Tips for Resting on the Sabbath

Here are a variety of simple tricks and tips to help you to rest on the Sabbath! It can be hard to carve out time for rest, especially if you are a parent, caregiver, or have animals to care for. These ideas will help you to make the most of the Sabbath day so that you can fully embrace God's rest and honor him with your obedience to this command.

-Let those in your care rest by putting on a movie or music, and then use that time to rest yourself.

-Set yourself up for success by keeping some frozen meals on hand so that you don't have to spend the Sabbath cooking, even if you didn't prepare a meal for it during the week.

-Embrace simple meals and a few fridge and pantry staples for Sabbath nourishment. You absolutely do not need a six course meal to welcome in God's day of rest!

-No short orders for meals or snacks. Create a basket of Sabbath snack options that kids can grab and eat. If someone bugs you for a snack, you can send them to the basket to make their selection themselves.

-Learn to embrace a sink full of dishes. The Sabbath is not a day we need to have immaculate kitchens. When I see dishes piled up in the sink on the Sabbath, I smile because it means we are keeping God's command to rest! 

-Skip giving kids baths unless it's absolutely necessary. Or in the summer, let them play in a sprinkler and call it good enough! 

-Wear pajamas or comfy clothes as a way to signal to your body that it's time to rest. If you go to congregation, having kids put on pajamas when you get home can signal to them that this day is different from the rest of the week (and make for an easier bedtime later). 

-Give farm animals enough food and water the day before to get them through the day. 

-Hang up a cabbage for chickens in the coop. It keeps them occupied and fed the next day! 

-Sign off of social media and silence notifications. Put your phone on landline mode. Give yourself a mental break. No sense in having constant interruptions on the Sabbath! You can also set your phone so that it only rings for callers in your favorites list.

-If you keep thinking of things to do, jot them down. Making a list takes the load off your brain to remember it all and will help you to focus on other things. 

-Remind yourself that it's okay to do the minimum. If you have loved ones or animals in your care, as long as everyone is safe and has their basic needs covered, it's enough. Sabbath does not have to be the day for someone's favorite meal, the longest walk of the dog's life, or a curated activity list.

-Recognize that not being able to rest unless things are perfect is a lie! Our culture has convinced us that rest is something we can only have once we have gotten every other conceivable thing done. This not Biblical truth. God does not expect you to have it all done every week. You can rest even if you could use groceries or the house needs swept or the trash needs taken out. Sabbath rest isn't about finishing everything, it's about pausing even though there' still work to do. 

-Remember that you're not supposed to be accomplishing things today! Just connect with YHWH, rest, and enjoy time with your family or fellowship. 

Related posts:
Sabbath Prep and the Idol of Cleanliness
How to Stop Working on the Sabbath
20 Tips to Simplify Shabbat Prep

Matzah Toffee Ice Cream Sundaes for Passover

This sweet treat is special for the Biblical holiday season because it utilizes the Passover favorite, matzah toffee! If you're not familiar with matzah toffee, it's a popular Passover treat. Boxed matzah is the commercial unleavened bread of choice for both Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These thin and crunchy sheets of matzah get topped with caramel, baked, then topped with a layer of melted chocolate. There are many different versions, some add flaky sea salt, chopped nuts, or toasted coconut to the chocolate...any kind would be great in this sundae!

Creamy ice cream is offset by the crunch of the matzah toffee, giving wonderful texture to this dessert. A few raspberries add a tart counterpoint, plus a nod to the blood of the lamb, which protected the Israelites from the darkness of the angel of the death, which is symbolized in dark chocolate. Enjoy this dessert on Passover or during the week of Unleavened Bread, or any time of year!

To make Matzah Toffee Ice Cream Sundaes you'll need:

Ice cream (I used chocolate)
Matzah toffee pieces and crumbs (I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe)
Chocolate sauce
Raspberries
Whipped cream

Simply dip your ice cream into bowls, then add bite-size pieces of matzah toffee and any other toppings you like!

This dessert is easily customizable. Vanilla or strawberry ice cream would work well, instead of chocolate. Feel free to use vegan ice cream, if you prefer. You can make your matzah toffee using gluten-free boxed matzah if you'd like. Caramel sauce, berry coulis, dark chocolate shavings, or nuts would be good topping additions too.

You can make this for yourself and your family anytime during the holiday season. This also works well to serve to a larger group, like at a Passover Seder or an Unleavened Bread get together, since it's pretty hassle-free and everyone can assemble their dessert to their liking. How fun would an ice cream sundae bar be to celebrate these set apart times? The matzah toffee makes it special for Passover season.

More Passover treat posts:
Kosher for Passover Dessert Recipes
Red Sea Crossing Smoothie Bowls
Coconut Cookies for Passover

What the Bible Says about Passover

Today we are going to take a look at what the Bible has to say on the topic of Passover. While we don't hear much about it in the Christian church, the word Passover is used around 75 times in Scripture, including more than 25 times in the New Testament. The amount of times this Biblical holiday comes up should call our attention to the importance of this to the Creator. This post won't enumerate each verse, but will give us a general idea of what the Bible says about this often overlooked holiday.

