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The
Seder
The highlight of Passover is the Seder, and for many, the Seder
evokes powerful childhood memories. But what exactly is a Seder?
The Seder is the festive meal of the first night (first 2 nights
outside of Israel) of Passover. More than just a meal, the Seder
is the ritual recounting of the Exodus from Egypt.
Because Passover is a celebration of freedom from slavery, it is
customary to vary our normal habits in order to represent our freedom:
At specified occasions during the Seder, participants recline
towards their left to eat and drink as an ancient symbol of freedom.
Many people have a pillow on which to lean.
Four cups of red wine or grape juice are drunk at the Seder as
a sign of liberation. It is customary that we treat ourselves
like royalty and have someone else fill our glasses. Each person,
therefore, pours for their neighbor.
The
Haggadah is the guide book for the Seder. Haggadah actually means
a story that is told, and it is through the Haggadah that Jews
fulfill the mitzvah of remembering the Exodus from Egypt.
The
word Seder is Hebrew for "order." Indeed, the importance
of the Haggadah is that it guides participants in following the
correct order of the Seder. The Haggadah should be read aloud in
a language that is understood by the Seder participants. The following
is the order of the Seder:
Kadesh - (Kiddush) Blessing over the
first cup of wine sanctifying the holy day.
Please note that when Passover begins Saturday night, Havdalah
is added to the Festival Kiddush. The necessary addition can be
found in the Haggadah.
Ur'chatz - A ritual washing of the
hands without a blessing, in preparation for Karpas.
There are two customs followed for Ur'chatz. In some households,
only the Seder leader performs the hand washing, and in some households,
all Seder participants wash their hands.
We wash our hands without a blessing:
When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, everyone was required
to do a ritual washing of the hands before eating wet foods. Since
the next step in the Seder is to dip the vegetable into salt water,
we wash our hands in commemoration of the purity laws of the Temple
times, but without a blessing.
By washing hands without a blessing and without the matzah which
would normally follow, children are inspired to ask why this is
done. The Passover Seder is meant to involve the children in all
aspects.
Karpas - A piece of vegetable is dipped
in salt water and eaten after reciting the appropriate blessing.
The vegetable appetizer: Karpas represents a sign of our freedom.
Many of the Seder activities are meant to symbolize freedom and
comfort. In slavery, meals are simple and sparse. In freedom, meals
can be more elaborate.
-
Eating vegetables as an appetizer inspires children to ask questions.
-
Eating vegetables highlights the fact that Passover is a Festival
of Spring.
Dipping food into in salt water is a dual representation. On the
one hand, it is a symbol of freedom, for in ancient times only the
wealthy had condiments in which to dip any of their food. On the
other hand, the salt water reminds us of the tears of the Jewish
slaves.
Yachatz - The middle matzah is broken
in half. The larger half, the afikoman, is wrapped in a napkin or
placed in special afikoman bag and placed under the leader's cushion
or pillow. At some point later in the meal, it is customary for
the children to "steal" and hide the afikoman, only to
return it (for a handsome ransom, of course) at the end of the meal
during Tzafon.
The middle matzah is broken so that the story of the exodus, which
is about to be recited, is told with lechem oni, bread of affliction
(i.e. not even a whole matzah), on the table.
The custom of placing the afikoman under the leader's cushion is
derived from the obligation "to guard the matzot" (Exodus
12:17).
Placing the afikoman under the cushion does not mean that the leader
should actually sit on the matzah.
Maggid - . Mah Nishtana, the Four Questions,
are recited or sung at the beginning of the Maggid section.
CLICK HERE FOR A FURTHER OUTLINE OF MAGGID
Maggid concludes with the drinking of the second cup of wine, after
the proper blessing is recited.
Rachtzah - The ritual washing of hands
before eating matzah, (same as washing for challah on Shabbat.)
After washing the hands and saying the blessing, one should not
speak until one has eaten a piece of matzah after the blessing over
matzah.
Motzee - The first blessing over the
matzah (same blessing as over bread).
Just as on Shabbat and festivals one is required to make a blessing
over two whole challahs, on Passover, one is required to make
the motzee over two whole matzot. However, a second opinion is
that one should make the motzee over the lechem oni, the bread
of affliction, which is the broken matzah. In order to fulfill
both opinions, the motzee is made on all three matzot.
One should continue to remain silent until the next blessing and
the eating of the matzah.
