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Hallel Divided at Seder
At the seder, hallel is divided into two parts. The first two psalms, read before the meal, deal with the exodus from Egypt. The remaining psalms, read after the meal, concern other miracles and the future of the Jewish nation.
Women: Drinking Wine at Seder
For women and drinking wine at seder, see Everyone Must Drink at Seder.
Everyone Must Drink at Seder
At the Passover seder, all Jews above the age of bar mitzva or bat mitzva (including women--unlike on other Jewish festivals) must drink wine for kiddush and for the other three times in the seder when the borei pri ha'gafen blessing is said.
Note On the other Jewish festivals, only one person needs to drink the wine when kiddush is said, and that will cover and fulfill everyone else's requirement for that kiddush.
Note Only children and people who will get sick if they drink alcohol are permitted to drink grape juice at seder.
Note Only children and people who will get sick if they drink alcohol are permitted to drink grape juice at seder.
Five Foods of the Seder Plate
Seder plate consists of five foods:
Shank Bone
Shank bone, meat, or a neck represents the Passover lamb offering.
Egg
Egg represents the holiday offering (chagiga).
Bitter Herbs
Bitter herbs (maror), such as romaine, horseradish, or endive, represent the bitterness of slavery.
Charoset
Charoset (sweet mixture of nuts and fruits) reminds us of the mortar the Jews used to build the Egyptian storage cities.
Vegetable
Vegetable such as parsley or potato (karpas). The vegetable does not represent anything and is there to motivate the children to ask questions.
Shank Bone
Shank bone, meat, or a neck represents the Passover lamb offering.
Note Any part of any kosher animal or bird may be used for this purpose except liver. You may even use roasted lamb, but you may not eat it.
Egg
Egg represents the holiday offering (chagiga).
Bitter Herbs
Bitter herbs (maror), such as romaine, horseradish, or endive, represent the bitterness of slavery.
Charoset
Charoset (sweet mixture of nuts and fruits) reminds us of the mortar the Jews used to build the Egyptian storage cities.
Vegetable
Vegetable such as parsley or potato (karpas). The vegetable does not represent anything and is there to motivate the children to ask questions.
Hallel at Night at Passover Seder
There are many opinions as to why we read hallel at night: most are related either to praising God for saving the Jewish people or to accompanying the Passover sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Lamb and Other Meat at Seder
Don't eat roasted meat of any kind at the seder, including roasted poultry.
Reason So it will not be confused with the Passover offering.
Note You may eat lamb as long as it is not roasted.
Note You may eat lamb as long as it is not roasted.
Red Wine or White for Seder
If you have equally good red wine and white wine, the red is preferred for the four cups at the seder. If your white wine is better or if you prefer white wine, use that.
The 15 Steps in the Seder
Timing of Ma'ariv on Seder Night(s)
- Ma'ariv on the first night of Passover may begin at sunset. But since the seder may not be started until after dark, the custom is to begin ma'ariv a little before dark.
- The second seder may also not be started until after dark. Ma'ariv on the second night of Passover may be said from plag ha'mincha, 1 1/4 hours before sunset.
- Ma'ariv on the seventh and eighth days of Passover may be started as early as plag ha'mincha, 1 1/4 hours before sunset.
Expert Work after Noon before Seder Night
You may not do any types of expert or professional work after halachic midday before the first Passover seder. These types of prohibited work are whatever would be prohibited on chol ha'moed.
Note You may tell or ask a non-Jew to do such work.
What Constitutes Non-Roasted Meat at Seder?
Meat is not considered to be roasted if, when the baking began, there was at least 1/4" of liquid in the cooking utensil with the meat.
Introduction to Three Matzas (Matzot)
The seder table also has a stack of three matzas (matzot), representing, among other meanings:
- Cohen-Levi-Yisrael: The three divisions of Jews
- Abraham-Isaac-Jacob: The three forefathers
How To Do Motzi and Matza
The seder leader says the blessing “ha'motzi” while holding the three (which are now 2 1/2) shmura matzas, drops the bottom one, and says the next blessing, al achilat matza. Everyone takes a small piece from the two top matzas and eats it, along with enough additional shmura matza to fulfill the minimum requirement.
Majority of the Cup/Rov Kos
The seder is the only time in the year that you must drink most of your cup (rov kos) of kiddush wine. (For kiddush on Shabbat and Jewish festivals, you need drink only 2 fl. oz., or 59 ml). So if you have a cup larger than 4 fl. oz. (119 ml), you may have to drink a lot of wine--more than half of each cup for four cups!
Note You may drink other liquids between the first and second cups of wine at the seder, but it is not recommended.
Fifth Cup
The fifth cup of wine at seder, for Eliyahu (Elijah) the prophet, symbolizes v'heiveiti--“I will bring them.”
Reason In the future, everyone will drink five cups of seder wine. (Some say the term v'heiveiti is not part of the redemption and some say it is a stage that has not happened yet.)
The cup of Eliyahu (which is not intended to be drunk by Eliyahu) should be used for kiddush the next morning. Various customs dictate when to fill Eliyahu's cup; it may be filled anytime from the beginning of the seder.
Reason In the future, everyone will drink five cups of seder wine. (Some say the term v'heiveiti is not part of the redemption and some say it is a stage that has not happened yet.)
The cup of Eliyahu (which is not intended to be drunk by Eliyahu) should be used for kiddush the next morning. Various customs dictate when to fill Eliyahu's cup; it may be filled anytime from the beginning of the seder.