The Passover Seder

Passover is a Jewish holiday commemorating the ancient Israelites' freedom from Egyptian slavery, as told in the book of Exodus. It lasts for eight days, typically in the month of April.

Throughout this period, observant Jews rid their house of food and drink containing leavened grain (mostly bread), known as chametz, and do not eat/drink any. Instead, they eat matzah, which is unleavened, cracker-like bread.

In the first two nights of Passover, many Jews hold seders, a dinner ceremony with fifteen steps that come from a book called the Haggadah. Learn about the seder plate and the ceremony's order below.

Candle Lightning

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Although it isn't an official part of the seder, it is customary to light two candles before beginning to mark the holiday. Below are the blessings to say after the candles are lit.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctified us with the commandment of lighting the holiday candles.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu vekiyemanu, vehigianu la'zeman hazeh.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Unuverse, who gave us life and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.

Wine Blessing (Kiddush/Kadesh)

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There are four cups of wine (or grape juice) throughout the seder, and this blessing is said each time before drinking.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

Hand Washing (Urchatz)

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This is a special hand washing to prepare for the next step, eating karpas. Each participant has water poured over their hands from a pitcher into a bowl.

Dipping Vegetables in Salt Water (Karpas)

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A vegetable, commonly parsley, is dipped into salt water and then eaten. The salt water symbolizes the tears of slaves. This blessing is said beforehand:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, boray peri ha-adama.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the earth.

Breaking the Middle Matzah (Yachatz)

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There is a plate holding three matzot (matzah crackers). The leader will break the middle piece in half. One half goes back on the plate, in between the other matzot, and the other becomes the afikomen. The afikomen is traditionally hidden by the seder leader for children to find, for a prize. There are other traditions with the afikomen, such as the children stealing it from the leader and demanding a ransom.

Telling the Passover Story (Maggid)

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Telling the story of Passover is the largest step in the seder. It involves explaining the Four Questions, the four types of children, and the 10 plagues, as well as singing Dayenu and drinking the second cup of wine.

The Four Questions

These questions are traditionally asked by the youngest participant at the seder, with the leader or another adult responding. They highlight four differences between the practices of Passover and everyday life.

Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?

How is this night different from all other nights?

  1. Sheb'chol haleilot anu ochlin chametz umatzah, halailah hazeh, kuloh matzah.
    On all other nights, we eat leavened and unleaved bread. Why on this night, only unleavened?

    Matzah is the bread of affliction. When the Jews fled Egypt, they left in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. We eat only unleavened bread to commemorate this.


  2. Sheb'chol haleilot anu ochlin sh'ar y'rakot, halailah hazeh, maror.
    On all other nights, we eat all vegetables. Why on this night, only bitter herbs?

    The bitter herbs represent the bitter life of the Israelites under slavery.


  3. Sheb'chol haleilot ein anu matbilin afilu pa'am echat; halailah hazeh, sh'tei f'amim.
    On all other nights, we don't dip our food even once. Why on this night do we dip twice?

    There are various possible explanations for why participants dip twice. (The first dipping is of karpas into salt water, the latter symbolizing tears. The second dipping is of maror into charoset, which happens in the next couple of steps.) One explanation to dipping twice is that the Jewish exile to Egypt began with Joseph's coat being dipped into blood to make him appear dead, and ended with lamb's blood being dipped into to paint doorposts. (The blood on these doorposts indicated that the inhabitants were to be spared by God during the killing of firstborns.) Thus, participants dip twice to mirror these dippings.


  4. Sheb'chol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin uvein m'subin; halailah hazeh, kulanu m'subin.
    On all other nights, we eat either sitting upright or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline?

    Reclining is a symbol of freedom we use to celebrate our escape from slavery.

The Four Children

These children represent four attitudes toward Passover and instruct listeners on how to respond to them.

  1. The wise child understands the holiday and asks specific questions about laws and their meanings. They are to be answered.

  2. The wicked child removes themself from the story. They ask about what Passover means to you and not them. They are to be reminded that they are a part of community.

  3. The simple child asks, "What does this all mean?" They are to be given a straightforward summary.

  4. The child who does not know how to ask is to be treated gently. Answer the questions they might have and speak in personable terms.