Matzah - A special blessing over the
matzah is recited, and a double portion of matzah is eaten.
For the blessing on eating matzah, the bottom matzah should be
put down while the leader continues to hold the top two matzot.
After the blessing is recited, the Seder leader should break the
top two matzot and distribute pieces amongst the participants.
Everyone should receive a piece of both matzot.
-
In order to fulfill the requirement of eating matzah, one must
eat the amount of a k'zayit (literally–like an olive).
One should check with their local rabbi as to the appropriate
amount.
- Since
everyone should receive pieces of the both the top and middle
matzot, but must also eat a specific amount, other matzot may
be used to supplement. (Do not use the bottom matzah.)
-
The k'zayit of matzah should be completely eaten in a short
period of time. Therefore, one should not leave the k'zayit
of matzah to nibble at it through the rest of the meal.
Maror
- A blessing is said, and the bitter herbs are dipped in charoset
and eaten.
Maror,
the bitter herb (usually fresh ground horseradish or romaine lettuce),
is symbolic of the bitterness of slavery. We do not, however,
eat the maror alone, but temper it with a small amount of charoset.
Some people have the custom of dipping the maror in charoset and
then shaking the charoset off.
One may look at this mixture of the bitter herb, a reminder of
slavery, with the sweet charoset as symbolic of the fact that
not all that one considers bitter lacks sweetness, and vice-versa.
It was only through the bitterness of slavery that the Jews were
able to recognize and accept the freedom inherent in the Torah
and to unite into one nation.
Koraich - A sandwich is made with the
matzah and the maror.
When
the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, Jews came from everywhere
to participate in the Passover offering as part of their Seder.
In remembrance of Hillel's (one of the great sages) practice of
eating a sandwich of matzah, maror and the Passover lamb together,
a sandwich is made from the bottom matzah, a k'zayit (a biblical
measurement the size of an olive-please ask your local rabbi for
the exact amount) of maror, and, according to some opinions, a
small amount of charoset.
Including charoset in the sandwich is not a universal custom.
Many do not put any charoset into the sandwich and some dip the
maror in charoset and then shake it off.
Shulchan Oruch - The festival meal is served.
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Chicken soup with matzah balls! ....You've earned this feast of
freedom! But remember to leave room for the afikoman!
-
It is customary to begin the festive meal with a hard-boiled egg
dipped in salt water.
- Several
reasons have been offered by the rabbis as to why one should
eat an egg:
-
The Egg represents the Korban Chaggigah, the Festive Offering,
which was eaten on Passover.
- The
Egyptians did not eat animal foods and eating an egg symbolizes
the liberation from Egypt (Ibn Ezra).
-
Eggs signify the beginning of life, just as the Exodus represented
the beginning of the Nation of Israel (Torat Emet)
- The
egg is eaten as a reminder of the Passover offering, since
Ashkenazic custom prohibits one from eating roasted meat at
the Seder (Vilna Gaon).
Tzafon - The afikoman, which was hidden
earlier, is now brought out and eaten as dessert.
At
some point during the course of the Seder and the meal, someone
steals and hides the afikoman. Traditions vary from family to
family as to how this is handled: whether the kids hide and the
adults seek or an adult hides and the kids seek. Either way, the
search for the afikoman is fun for all who participate and a very
good way of keeping the children interested in the Seder. Whoever
has the afikoman at Tzafon has the right to negotiate its redemption
with the leader of the Seder (This often results in the successful
negotiator receiving a much desired gift of his/her choice after
Yom Tov!)
Once the afikoman is found, it is broken up and distributed for
all the Seder participants as "dessert." Again, all
participants are obligated to eat a k'zayit of matzah, so everyone
should receive a small piece of the afikoman and supplement the
rest with other matzah.
The afikoman must be eaten by (Jewish) midnight.
Baraich - The Grace After Meals is
recited.
The
traditional grace after meals is recited, including the addition
of Y'aleh V'Yavo, "He will go up and he will come..."
for the Passover holidays, and Harachaman for the holiday.
Baraich concludes with the drinking of the third cup of wine,
after the proper blessing is recited.
Hallel
-
The reciting of the festival Psalms.
Hallel concludes with the drinking of the fourth cup of wine,
after the proper blessing is recited.
Nirtzah
- The close of the Seder, traditional Passover songs, such as Chad
Gadyah, are sung.
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