Paysach - Passover Seder

Passover Seder

It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover (first two nights in communities outside the land of Israel) for a special dinner called a seder (סדר—derived from the Hebrew word for "order", referring to the very specific order of the ritual). The table is set with the finest china and silverware to reflect the importance of the meal. During this meal, the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah. Four cups of wine are consumed at various stages in the narrative. The Haggadah divides the night's procedure into 15 parts:

1. Kadeish קדש – recital of Kiddush blessing and drinking of the first cup of wine
2. Urchatz ורחץ – the washing of the hands – without blessing
3. Karpas כרפס – dipping of the karpas in salt water
4. Yachatz יחץ – breaking the middle matzo; the larger piece becomes the afikoman which is eaten later during the ritual of Tzafun
5. Maggid מגיד – retelling the Passover story, including the recital of "the four questions" and drinking of the second cup of wine
6. Rachtzah רחצה – second washing of the hands – with blessing
7. Motzi מוציא – traditional blessing before eating bread products
8. Matzo מצה – blessing before eating matzo
9. Maror מרור – eating of the maror
10. Koreich כורך – eating of a sandwich made of matzo and maror
11. Shulchan oreich שולחן עורך – lit. "set table"—the serving of the holiday meal
12. Tzafun צפון – eating of the afikoman
13. Bareich ברך – blessing after the meal and drinking of the third cup of wine
14. Hallel הלל – recital of the Hallel, traditionally recited on festivals; drinking of the fourth cup of wine
15. Nirtzah נירצה – conclusion

These 15 parts parallel the 15 steps in the Temple in Jerusalem on which the Levites stood during Temple services, and which were memorialized in the 15 Psalms (#120-134) known as Shir HaMa'alot (Hebrew: שיר המעלות‎, "Songs of Ascent").

The seder is replete with questions, answers, and unusual practices (e.g. the recital of Kiddush which is not immediately followed by the blessing over bread, which is the traditional procedure for all other holiday meals) to arouse the interest and curiosity of the children at the table. The children are also rewarded with nuts and candies when they ask questions and participate in the discussion of the Exodus and its aftermath. Likewise, they are encouraged to search for the afikoman, the piece of matzo which is the last thing eaten at the seder. Audience participation and interaction is the rule, and many families' seders last long into the night with animated discussions and much singing. The seder concludes with additional songs of praise and faith printed in the Haggadah, including Chad Gadya ("One Little Kid" or "One Little Goat").