PASSOVER EDITION
SHABBAT GROUP TIMES
April 2, 2026
BREAKING NEWS
PASSOVER HAS BEGUN
Everyone is excited for Passover (Pesach) this year as we clean out the leaven from our pantries and begin the new year. Yesterday was the first day of Passover and the fourteenth day of the first month, Abib (or Aviv). We hope that everyone enjoys this Passover edition of the Shabbat Group Times newsletter! Take the Passover quiz on page A5 to test your knowledge about this exciting feast! Read the poems by Gabby Carriere, age 18, and Merrilee Warren, age 12. Also included is a personal narrative of last year’s Passover gathering written by Merrilee Warren (see pages A2—A5).
BIBLE VERSE OF THE WEEK
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you truly are. For the Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
—1 Corinthians 5:7
Thank YHWH for sending Yeshua! Though He fulfilled Passover with His sacrifice, we are happy that we can celebrate it today!
SHABBAT GROUP BIRTHDAY SECTION
Leigh Ellen Morris: Turned ? on March 25, 2026
Finn Morris: Turned 16 on March 26, 2026
ASA QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“UGGGGH. How do fingernails grow?”
—Asa, at the dinner table, with a sudden random interest in fingernail growth.
BIBLE QUIZ
THE TEN PLAGUES
Listed below are the ten plagues YHWH inflicted upon Egypt—but they’re all out of order! Do you know which order Moses did them in?
- Darkness
- Water into blood
- Locusts
- Flies
- Livestock disease
- Gnats
- Death of the firstborn
- Frogs
- Hail
- Boils
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
PASSOVER
WRITTEN BY MERRILEE WARREN
Passover is usually spent with family or friends. We sing songs, hide the Afikoman, eat Passover foods like matzo, lamb, and bitter herbs, and, of course, we read the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the ten plagues. But this was the first Passover that we ever spent with the Morris family, and it was definitely the most exciting of them all by far…
The morning was filled with excitement. We were leaving at two-fifteen in the afternoon to join the Passover seder of our friends, the Morris family. All of us kids could hardly wait… but first things first: we needed to clean out the pantry.
We pulled out everything we used as leaven and every food we had with leaven, like crackers, cookies, and bread, and put it on the big brown table in the bright, cheerful sunroom, which was full of windows, so the sun shone through every wall. It overlooked the pool, which was surrounded by a white fence and had a forest of hydrangea bushes growing from behind it.
I decided to pass the time until we left by writing an acrostic poem about Passover. I pulled out a sheet of lined paper from the dark brown bookshelf that sat in the corner of the room next to the doorframe, took out a pencil from my school box, and sat down at the rectangular table at the back of the room.
I wrote ‘PASSOVER‘ vertically in big letters, then thought for a moment. This was hard. What was related to Passover that started with a ‘V’?
I scribbled out ‘Passover’, flipped the page over, and wrote ‘Pharaoh’.
That was better. After I got the first line down, I could easily think of things to write that started with the letters from ‘Pharaoh’.
P is for the Pharaoh who wouldn’t comply
H is for the hail that rained down from the sky
A is for Aaron’s staff with the buds
R is for the river which turned to blood
A is for the awesome crossing of the sea
I stopped. I was stuck again. What could I write for ‘O’ that rhymed with ‘sea’?
I wrote,
O is for the oxen that died from disease
H is for the heroics Moses performed with ease.
It wasn’t a very good rhythm, but it was the best I could think of.
A loud commotion from behind me made me turn. Four of my siblings, Asa, Sunny, David, and John, were all crowded around the leavened foods on the table. We were supposed to eat them that morning—as soon as the sun set that day, Passover would begin, and we wouldn’t be able to eat any leaven for the whole week. That meant matzo sandwiches, matzo toast, matzo with butter…matzo, matzo, and more matzo instead of bread until the next Saturday. If we wanted our last taste of bread for a week, we needed to eat it that morning.
Asa, who was three years old and very silly at times, picked up a cinnamon raisin bagel and took a bite out of it. And that would have been fine… except that next, he set it on the rounded edge of the table, picked up another bagel, and took a bite out of that one. Then he did it again.
John and David, the nine-year old twins, both burst out laughing and started encouraging Asa. Now that he had an audience, Asa set to work. He took one bite out of every bagel we had. And once he was finished, he arranged them all in a neat stack.
“Asa!” our sister Sunny yelled. “You need to eat those bagels!”
