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Taking place
the first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday, the Seder is the
most important event in the Passover celebration. Usually
gathering the whole family and friends together, the Seder is
steeped in long held traditions and customs
Leading up to the first night of Passover, the home is cleaned
and cleared of all yeast foods, called hametz. All
hametz is either eaten before Passover begins or
"sold" to non-Jewish neighbors and friends . The
rules surrounding Passover are strict and many, with only
special foods, utensils, and dishware allowed
Kitchen utensils and dishware normally used in the home are
not be used during Passover. Special dishes and utensils for
the Passover holiday are taken out of storage, cleaned and
used. Only foods that are "Kosher for Passover" are
allowed. No leavened (containing yeast) foods or grains are
eaten. In their place matzoh and foods containing matzoh are
eaten. This is to commemorate the Israelites who fled quickly
into the desert with no time for their breads to rise and were
forced to bake the dough into hard crackers in the desert sun.
All foods prohibited during Passover must be disposed of the
morning of the first night of Passover
With its Passover dishware and silverware, the Seder table is
different than the regular dinner table. The centerpiece of
which is the Seder plate, a special plate containing the 5
foods that remind us of the struggle of the Israelites in
their quest and journey to freedom.Three pieces of matzoh
are placed in a Matzoh Cover (a cloth sleeve or envelope) and
placed in the center of the Seder table. Before the meal
begins the middle matzoh is removed and broken in half. One
half is returned to the Matzoh Cover, the other - the Afikomen
- is hidden, to be hunted by the children at the end of the
Seder meal. The child who finds the Afikomen wins a special
prize. Some homes break the Afikomen in to many pieces
assuring that each child present can find a piece and receive
a prize.
The Seder plate contains foods that have special meaning
for this holiday
1. Haroseth - A mixture of chopped
walnuts, wine, cinnamon and apples that represents the mortar
the Jewish slaves used to assemble the Pharaoh's bricks
2. Parsley (dipped in salt water) - Symbolizing
Springtime, it is dipped in salt water to remind us of for the
tears of the Jewish slaves
3. Egg - Another symbol of Spring
4. Shank Bone - Symbolic of the sacrificial
lamb offering, the bone can come from whatever the family is
eating, such as the leg bone of a roasted turkey
5. Bitter herbs - Freshly grated
horseradish reflects the bitter affliction of slavery
During the Seder 4 glasses of wine are poured to represent
the 4 stages of the exodus :
1. freedom
2. deliverance
3. redemption
4. release
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. During the Seder the door to the home is opened to
invite the prophet Elijah in. After the meal is eaten, the
children search for the Afikomen. The Seder is
finished when the children have found the Afikomen and
everyone has eaten a piece
After a
second cup of wine is poured, The youngest of the children
present asks the four questions (these are in the haggadah)
and the adults answer in unison:
The first question: Why does this night differ from all
other nights? For on all other nights we eat either leavened
or unleavened bread; why on this night only unleavened bread?
The answer: To remind us of the Exodus when our
ancestors didn't have the time to bake their bread, and baked
it in the hot desert until it was hard. No time to allow the
yeast to rise either, so it was flat.
The second question: On all other nights we eat all
kinds of herbs; why on this night only bitter herbs?
The answer: To remind us of the bitter, cruel way our
ancestors were treated in slavery.
The third question: On all other nights we need not dip
our herbs even once; why on this night must we dip them twice?
The answer: We dip our food into Haroset (a mixture of
apples, wine and nuts) to remind us of the hard work our
forebears did while building the Pharoh's buildings. *The
mixture resembles mortar*
And we dip our greens (reminder of spring) into salt water, to
remind us of the tears that were shed by the Jewish slaves.
The fourth question: On all other nights we eat either
sitting up or reclining; why on this night do we all recline?
The answer: To be comfortable, and to remind us that
once we were slaves, and now we are free.
The Sedar
is in remembrance to the hardships our ancestors faced in
slavery, and has been celebrated ever since they were free
from the slavery |
