Passover begins on the night of the fifteenth day
of the month of Nissan & lasts for eight days.
- This holiday commemorates the departure of the nation of Israel from Egypt.
- Pesach marks the birth of the Jewish people as a nation led by Moses over 3000 years
ago. - This is a as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as the physical liberation from
slavery. - The highlight of Pesach is the observance of the Seder, a unique ceremony performed
on the first two evenings of Passover. - At the Seder, we eat different special foods, we tell the story of our departure from Egypt,
we sing songs & praises & say special prayers.
For each Seder, you will need the following:
- Enough Matzah for each participant to have at least the volume of 2.5 eggs, including 3 unbroken Matzos.
- Enough Maror &/or Chazeres or for each participant to have at least the volume of 1 egg.
- While many people think immediately of horseradish, romaine lettuce is considered ideal
for Maror as it is sweet initially & turns bitter over time, analogous to the way Pharoah
sweetly enticed the Jews to begin working & then made their lives bitter.
You need a Passover Haggadah for each participant.
- If you use a traditional Haggadah,you don’t need to have the same one for each person
as the Hebrew text will be the same & the translations will be similar. - So you can mix, match & compare.Your table must have Salt water .
The following items should be placed on the Seder platter:
- Zeroah (a neck) a roasted bone of meat. This commemorates the first of two sacrifices
brought in the Holy Temple on the eve of Passover. It was required to be roasted & eaten
that night.This roasted meat should not be eaten, lest anyone imagine that it came from an actual sacrifice & some use a bone of fowl rather than animal for this reason
- Beitza (a roasted egg. This is in place of the second sacrifice. We use an egg, symbolic
of mourning, to remind us that the Temple is destroyed and we hope that it shall be rebuilt
soon. - Maror (Chazeres) of bitter herbs, reminding us of the bitter slavery in Egypt. It is common
to use romaine lettuce as Chazeres & horseradish as Maror. - Charoses is a mixture of grated apples, nuts, other fruit, cinnamon & spices, mixed with red wine. It looks like mortar, to remind us that we were forced to build with mortar as slaves in Egypt.
- Karpas is a vegetable unsuitable for Maror to be dipped in salt water & eaten.
Kadesh - Making Kiddush
- The Seder begins with the saying of Kiddush, Sanctifying the holy day.
- In Hebrew, Kiddush is a cognate of Kedushah holiness.
- By saying the Kiddush we acknowledge the sanctity of this special day & thank G-d for
bringing us to celebrate this occasion. - During the Seder, a total of 4 Cups of wine are consumed.
- It is customary for each person’s cup to be filled by another participant, as if, symbolically,
each person had a servant to pour the wine. - We drink the cups reclining on our left side, again symbolizing luxury &majesty.
Urchatz - Washing the Hands
- In the kitchen, fill a large cup of water.
- Pour water twice on the right hand, then twice on the left.
- Do not say the blessing on washing the hands, which will be said before eating Matzah
later in the Seder.
Karpas - Vegetable Dipped in Salt Water
- Each participant takes a small piece of vegetable (often potato or parsley), dips it in salt
water, says the blessing on produce grown from the earth (as found in the Haggadah),
& eats it. - By keeping our concentration, we keep our hands clean long enough to eat the vegetable. Therefore we avoid talking (except for the blessing & anything necessary for eating the vegetable) between washing our hands & eating it.
- When making the blessing, have in mind the Maror the bitter herb which will be eaten later.
- That is also produce grown from the earth & is not ordinarily eaten by itself (only as a
topping or part of a mixture) as part of a meal. - It is preferable to eat only a small amount, less than the volume of half an egg.
Yachatz - Break the Middle Matzah
- Break the Middle Matzah Break the middle Matzah into 2 parts.
- The bigger half is set aside to be used as the Afikoman, the Matzah eaten at the end of
the Seder. - There are two customs regarding what happens to the Afikoman, both designed to increase excitement & participation by children (of all ages).
- The first is that the leader puts it in a safe place, but the children abscond with it when the leader is looking elsewhere & they later ransom it for a present.
- The alternative is that the leader hides it while the children are not looking & they search
for it later. Maggid - Telling the Story
Magid - Telling The Story
- This is the core of the Seder; to speak about the Exodus from Egypt.
- As it says in the Haggadah, each person should see him or herself as having personally experienced the Exodus & having the duty to pass this knowledge on to the next
generation. - This is based upon the verse: “You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘because of
this, what God did for me in my departure from Egypt'” [Exodus 13:8]. - The point of the Haggadah is to tell this history & transmit it to each new Jewish generation.
- So have we done for millenia, from the time of the Exodus itself.
Rachtzah - Washing the hands
- We wash our hands before eating the Seder meal.
- This time we say the blessing, as found in the Haggadah.
- It is important to not speak from now through Korech, the sandwich of Matzah & Maror, to maintain our focus on keeping our hands clean when eating bread (unleavened, in this
case!).
Motzi - the Blessing on the Matzah
The leader of the Seder lifts all 3 Matzos & says the blessing for eating bread.
Matzah - Eating the Matzah
- The leader sets down the bottom matzah, keeping the top 2 & says a second blessing on
the Commandment to eat matzah. - This, like Maggod,is a special Commandment which can only be performed on the Seder
night & one should consider this while eating the matzah. - Each person receives a small piece of each of the top two matzos, plus additional matzah
to make up the volume of an egg. - This should be eaten while reclining on the left side.
Maror - Eathing the Bitter Herb.
- Each person receives an amount of Maror & bitter Herb, to make up half the volume of
an egg. - The leader dips Maror in Charoses, shakes off the Charoses & says the blessing on the Commandment to eat the Maror.
- This blessing also applies to the Maror that is part of is eaten without reclining.
Korech - the Sandwich of Matzah and Maror
- Each person receives a small piece of the bottom Matzah, plus additional Matzah to make
up half the volume of an egg & the same volume of Maror. - The sandwich of Matzah & Maror is then dipped in Charoses.
- After recalling how the scholar Hillel would combine these with slices of the Passover
sacrifice & eat all 3 together, we eat the sandwich while reclining.
Shulchan Orech - the Prepared Table
- Enjoy the festival meal!
- Remember, though, that the Commandment to speak about the Exodus continues through
out the night. - For this reason, it is customary to sing holiday songs, discuss commentaries & speak f
urther about the Exodus, while minimizing idle talk. - Keep in mind, also, that the Afikomen should be eaten while one still has an appetite.
Tzafun - Eating the Hidden Afikoman
- The Afikoman is found or recovered & each participant receives a piece from it & additional matzah to make up half the volume of an egg, or the full volume of an egg according to
some opinions. - This should be eaten all at once, while reclining.
Barech - Blessing after Meals
- After pouring the third cup of wine, we recite Grace after Meals.
- We then drink the cup, while reclining.
- A special cup is poured to welcome Elijah the Prophet & the front door is opened.
- We recite a paragraph invoking Divine Judgment upon those who have persecuted the
Jews throughout history, ever since the Exodus. - The fourth and final cup of wine is poured.
- Some have the custom to distribute Elijah’s cup among the participants as part of this
4th cup.
Hallel - Singing His Praises
- We say or sing the Hallel, Psalms recited on holidays along with additional praises, as we
close the Seder. - We then say the blessing over wine, drink the 4th cup while reclining & say the blessinga
after drinking wine.
Nirtzah - Acceptance of our Seder
- We recite a paragraph in which we pray for the privilege of performing the full Passover
service & say next year in Jerusalem. - Then we sing several additional songs of praise composed for the holiday, which
concludes the Seder.
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