THE PESACH / PASSOVER SEDER

It is customary to use our most beautiful silver, dishes and tableware. At the head of the table, in front of the person leading the Seder, is the Seder plate and a matza bag that holds the three matzot. Others use a Seder plate that looks like a three-tiered structure that holds three matzot with a place for 6 items on its roof.

The 6 items have special meanings.

1. Z'ro'a - A Roasted Bone (roasted chicken wing or shank bone) to remind us of the Pesach offering that was brought in the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) on the afternoon before Pesach. Its meat was roasted and eaten at the Seder meal. (We may not eat the z’roa (or any roasted meat) at the Seder because it would seem like we are eating the meat of a Korban offering, which we may only do when we have the Beit HaMikdash). The word z’roa means “arm.” This reminds us that with an “outstretched arm” Hashem took us out of Egypt
   .

2. Beitzah - A roasted hardboiled egg to remind us of the Chagigah (Festival offering) that was brought in addition to the Pesach offering, on the afternoon before Pesach.and its meat was also roasted and eaten at the Seder Meal.
   Eating an egg is the classic sign of mourning. It is the first meal that a mourner eats after a funeral. At the Seder the egg reminds us that, although we are celebrating our freedom, we still mourn the loss of our Beit HaMikdash and our consequent inability to offer the Korban Pesach (Paschal sacrifice). This is especially significant in light of the fact that the first Seder night always falls out on the same night of the week as Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) – the day of destruction of our Beit HaMikdash. It is also an exhibition of mourning for Avraham Avinu who passed away erev Pesach.
   Furthermore, according to the Chasam Sofer, eating an egg is a reminder that the more the Egyptians "cooked" us, the stronger we became. The egg is an anomaly. Most foods become softer the longer they are cooked. The egg, on the other hand, becomes harder. So the Jewish people, the more they oppress us, the stronger we become. The egg also represents birth. Thus, we eat an egg on Pesach to recall that it is the night of the birth of the Jewish people.

3. Maror

4. Chazeret

   Two types of bitter herbs (vegetables).

   We eat bitter herbs twice during the Seder.

   1. once by themselves as MAROR
   2. the second time with matzah as KORECH

   Two kinds of bitter vegetables are placed on the Seder plate. Most people use romaine lettuce (whole leaves or the stalks) and raw horseradish (whole or grated). Either may be used for MAROR or KORECH.

5. Charoset - a mixture of ground apples, nuts, ginger, cinnamon, and red sweet wine. The look and feel of mortar symbolizes the bricks and mortar which we were forced to use when we were slaves in Egypt. We dip the Maror into the Charoset.

6. Karpas - A vegetable, other than maror, (most use boiled potato, celery or parsley), which is dipped into salt water and eaten.

   To remind ourselves of the sweat and tears we shed as slaves, we place a bowl of the salt water near the Seder plate. It should be prepared before Yom Tov.

Though red wine is preferable, if someone is not able to tolerate wine, they may use grape juice instead. Either way, red is preferred. Red alludes to the blood spilled by Pharaoh, the blood of the first Plague, and the blood the Jews put on their doorposts. It is preferable to drink the entire cup or at least most of the cup.

THE
SEDER
(ORDER)
OF THE
SEDER

The text of the Pesach Seder is written in the Haggadah.

The Pesach Seder consists of 15 steps conducted in an organized way throughout the evening so that all the mitzvot of Pesach will be performed properly. The steps were named either by Rashi - Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (ben Yitzchak) in the 11th century or by one of the French Baalei Tosefot, Rav Shmuel of Falaise.

The ORDER of the Seder is:

Kaddesh	Recite the Kiddush.
Urechatz	Wash the hands before eating Karpas.
Karpas	Eat a vegetable dipped in salt water.
Yachatz	Break the middle matzah and hide half for Afikoman.
Maggid	Tell the Pesach story.
Rachtzah	Wash the hands before eating matzah.
Motzi Matzah	Say Hamotzi and the special bracha for the matzah and then eat the matzah.
Maror	Eat the bitter herbs.
Korech	Eat a sandwich of matzah and marror.
Shulchan Orech	Serve and eat a festive meal.
Tzafun	Eat the Afikoman.
Barech	Recite Birchat Hamazon (Grace after Meals).
Hallel	Recite the Hallel (Psalms of praise).
Nirtzah	Pray that Hashem accepts our mitzva.

This is the main part of the Seder: The discussion of the departure from Egypt and the meaning of Chairut (freedom). Though there is a formalized text, feel free (no pun intended) to ask any question you like.

All these men, sages who clearly knew the Redemption story inside and out, yet they spent the whole night talking about it. Not only that - they got so involved in the discussion that they didn't notice that it was already morning.

This time we wash our hands, by pouring water from a cup, twice on each hand, beginning with the right, and we DO make a bracha in preparation for eating the matzah. This is the standard procedure before eating Matzah at any meal.

When eating the Marror, which reminds us of the hard labor and bitter slavery, we do NOT recline.

At the end, a bracha is said over the third cup and it is drunk (literally) while reclining to the left side. (or is it falling over)?

A fifth cup of wine is poured and placed on the Seder table. This is the Cup of Elijah, an offering for the Prophet Elijah. who will herald the Mosiach (Messiah), and is supposed to come on Pesach to do this.

At this point, the door to the home is opened for a while to invite the prophet Elijah in.

After the wine is poured, the door is opened. It is to express our faith in Hashem that on this night of "Layl Shimurim" nothing will happen to us; others say that it is to allow the prophet Elijah into the house.

There is another not-so-joyous reason for opening the door.

During the Middle Ages when Pesach was also the time for ritual-murder-accusations, Jews were accused of stealing Christian children in order to use their blood in baking of the Matzah. As absurd as it may sound, there were incidents as late as the 19th century resulting in riots and the murder of Jews.

From this source originated the custom to expose our table to all who wish to see.

While opening the door, we call upon Hashem to protect us and "Pour out Your rage on the nations that do not recognize you..."

There is a discussion in the Gemara (Talmud), as to whether a fifth cup should be drunk for the term of deliverance that follows the four terms mentioned above -

"And I will bring you to the land..." ("veheveti")

(Shemot 6:8)

Some rabbis, such as Rabbi Tarfon, used to drink a fifth cup on recitation of the Hallel in Eretz Israel and in Babylon. Today we pour out the fifth cup, which is the cup of Elijah.

After this, we wish those all around the table that next Pesach we will all be in Yerushalayim. In Yerushalayim they say "Wishing to be next year in a REBUILT Yerushalayim," meaning in the peaceful era of the final Redemption, and NOT "Next Year in a Hotel in Miami Beach."