Asa ignored her and set to work stacking up a pile of Ritz crackers. When the stack was complete, it was about two inches tall, which might seem short, but then Asa opened his mouth as wide as it could possibly go and, with the twins’ help, took a big bite out of the stack.
Of course we all started laughing then—even Sunny. I hurried to put it in my Asa Update, a record I kept of every funny thing I witnessed that Asa did.
We read the story of Passover in our Bibles and played outside. Finally, after several hours of waiting, it was time to leave.
We had filled the car with camping chairs the day before, and now we all piled into the nine-foot tall silver Ford van that we had been riding in since before Asa was born. The drive was about half an hour, so Mom turned on some Passover music, which were mainly parodies of popular songs, and we were off.
Usually for Shabbat group, which is a gathering held on Saturdays to study the Bible with friends and family, we dressed in t-shirts and shorts, because the Morris family, who hosted theirs every other Saturday, held it outside. But this time, because it was a special occasion, we dressed up nice. Dad, John, David, and Asa wore polo shirts and pants, and Mom, Sunny, and I wore dresses.
When we got to the Morris’s house, we got our photo taken as a family, and then my friend Cora Ruth, Sunny, and I went to the back porch to get our lines for the Passover puppet show that my friend Gabby was putting on for the Shabbat group. Everyone in the show would hide behind a sheet, and when it was someone’s turn, they held up a puppet and read the lines from their paper. Gabby was the narrator, and a friend of ours, Josiah, was saying the lines of ‘God’, speaking to Moses in between the other parts.
Sunny was supposed to be a plague, Cora Ruth was Moses, and I was Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s older sister, who apparently got only one line in the show. I guess no one really liked her voice.
Then we went to see the ‘stage’, where Seager Morris, another friend, was standing. She told us that they didn’t have enough white blankets and sheets to cover the frame, so people would be able to see us through the wood.
Cora Ruth told her that her mother, Mrs. Laura, had a white blanket big enough to cover the space in their car, and that she could ask if they could use it.
Mrs. Laura agreed, and Cora Ruth and I went to get the blanket.
Cora Ruth delivered the blanket, and then it was time for Bible study. We started with songs, including ‘Dayenu’, which means, ‘it would have been enough’.
We did the Passover study, of course. Cora Ruth’s sister, Mary Helen, and I held my script between us and quietly laughed over Pharaoh’s (Logan) lines. The first one was ‘Kill them baby Israelites!’
After Bible study, it was time for the puppet show. David was a plague and John was Aaron, and there were other kids in it, too—Abigail, Evelyn, Ember, and Elliot were all plagues, and John and Logan as well, even though they also had speaking parts. Besides being Miriam, I was also supposed to say the lines of a servant man.
The puppet show lasted about fifteen minutes, and when it was over, the cast came out and stood in front of the stage while everyone clapped for us.
After the puppet show, we did the Afikoman hunt, where someone wraps a piece of unleavened bread in a piece of cloth and hides it somewhere and all of the kids hunt for it. The winner usually gets some kind of prize, so it was no wonder most kids, once we were shown the boundaries of the searching area, leaped right into the search.
We looked for a few minutes but didn’t find it. All of us walked right past it, except one boy named Ryder, who found it hidden tucked between two pieces of wood from the puppet show stage.
Ryder was rewarded with a bag full of candy, which he shared with the rest of us. (The twins both got more than they should have.)
After that, all of us kids just played around for a while until it was time for dinner. Everyone sat at one of three long tables with white tablecloths at the spot with their name at it. (They spelled my name wrong.)
We filled our plates at a fourth long table covered with food (it was a potluck, so everyone brought a dish) and sat back down at our spots. John had gotten some rice with noodles, and he picked at it, saying, “Gross! This is the worst rice I’ve ever tasted! There’s worms in it!”
The man sitting next to him, Mr. George, said, “My wife made that.”
John just sat there and blinked a few times. I was sitting across from him, and I just sat there and tried very hard not to start laughing. Mom apologized to his wife, Mrs. Adrianna, but she just laughed.
A few minutes later, John got up to get more food, and Mr. George hid the book John had been reading. When John got back, he looked around for it, but he couldn’t find it. Mr. George gave it back to him with a laugh.
After dinner, the adults stayed and talked for a while, but most of us kids went out to play Tag. Cora Ruth, Mary Helen, and I hid beside the chicken pen, where it was too dark for anyone to see us—the sun had already set. When everyone else had been tagged, we came out from our hiding place, and Cora Ruth and Mary Helen got tagged. Then Logan started chasing me, so I ran as fast as I could.
