The many ceremonies of Passover eve, now known as the Seder (order), must be distinguished into three different categories. First is Pesach Mitzrayim (Egyptian Passover), the one observed on the eve of the Exodus. The blood of the sacrifice was...
The Torah tells us that the Passover sacrifice was to be eaten at night. We are also told "In the evening, you shall eat matzot" (As I pointed out in an earlier post, matzah is both an adjunct to the sacrifice, and an independent mitzvah unto...
Now that the Seder Plate is ready, let's begin the Seder!(1). KADESH make kiddush. A cup of wine is poured for each participant. The cup must hold a "revi'it", (estimated at 86 ml., although some say higher or lower). The usual holiday...
The wine has been poured for the second cup. The MAGID section is begun. The usual custom is for is for a child to ask the four questions. In many homes, all the children ask. While in others, the child asks first, with all the participants...
The custom of pouring out wine from the second cup is not mentioned in the Talmud nor other early sources until about 1200 ce. The custom arose in Franco-Germany, and spread to virtually the entire Jewish world. At the mention of each of the Ten...
An amazing Midrash says as follows:"When the Sea covered Pharaoh's army, the Ministering Angels opened up with songs of praise to G-d. G-d said to them: The work of My hands is drowning in the Sea, and you are singing?". This is the part of the...
Following the recitation of the plagues, there is an acknowledgement of G-d's many acts of kindness in connection with the Exodus, any one of which would have been by itself extraordinary and sufficient. We then have a short section which many...
Rochtzah, Motzi, Matzah: We wash our hands as we normally do for a meal with bread. Before us, are, depending on custom, either two whole matzot plus a broken one (half of which we put away for Afikomen), or one whole matzah plus the broken one....
After the eating of the Matzah, we now turn to the MARROR; the bitter herb. As I have indicated previously, this must be either lettuce, or a related green leafy herb such as endive. In my opinion, there is no basis for the use of horseradish,...
The table is set, and we are ready to eat. The sources simply say "one eats whatever one wishes, and drinks whatever one wishes". There are no halachic requirements for the meal, nor even universally accepted customs. The only one that comes close...
The meal has ended. It is time for TZAFUN, "the hidden". Near the beginning of the seder, we broke a matzah into two, and hid a piece away for the Afikoman. Afikoman is a Greek word, meaning "we go out"; that is essentially "dessert". But it is no...
The meal has ended, with the Afikoman as its climax. The third cup of wine is poured. In most communities, each participant then washes his or her fingers (the Vilna Gaon requires washing of the whole hands), in preparation for BARECH, the...
Our fourth cup is now filled. We are to recite over it the HALLEL. There are actually two Hallels. There is the familiar "Hallel Mitzrayim" (Hallel of Egypt; Psalms 113-118) so called because a large portion of it gives thanks for the Exodus. This...
One of the mitzvot associated with Passover is the Omer. We read in Leviticua 23:15, that the day after "the Sabbath" we are to bring a "wave offering" to the Temple, and (in Deuteronomy 16:9) we are commanded to count fifty days until the holiday...
It is vital to remember that Jewish history has been filled with numerous tragedies. This is especially true of Ashkenazic Jewish history. Nearly every country in Europe expelled the Jews from time to time. In pre-Modern times, the greatest...
