Haggadah is now available for purchase. The price is $12 per copy or $10 each for a 5-pack, and includes the following features:
- Full color cover & back
- 52 pages
- Spiral bound (to lay flat when reading)
- Messianic implications of Passover
- English, Hebrew & Transliteration for key blessings
- Easy-to-read typesetting & layout
This year, the first Seder will be Wednesday night, April 8 (5769/2009). Order today to make sure you have yours in time for Pesach!
Mar 17, 2009
Posted on Mar 17, 2009 in Downloads, Feasts & Holy Days, Pesach | 9 comments
Thanks to everyone who gave me input on deciding what to name my Messianic haggadah. Special thanks to Aaron Eby for choosing the “winning” title, “Cup of Redemption.” I wracked my brain with numerous options for titles, but landed on “Cup of Redemption” as the title, because it conveyed my point of connecting the Exodus and the Last Seder of our Master, Yeshua, plus it has great imagery attached to it. Thanks, Aaron for the great suggestion!
You have two options for getting your hands on this haggadah. You can either download it for free as a pdf doc (Adobe® Reader), or if you’re like me and want the “full effect,” you can purchase a physical copy, complete with a full-color cover and spiral binding—so that it lays flat at the Seder table as you are reading from it. I’ll have the physical version available this afternoon, but in the meantime you can download the pdf and check it out.
Update: The Haggadah has been updated as of March 14, 2010! Physical copies are available for shipping now.
Download: Cup of Redemption Haggadah (PDF)