I looked back to see how close he was to catching me, and then I tripped over something. Light flashed in front of my eyes, and I landed on my face on the dirt. I had been shocked.
I sat up slowly and looked around. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I realized I had tripped over the electric fence the Morris family for some reason kept around their compost area.
I let myself out of the fence and headed back up to the house, getting tagged by Logan on the way. Everyone played Tag for a little while longer, and then it was time to go.
Several people fell asleep on the car ride home. It was already eight or nine by the time we left, so it was no wonder everyone was so exhausted.
It had been tiring, and a little bit painful for my face, but it was the most exciting Passover I’d ever been to.
PASSOVER QUIZ
How much do you know about the Passover? Think you can pass this quiz? Good luck!
1: How old was Moses when he was sent down the Nile in a basket?
2: What is the Hebrew word for Passover?
3: How many days are between the Passover feast and the make-up Passover feast you must observe if you cannot celebrate Passover that year?
4: How long were the Israelites enslaved?
5: What animal is supposed to be sacrified on Passover?
Bonus question: Who was the first president to host a Passover seder at the White House?
PHARAOH
AN ACROSTIC POEM BY MERRILEE WARREN
P is for the Pharaoh who wouldn’t comply
H is for the hail that rained down from the sky
A is for Aaron’s staff with the buds
R is for the river which turned to blood
A is for the awesome crossing of the sea
O is for the oxen that died from disease
H is for the heroics Moses performed with ease
Now let’s all thank YHWH for setting us free!
EXCLUSIVE!
WRITING CONTEST
If you did not get a chance to read issue 7 of SGT last time, please read this article if you are interested in joining the Shabbat Group Times writing contest.
Because of a wonderful idea from Cora Ruth Kutcher, age 13, we have decided to hold a writing contest for the Shabbat group. Participants of all ages are welcome. The story can be as short as you like, but it cannot exceed 1,000 words. All genres are fine. Your story must be submitted to shabbatgrouptimes@gmail.com by Saturday, April 11. The contest stories will be published in the ninth issue on April 18. Do not include your name on your story to keep the contest impartial. You are also not to tell anyone which story you wrote. Everyone will vote on the story they think is the best. You can send in your vote to shabbatgrouptimes@gmail.com. The author whose story receives the most votes will have their name mentioned and story re-printed in the tenth issue, as well as receiving a twenty-dollar gift card of their choice. If you have any questions, please contact the editor at shabbatgrouptimes@gmail.com for more information. Thank you so much for participating!
Tip for your story: Think about the audience you are writing for. Everyone gets to vote, so try to write something that everyone will enjoy. We hope you will choose to enter a story! Thank you for considering en-tering the contest!
DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK 😖
Provided by Dad (George) Carriere
Q: Why is matzo the most humble bread?
A: Once it gets puffed up…it’s out.
PASSOVER QUIZ
Try this exciting quiz! Each question has fifteen clues. When you figure out the answer, circle the clue that gave you the answer and write the answer on the line below the clues. Check page B4 for the answers (no peeking!).
I: PERSON
1: My brother was 3 years older than me.
2: My sons were Gershom and Eliezer.
3: I lived to be 120 years old.
4: No one knows where my grave is.
5: I knew YHWH face to face.
6: I murdered someone.
7: I took Joseph’s bones with me.
8: I held up my arms so the Israelites would win.
9: I lived near the Nile and in the wilderness.
10: I broke all the Ten Commandments at once.
11: I was related to Pharaoh.
12: Aaron was my brother.
13: I asked YHWH to send someone else.
14: I was named for being pulled out of the water.
15: I gave YHWH’s message: “Let my people go!”
II: THING
1: I was on the far side of the desert.
2: Some sheep were near me.
3: Yeshua referred to me.
4: YHWH’s anger burned through me.
5: Find me on Mount Horeb.
6: Moses was frightened near me.
7: A snake appeared beside me.
8: An angel appeared inside me.
9: I was on holy ground.
10: YHWH called out of me.
11: I AM was here.
12: YHWH’s name was spoken from me.
13: Moses came closer to investigate me.
14: Moses hid his face from me.
15: I didn’t burn out or up.
III: PLACE
1: Neco was one of my kings.
2: YHWH broke my leader’s arm.
3: Jeroboam lived here.
4: King Shishak came from here.
5: Solomon’s horses came from here.
6: My idols tremble before YHWH.
7: An angel told a family to hide here.
8: Jacob died here.
9: Joseph was taken here as a young man.
10: I was plagued.
11: Yeshua lived here as a child.
