1. Kaddesh

o        First of the four cups

o        Measurement: Drink at least 86ml of red wine

o        Lean while you drink the cup.

o        Why 4 cups? See attached sheets

2. Urechatz

o        A food item that is dipped in water requires a washing of the hands. When we kept laws of ritual purity, impurity could be passed to a foodstuff by touching it when it was wet.

o        But why do we do this just on Pesach? – We do it to remind ourselves of the purification required before the Passover offering was sacrificed.

3. Karpas

o        We eat a small amount of Karpas. This is because if we eat a large amount we would need to say an after blessing. We would then not know whether a blessing would be needed on the Maror vegetable later. We say now a ‘borei pri haadama’ and this covers the Maror.

o        Why do we eat Karpas/Parsley? The letters Karpas spelt backward symbolise the 60 (Samech in Hebrew times 10,000 = 600,000) Jewish people who were subjected to Parech, which is hard labour in Hebrew. So the Karpas makes us think of the experience of not having freedom.

4. Yachatz

o        On Shabbat and Yom Tov we always have two complete loaves. On Pesach we are told to have a part of a piece of matzah to symbolise the fact that a poor man might be only able to eat this way.

o        There is a discussion – do we have two pieces of matzah (complete and incomplete) or three pieces (two complete and incomplete). Our custom is to have three pieces of matzah.

o        We break the matzah early on so that when we later say ‘this is the bread of affliction’, we will have the ‘poor man’s bread’ in front of us.

5. Maggid

o        Why do we not say a blessing over the Hagada? See separate sheet.

6. Rachtzah

o        Did you know? The reason we wash again later before the matzah is that we may not have properly guarded our hands (e.g. from touching say hair or foot) while saying the haggada and hallel.

o        One opinion learns from this that if we do guard our hands properly we would not have to wash our hands. Some disagree and say that it is a decree that we do regardless.

o        If one really has guarded ones hands in this way – then you can wash but without the need to say a blessing.

7. Motzi

o        This blessing is said before the one on the mitzvah of matza, as it is a more common, frequent blessing. We have a rule to chose between two blessings or mitzvot, the more frequent one is said or performed first.

o        While saying this blessing we hold ALL THREE matzot so that we have two complete ones like on Shabbat and Yom Tov

8. Matzah

o        While saying this blessing we let go of the bottom matza and say it on the top two alone.

o        Measurement: We then need to eat between a third and a half of the top two matzot to fulfil the mitzvah of eating matzah on Pesach and ideally finish it in maximum of 9 minutes.

o        If you do not lean while eating matzah, you need to eat the same amount again but do not say the blessing again.

o        What does the Matzah symbolise? See separate sheet.

9. Maror

o        When we had a Temple, the Pesach offering was eaten with matzah and maror. Whereas there are other verses that tell us to eat matza, there are no such verses that tell us separately to eat Maror. We still eat Maror as a Rabbinic commandment, not a Torah one.

o        The two most popular candidates for Maror are horseradish and lettuce (which needs to be cleaned well)

o        Measurement: We then need to eat one fluid ounce of horseradish. My Rabbi feels that as regards lettuce, as much as can be crammed into a matchbox.

o        We need not lean for Maror, as it is a symbol of the bitterness of slavery.

o        Why is the Maror dipped in charoset? The charoset supposedly had some power to kill a poison that existed in the Maror nearly 2000 years ago. In fact the aroma was enough – that is why the custom is to shake off the charoset a bit after you have dipped.

10. Korech

o        Hillel had an argument with other Sages (what a surprise!). Hillel believed that the Children of Israel ate the meat of the Pesach offering together with the matzah and maror in a sandwich. The Sages argued that they were all eaten separately.

o        Seeing as we do not know which of these opinions prevails, we go according to both. We eat the matzah and maror separately and then together.

o        There are those who argued that we need not use charoset for the sandwich as we also have matzah. Our custom is to dip, as this is likely to have been what Hillel actually did.

11. Shulchan Orech

o        Why do we eat eggs at the Pesach Seder? The first day of Pesach will always fall on the same day of the week as the Ninth of Av. In memory of its destruction, which stopped the sacrifices, we eat a food associated with mourning.

o        The general custom is not to eat any roasted meat as this is the method that was used for the Pesach offering. Pot roast would be considered permissible as well as roast fish or eggs.

12. Tzafun

o        Afikomen is Greek for the desert

o        The word was originally used in its negative form: ‘One should not have desert (afikomen) after the Pesach offering’. So when the Temple was in existence, the last thing a person would eat would actually be the meat of the Pesach offering.

o        Instead of finishing with Pesach meat, we finish with Matza and this became know as the Afikomen.

o        There is a custom to eat at least two thirds of a piece of matza for the Afikomen.

o        Why is the Afikomen here called Tzafun? Tzafun means ‘hidden’. Some had the custom that the children would take the matzah and hide it, only giving it back for some treat (in those days something sweet, today an I-pod probably). Some have the custom that the parents hide it for the children to then find it. Some will put the Afikomen in a big serviette on their back and walk a few paces to symbolise the Exodus from Egypt.

13. Barech

o        We say Grace after meals over a cup of wine. It is the fourth cup of wine and we again drink 86ml of red wine.

o        We should not drink between the 3^rd and 4^th cups in case we become too drunk!

o        We now say ‘Shefoch Chamatcha’ as one of the reasons for the four cups is four cups of vengeance G-d will bring on other nations, mentioned in the prophets.

o        We also open the door. I am not sure this has anything to do with Elijah coming in – it is more to show that there is a special sense of security on Pesach night – it is a night guarded by G-d and the angels and so we can leave the door open and show this.

14. Hallel

o        Hallel is very rarely said at night, more often in Shul in the day.

o        We also split Hallel in two. The shorter part before the meal in Maggid – it deals with the theme of the Exodus from Egypt. The portion after the meal talks about future and other redemptions.

o        The Fifth cup of wine. There is an argument in the Talmud as to whether we should have four or five cups. It could actually have been the Five cups! We actually do not know what the decision is and was on this one. But when a matter is undecided we believe that Elijah will come and solve all these halachic conundrums. So we fill a fifth cup and await his answer.

15. Nirtzah

o        Enjoy Nirtzah! It means ‘accepted’ – just as we prayed that the Pesach offering was accepted, so we pray that our fulfilment of all the Pesach mitzvot will be acceptable to G-d.

I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL PESACH SEDER!

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