The Ten Plagues

God inflicted ten plagues on the Egyptians to convince Pharaoh to let the Jews go. When reading them, it is customary to dip a finger into your wine and leave a droplet on your plate. This is to symbolize and commemorate how the Jews' freedom came at the expense of Egyptian suffering. The plagues are water turning to blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the killing of firstborns.

Dayenu (It Would Have Been Enough)

This song details multiple acts God committed for the Israelities during the Exodus and states that each would have been enough.

Second Cup of Wine

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

Hand Washing, Again (Rachtzah)

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This second hand washing is to prepare for what's eaten before the meal. This blessing is said:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav vetzivanu al netilat yada'yim.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctified us with the commandment of cleanliness.

Blessing and Eating the Matzah (Motzi)

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The blessing for bread and a blessing specific to unleavened bread is said before eating matzah.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min haaretz.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav vetzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctified us with the commandment to eat unleavened bread.

Eating Bitter Herbs (Maror)

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Bitter herbs, usually horseradish, are eaten with the matzah to symbolize the bitter life of slaves. This blessing is said beforehand:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, vetzivanu al achilat maror.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctified us with the commandment to eat bitter herbs.

Creating a Hillel Sandwich (Korech)

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Maror and charoset are eaten together on matzah. This is a tradition started by Rabbi Hillel, a Talmudic scholar.

Eating the Meal (Shulchan Orech)

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Finally, it is time to eat. Some common foods at Passover dinners include gefilte fish (among Ashkenazi Jews), matzah ball soup, hard boiled eggs dipped in salt water, and brisket.

Finding/Eating Dessert (Tzafun)

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After dinner, it is time to hunt for the afikomen. It must be returned to the seder leader and eaten for dessert before the seder continues. The child who finds it is given a prize, or, if they had stolen it, ransoms it for a prize.

Wine Blessing and Welcoming Elijah (Barech)

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It is time for the third cup of wine to be drunk.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

Then, wine is poured for the prophet Elijah in a special cup set aside for him. A door is also opened to allow him to enter the home. The arrival of Elijah is said to herald the beginning of the Messianic Age.

A newer tradition involves a cup of water being poured for Miriam, the sister of Moses. In the story of Exodus, a well followed her throughout the desert to provide for the Israelites. This water cup honors her and women overall.

Singing Praise (Hallel)

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Songs, such as Chad Gadya are sung and the fourth cup of wine is drunk.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

Concluding the Seder (Nirtzah)

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The seder is concluded with saying L’Shana Ha-Ba’ah Bi-Yerushalayim, which means "Next year in Jerusalem." This phrase expresses the historical longing to return home, which is especially relevant in the context of the Exodus, along with other potential meanings.


As the seder concludes with the hope to celebrate in Jerusalem next year, many Jews live throughout the globe due to diasporas. Thus, Passover is celebrated all over the world, with varying traditions.

Moroccan families celebrate the end of Passover with Mimouna, a feast of sweets and pastries as well as dancing. It has spread to Israel, France, Canada, and beyond as Moroccon Jews immigrate and bring their practices with them.

In Afghanistan, it is traditional to whip one another with scallions to harken back to the whips of slavers. This is done during the singing of "Dayenu." Today, the largest group of Afghan Jews live in New York City. Iranian Jews also participate in this practice.

Yemenite Jews don't use a seder plate, and place the symbolic foods directly on the table. They're also known to eat eggs as the main dinner course.

In Hungary, the seder table is decorated with gold and silver jewelry. This is in reference to a passage in Exodus stating that, as they fled, Jewish woman were to take valuables from the Egyptians.

Hasidic Polish Jews in the town of Góra Kalwaria reenact the crossing of the Red Sea by pouring water on the floor and crossing it themselves.

Indian Jews pour a cup of wine for the Pharaoh and then dump his glass into guests' cups as an act of defiance.

Beginning in Spain is the tradition of the leader circling the table and tapping participants on the head with the seder plate. This is said to promote asking questions, and is practiced by Sephardic Jews in Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, and beyond.

Having its origin in the United States, some people put an orange on their seder plate. The common misconception is that this is a symbol of feminism, but it was actually started primarily in recognition of the LGBT community. Susannah Heschel, a Jewish studies professor, started this tradition in the 1980s.


Sources

X My Jewish Learning
Taste of Home
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Jewish Virtual Library