12: Israel was 430 years in captivity here.
13: Moses was born here.
14: The Nile River runs through me.
15: Pharaoh ruled here.
IV: THING
1: Stephen spoke of me.
2: People got up early to see me.
3: Three thousand people died because of me.
4: Levites were set apart after me.
5: Jeroboam made two more of me.
6: People sang around me.
7: I’m the result of impatience.
8: People danced around me.
9: People shouldn’t have bowed
10: A plague came as a result of me.
11: Aaron claimed that I’d formed myself.
12: Aaron made me after the Exodus.
13: I made Moses very angry.
14: I’m made of gold earrings.
15: I was a false idol for the Israelites.
V: PLACE
1: I’m in the desert.
2: Twelve stone pillars were built at my feet.
3: People got impatient around me.
4: People needed to be clean near me.
5: I’m in Arabia.
6: YHWH descended on me.
7: YHWH went to His sanctuary from me.
8: People camped in front of me.
9: No animals were allowed on me.
10: If anyone touched me, they would die.
11: Moses was called to my top.
12: Joshua climbed me too.
13: A thick cloud covered me.
14: Moses stayed on me 40 days and nights.
15: The Ten Commandments were given here.
VI: THING
1: A trumpet blast came before me.
2: I speak of idols.
3: I speak of murder.
4: I speak of the Sabbath.
5: YHWH spoke me into being.
6: Yeshua knew me well.
7: Moses held me.
8: I’m more often broken.
9: I’m also known as the Decalogue.
10: Find me in Exodus.
11: I ended up in the Ark.
12: I’m the words of the covenant.
13: YHWH wrote me twice.
14: I was given on Mount Sinai.
15: You can count me on your fingers (and thumbs).
VII: PLACE
1: A desert road leads to me.
2: I went back at daybreak.
3: YHWH rebuked me.
4: People were confused near me.
5: Many people died in me.
6: People crossed me at night.
7: I surround Sinai on three sides.
8: Wheels came off here.
9: A strong east wind blew here.
10: Walls rose to the right and the left.
11: I’m near Saudi Arabia.
12: I’m also known as the Sea of Reeds.
13: Moses stretched his hands over me.
14: I swallowed Pharaoh’s horses and riders.
15: The Israelites crossed me on dry ground.
If you got the answer to a question on Clue…
1: 5 points
2: 4 points
3: 3 points
4: 2 points
5—10: 1 points
11—15: 0 points
Now add up your points! Check the next column for your score.
If you scored…
35—30 points: Master
30—25 points: Expert
25—20 points: Excellent
20—15 points: Good
15—10 points: Fair
10—5 points: Mediocre
5—0 points: Poor
Editor’s Note: If you scored Master or Expert, please send in your score to shabbatgrouptimes@gmail.com! If you do, you will be mentioned in the Local Heroes Section.
LOCAL HEROES SECTION
Know any local heroes? Nominate them for the Local Heroes Section at shabbatgrouptimes@gmail.com! Thank you for your service!
- Ember Speck (nominated by Elijah Sansing)
Known Heroism: Survives being called “Embomb” by some stinky boys.
- Moses
Known Heroism: Led the Israelites out of Egypt; prophet of YHWH, was one of the only Israelites who didn’t worship the golden calf.
- Joshua
Known Heroism: Went up to the mountain with Moses and did not wor-ship the calf.
- The tribe of Levi
Known Heroism: Did not worship the golden calf; priests of the Israelites.
Editor’s Note: Okay, yes, so most of these heroes aren’t exactly local (or, you know, alive), but they are heroes regardless.
AD!
by Gabby Carriere
Have you been on the lookout for the perfect new addition? Are you in need of a fun new pet? Look no further! At the Fur-st Born Rescue, we have it all! Bouncy frogs, graceful gnats, hungry locusts, and lively livestock! Oh, wait, scratch that last one…
Call 1 (800) PHARAOH today!
Don’t wait to reserve your new pest, I mean, friend!
Don’t let this opportunity ‘pass you over’! (These creatures are probably not the result of the 10 plagues of Egypt. Bring a flashlight to pick up your creature…you’ll understand when you get here.)
THE POT ROAST MYSTERY
article by Elijah Sansing
A young woman is preparing a Passover dinner for her friends. Before putting the roast in the oven, she cuts about two inches off the end of the meat and tosses it aside.
Her friend asks, “Why did you do that? You’re wasting a perfectly good piece of steak!”
The woman stops and thinks. “You know, I’m not sure. My mother always did it, so I just assumed it helps the flavor.”
