Local church welcomes Hope for Israel

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TORRINGTON – First Baptist Church welcomed Bill Katz from “Hope for Israel” on Sunday to teach about the Passover Seder traditions.

During the event, Katz spoke of the elements of Seder and what they mean to the tradition. From unleavened bread, called Matzah, to the bitter herbs, everything has a meaning at the Passover table.

Katz said the home gets cleaned six weeks prior to Passover to remove any food containing leavening.

“We see that leaven is a symbol of sin, why? Because it does to us what leaven does to the dough,” Katz said. “It pumps it up, it makes it feel more important.”

During the time of Passover there are several rituals performed by specific members of the family.

With the lighting of the two candles at the table come a blessing and prayer from the mother of the family. The candles are to signify the light provided by the Messiah.

Following the lighting of the candles the wine is blessed by the father of the family. The wine is drank at different intervals during the dinner and each time it signifies something else.

The youngest person of the home is responsible for asking the four traditional questions of Passover.

More information on the tradition of the Passover Seder can be found online. “Hope for Israel” information can be found at hope4israel.org/.