Haroset Food Devotion
A Bricks & Mortar Treat
Object Lesson
Easter, Christmas, our birthdays or anniversaries are all important holidays or occasions that we like to celebrate and remember. Passover is one of those special days too!
It is celebrated by the Jewish people to remember that God delivered them from slavery in
Egypt thousands of years ago.
Passover is observed in the Springtime with a special dinner, a Seder, that tells the story of
God's great rescue of the Israelite people. A special plate, a Seder plate, is used during the
dinner to tell the story.
This is one of the activities you'll find in Come Celebrate the Feasts of the Lord...They Show Us Jesus!
A Seder Plate has six sections that holds the items that tell the Passover
story:
Haroset (or Charoset), reminds us of the mortar that was used to hold bricks together,
with which the Israelite slaves used to build in Egypt.
Matzo cracker, bread made without yeast. The Israelites were in a hurry to escape from Egypt, so they
didn't have time to add yeast
to their bread dough in order to let it rise. (Yeast is often symbolic of sin (Matthew 26:26-29, 1Corinthians 5:6-8, Revelation 19:9).
Parsley, is green; a reminder that everything that grows is a gift from God. The parsley is dipped into salty water, then eaten, to remind
God's people of the tears they shed while in bondage.
Horseradish, is a bitter herb to remind the Israelites of the bitterness of slavery. (A little bit of horseradish is eaten on a matzo cracker with the Haroset.)
Hard-boiled egg, is a reminder of the sacrifices made by God's people while in slavery.
Lamb bone, reminds God's people that a perfect lamb was sacrificed for their sins. The
lamb's blood was then placed on the door frames of the Israelite's homes, so that the Angel of Death would, PASSOVER
them, and they would be saved from death, and able to escape slavery in Egypt.
Today, when we celebrate communion, we are remembering Jesus' last Passover Seder, the Last Supper before his death and resurrection. Jesus brought new meaning to the Passover celebration when he took the bread, the matzo, broke it, and said, "This is my body, broken for you." Then he took the wine and said, "This is my blood, shed for you." When
Jesus' died, he became our once and final Passover Lamb. He has delivered us from our slavery to sin, and because he rose from the dead, he has made it possible for us to live in
God's eternal Kingdom! On that day we will celebrate another supper, the
Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9)!
To make the Bricks & Mortar Treat "Haroset" you will need:
2-3 kinds of apples, cored and cut into quarters, walnuts, honey, cinnamon, grape juice, matzo crackers, small zipper baggies for each child, (double bagged), a plastic knife and spoon for each child, something to crush the nuts with, such as a rolling pin or wooden mallet.
Put a small handful of the walnuts into each baggie. Zip shut. Gently pound the nuts to crush them into smaller pieces. Give each child 1-3 slices of apple to cut into pieces, place the chopped apples into the baggie, shake in a little cinnamon, add a teaspoon of honey, and a splash of grape juice, then stir.
Using the matzo crackers as your bricks, and the Haroset as your mortar, build a tower or a pyramid. As you eat your yummy snack, remember that God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt where they had to build using bricks and
mortar. God has delivered us as well. No longer do we have to work to earn God's favor. God loves
us, because Jesus has delivered us from our sin! (John 3:16)
Copyright 2001 Sarah A. Keith
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