The next day, she calls her mother. “Mom, why do we always cut the end off the roast before cooking it?”
The mother says, “I don’t know, dear. My mother always did it that way.”
Now the woman is really curious, so she calls her 90-year-old grandmother. “Grandma, we’re trying to figure out the family secret. Why do we cut the end off the roast? Does it make it juicier? Does it help it cook faster?”
The grandmother chuckles and says, “Oh, heavens no. I only did that because my favorite roasting pan was too small to fit the whole thing!”
THROUGH THE WATERS DEEP
poem by Gabby Carriere
Taken from water and there he must go,
In freedom, through waters, then to and fro.
Let’s tell the story, back from the start,
With a mother, three children, and her broken heart.
A mother in hiding, her children in fright
A babe marked for death if brought into sight.
In faith, sent down stream, the ark did float.
Three months of hiding, forced to let the babe go.
He flowed down the stream right into her arms,
The princess saw him, drew him out, out of harm.
Brought from the water, then came Moses’ name,
Once a Hebrew son, now learnt in Egyptian way.
Raised as a prince, getting only the best,
Discovered his past and set down a vengeful quest.
His people, the Hebrews, enslaved by Egyptians,
He saw their hard labor and killed one who beat them.
Fast forward some time to after his exile,
Moses lived in peace for a little while.
Then blazing bush, not burned, you see,
A message from God to set His people free.
With Aaron in tow, Moses traveled home,
On mission for God, sent to Pharaoh.
They begged and pleaded, “Let my people go!”,
But his heart was hardened and he said no.
With signs and wonders, they tried time and again,
But Pharaoh resisted,his pride did not bend.
God set to prepare them for what was to come,
Plagues and suffering, then the job would be done.
Nile of blood,
Frogs for miles,
Gnats in a swarm,
Flies so vile,
Livestock dead,
Boils to dread,
A plague of hail,
Locusts now fed,
Then darkness spread; preparation began.
They painted their doorposts with blood of a lamb,
Awaited the angel as he passed through the land.
Those without sign grieved through the night,
Ones with firstborn sons died like a light.
Pharaoh enraged, sad, and afraid,
“Take your people! Go!” He said.
Flattened bread, no yeast to rise,
Left in a hurry or he might change his mind.
The exodus happened quickly that day.
Though they left in quite a hurry,
Pharaoh pursued them obstinately.
He knew not what sight met him when he came.
Moses led them through Red Sea riven,
They all passed safely and Pharaoh ends sunken.
Uncertainty in freedom, a life never known,
Ambiguity in a wilderness now to roam.
But ‘til then in safety, they remembered the past,
Gave thankfulness for their freedom, one that would last.
Not knowing what on the other side awaits,
They trusted God and walked in faith.
UNLEAVENED BREAD RECIPE
Do you have the burning desire to make your own unleavened bread? Try this totally awesome recipe!
- Four cups of flour (any kind is fine)
- Two teaspoons of salt
- 2/3 cup butter or ghee
- 1 ¾ cup hot water
- Chopped fresh herbs (optional)
- Combine the ingredients and cook on a hot griddle.
This recipe makes about twenty flat rounds. Serve with grape juice, bitter herbs, and a dead lamb. (Poor lamb!)
EXCLUSIVE!
“WHY SOME OF US LOVE PASSOVER.”
interview by Gabby Carriere
The question: What is your favorite thing about Passover and this season/time (in one sentence)?
Mr. Carriere: I like the reminder of Yeshua bringing his people out of bondage from Egypt and sin, as well as the mirror of that in the new life after winter.
Mrs. Carriere: Remembering the Father’s deliverance from bondage.
Kayden Carriere: I like being able to have a nice meal with friends and remember what happened.
Havi Speck: Being with my family.
Eliana Speck: The connection it creates with Yahweh and Yeshua through honoring what He called us to remember, and the sacredness found in following the very practices Yeshua Himself lived out while on earth.
Taliyah Speck: Specifically, my favorite thing is the Seder and the story that is told because that story connects to the whole Bible and Yeshua.
Kalyn Griffin: It holds key elements of the whole Bible in one story and shows one of the main importances of Yeshua and how he’s going to save us.
Leora Speck: The food.
Gabby Carriere: I love Passover because it’s a time of fellowship and remembrance of Yahweh’s faithfulness, freedom from bondage in Exodus, the connection to Yeshua and the Last Supper, and how through His sacrifice we are cleansed and set free from sin.
Editor’s Note: We would like to thank Gabby for this amazing interview!