2006 Awards

The Passover seder

Passover opens with a festive meal, the Seder, in which prayers, educational material and historical stories and songs are intermingled with the eating of ritual foods in a fixed order.

Seder foods: There are symbolic foods that must appear in every Seder (sometimes with substitutes) often on a special Passover plate:

• Matzah: Unleavened bread similar to a cracker

• 'Haroseth: A sweet mixture of crushed nuts, apples, cinnamon, and honey, which symbolizes the mortar the Hebrew slaves in Egypt used in constructing buildings for the Pharaoh. The initial ‘H is guttural, like the “H” in “Pesah.”

• Egg: A hard-boiled egg is used to symbolize life and rebirth.

• Maror: This is usually very bitter horse-radish that symbolizes the hardships of slavery

• Karpas: Usually a boiled potato (sometimes lettuce or another vegetable). The symbolic meaning of this vegetable is not clear. Some say it symbolizes the lowly origins of the Jewish people.

• Z’ro’a: This meat, sometimes represented as a shank bone, symbolizes the Paschal lamb sacrificed.

• Salt Water: The egg and the potato are dipped in salt water, symbolizing both the seder service and meal.

• Parsley: Represents the coming of springtime. Also dipped in salt water it symbolizes the tears of the Jewish.

Passover customs: Some of these customs are explained differently in different traditions, but all are part of the Haggadah, which contains the order of the Passover seder, for all Jews.

• Kaddesh: Sanctification — This is a blessing over wine in honor of the holiday. The wine is drunk, and a second cup is poured.

• Rechatz: Washing — Ritual washing of the hands without a blessing.

• Karpas: Vegetable — A vegetable is dipped in salt water and eaten. The vegetable symbolizes the lowly origins of the Jewish people; the salt water symbolizes the tears shed as a result of slavery.

• Yachatz: Halving — One of three matzoth on the table is broken. Part is returned to the pile. The other is set aside for the afikomen, or dessert.

• Maggid: The Story — A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover. This includes the youngest person asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings, answered by the adults. At the end of the maggid, a blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.

Ritual eating: Symbolic foods are eaten with appropriate blessings: Matza, Maror, and a sandwich composed of Matza, Maror and ‘Haroset.

• Shulhan Aruh: Dinner — The festive meal.

• Tzafun: The afikomen — The matzah, which was set aside earlier, is eaten as “desert.” Different families have different traditions relating to the afikomen. Some have the children hide it, while the parents have to either find it or ransom it back. Others have the parents hide it. The idea is to keep the children awake and attentive.

• Barech: Grace after meals — The third cup of wine is poured, and grace after meals is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any day. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk.

• Elijah’s Cup: The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to arrive on Passover to herald the Messiah. The door is opened for a while at this point. Supposedly, this custom was initiated during the Spanish inquisition, when Jews celebrating Passover in secret opened the door to make sure that spies were not listening.

• Hallel: Praises Several psalms are recited. A blessing is recited over the last cup of wine and it is drunk.

• Nirtzah: Acceptance — A song stating that the Seder has been completed properly and hoping that it is acceptable is recited. It concludes with the wish “Next Year in Jerusalem” or “Next year in rebuilt Jerusalem,” referring to restoration of the temple with the coming of the Messiah. The evening ends with a number of songs or chants, modeled on medieval folklore and drinking songs that were apparently in existence as long ago as the 9th century.