What Scripture says about Passover:

"This is how you eat it: fully clothed, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Passover of YHWH." -Exodus 12:11

"YHWH's Passover is to begin at twilight on the 14th day of the first month." -Leviticus 23:5

"Keep the lamb until the fourteenth day of the first month. Then all the assembly of Israel shall slay it between the evenings. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted in fire - with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it." -Exodus 12:6-8

"No outsiders are allowed to eat the Passover meal." -Exodus 12:43

"All the congregation of Israel is to perform Passover." -Exodus 12:47

"And when a stranger sojourns among you, then he shall perform the Passover of YHWH. He shall do so according to the law of the Passover and according to its right ruling. You have one law, both for the stranger and the native of the land." -Numbers 9:14

"Have the Israelites celebrate Passover at the appointed time." -Numbers 9:2

"When they celebrate Passover they must follow all of its regulations." -Numbers 9:12

"The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after Passover." -Numbers 33:3

"Guard the month of Aviv and perform the Passover to YHWH your Elohim, for in the month of Aviv YHWH your  Elohim brought you out of Egypt." -Deuteronomy 16:1

"On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated Passover." -Joshua 5:10

"The King gave this order to all the people, 'Celebrate the Passover to YHWH your God, as it is written in the Book of the Covenant.'" -2 Kings 23:21

"And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the House of YHWH to perform the Passover of YHWH Elohim of Israel." -2 Chronicles 30:1

"They sent to all Israel from Beersheba to Dan, to come to perform the Passover to YHWH Elohim of Israel since they had not done it for a long time." -2 Chronicles 30:5

"Josiah provided to the lay people 30,000 lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover offerings, and 3,000 cattle - all from the king's own possessions. His leaders also contributed a voluntary offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in the House of YHWH gave to the priests 2,600 Passover offerings, and 300 cattle." -2 Chronicles 35:7-8

"Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did, with the priests, the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people in Jerusalem." -2 Chronicles 35:18

"On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated Passover." -Ezra 6:19

"Every year, Yahusha's parents went to Jerusalem for Passover." -Luke 2:41

"When he was in Jerusalem at the Passover festival, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles he was doing." -John 2:23

"When he came to Galilee the Galileans received him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover festival, for they had been there." -John 4:45

"As you know, the Passover is in two days - and the son of man will be handed over to be crucified." -Matthew 26:2

"I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house." -Matthew 26:18

"The disciples did as Yahusha had directed and prepared the Passover." -Matthew 26:19

"I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you." -Luke 22:15

"Get rid of the old leaven, so that you are a new batch, as you are unleavened. For the Messiah our Passover was slaughtered for us." -1 Corinthians 5:7

"When you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the death of the Messiah until he comes." -1 Corinthians 11:26

"By faith Moses performed the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the first born would not touch the firstborn of Israel." -Hebrews 11:28

The frequency of Passover appearing in the Bible should call our attention to the importance that the Creator puts on this holiday. By comparison, birthdays are mentioned two or three times in Scripture, and the holidays of Christmas and Easter aren't mentioned at all in the Bible. Keep in mind that the verses here represent only a portion of the word Passover in the Bible, and don't go into parts of Scripture that deal with something happening on Passover, such as the last supper or death of the Messiah. Genesis 18 where Sarah makes unleavened bread for the visiting angels could possibly be another instance of Passover. Take time to study this popular theme of Scripture!

Related posts:
Things the Messiah Said at Passover
Comparing Passover and Easter
Five Reasons Why Believers Should Keep Passover

Make Your Own Unleavened Bread Pinata

This simple DIY project will add some fun to your household during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread! While all of the Biblical holidays are spiritually significant times, they are also times of celebration and joy. Don't be afraid to do some things that are just for fun to commemorate these times of our Creator. Making this pinata can be a good activity during the week of Unleavened Bread, or do it ahead of time for decoration. Filled with candy, stickers, or small toys it would make a memorable highlight for a congregational or group celebration of Passover or Unleavened Bread.

What you need to make an Unleavened Bread pinata:

-a thin, square cardboard box (mine was about 33 inches square, and four inches thick, but feel free to make it smaller)
-hot glue gun and glue sticks
-cream and brown crepe paper
-ribbon
-candy, stickers, toys or other small prizes

To make the pinata:

If you're filling it, carefully cut a small opening in a side or the top. It just needs to be large enough for you to put in your candy and prizes if you're doing that. Fill roughly halfway with goodies, then tape over the hole before proceeding.

Cut fringe into the bottom half of your crepe paper. Starting at the bottom of the box, hot glue strips of the crepe paper to the box. Mixing up the cream and brown paper is what makes this pinata resembled boxed matzo. Once the bottom is done, hot glue the next strip just above it so there is no box exposed between the two layers. Do this all the way to the top and then work on the sides and back. While this process is straightforward, it can get repetitive (especially if you are using a large box), so this is a great time to enlist help from your kids or be sure to put on some music or a teaching.

When you get to the top, hot glue a two-foot ribbon on both ends to the middle of the box. This is what you'll use to hang the pinata from, if you wish to hang up for decoration or for whacking down to get at the prizes. Consider the weight of the prizes and reinforce the ribbon with extra glue or tape if needed.

There you have it: a piece that's sure to get everyone smiling at your Unleavened Bread celebrations! This is easy to make, with inexpensive materials that aren't hard to find and are environmentally friendly. Even if you're not up for bashing in all of your hard work this is still a fun decoration or photo prop!

Related posts:
Celebrating the First and Last Days of Unleavened Bread
Kids Crafts for Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits
In Remembrance of the Messiah - Passover Pictures