Passover Seder

The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of [isan in the Hebrew calendar (i.e., at the start of the 15th; a Hebrew day begins at sunset). The day falls in late March or in April of the Gregorian calendar; Passover lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days outside Israel. Jews traditionally observe one seder if in Israel and two (one on each of the first two nights) if in the Jewish diaspora. The Seder is a ritual involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, taken from the Book of Exodus (''Shemot'') in the Jewish Torah. The Seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" (Exodus 13:8) At the seder, Jews read the text of the Haggadah, an ancient Tannaitic work. The Haggadah contains the narrative of the Israelite exodus from Egypt, special blessings and rituals, Talmudic commentaries, and Passover songs.

Seder customs include telling the story, discussing the story, drinking four cups of wine, eating matza, partaking of symbolic foods, and reclining in celebration of freedom. The Seder is among the most commonly celebrated Jewish rituals, performed by Jews all over the world.

Overview

# Kadeish קדש ''Bless!'' – recital of Kiddush blessing and drinking of the first cup of wine
# Urchatz ורחץ ''and Wash!'' – the washing of the hands
# Karpas כרפס ''Vegetable'' – dipping of the ''karpas'' in salt water
# Yachatz יחץ ''Halving'' – breaking the middle matzah; the larger piece becomes the ''afikoman''
# Maggid מגיד ''Telling'' – retelling the Passover story, including the recital of "the four questions" and drinking of the second cup of wine
# Rach'tzah רחצה ''Washing'' – second washing of the hands
# Motzi מוציא ''"Who brings out . . ."'' – blessing over the bread
# Matzah מצה "''. . . matzah''" – blessing before eating matzah
# Maror מרור ''Bitter'' – eating of the maror
# Koreich כורך ''Wraps'' – eating of a sandwich made of matzo and maror
# Shulchan oreich שלחן עורך ''Set table'' – the serving of the holiday meal
# Tzafun צפון ''Hidden'' – eating of the ''afikoman''
# Bareich ברך ''Bless!'' – blessing after the meal and drinking of the third cup of wine
# Hallel הלל ''Exalt!'' – recital of the Hallel, traditionally recited on festivals; drinking of the fourth cup of wine
# Nirtzah נרצה ''Desired'' – say "Next Year in Jerusalem!"

The Seder is most often conducted in the family home, although communal Seders are also organized by synagogues, schools and community centers, some open to the general public. It is customary to invite guests, especially strangers and the needy. The Seder is integral to Jewish faith and identity: as explained in the Haggadah, if not for divine intervention and the Exodus, the Jewish people would still be slaves in Egypt. Therefore, the Seder is an occasion for praise and thanksgiving and for re-dedication to the idea of liberation. Furthermore, the words and rituals of the Seder are a primary vehicle for the transmission of the Jewish faith from grandparent to child, and from one generation to the next. Attending a Seder and eating matzah on Passover is a widespread custom even among those who are not religiously observant.

Family members come to the table dressed in their holiday clothes. There is a tradition for the person leading the Seder to wear a white robe called a kittel.Mishnah Berurah, 472:13 For the first half of the Seder, each participant will only need a plate and a wine glass. At the head of the table is a Seder plate containing various symbolic foods that will be eaten or pointed out during the course of the Seder. Placed nearby is a plate with three matzot and dishes of salt water for dipping.

Each participant receives a copy of the Haggadah: an ancient text that contains the complete Seder service. Men and women are equally obliged and eligible to participate in the Seder.sefer hachinuch, mi tzvah 21 Traditionally, each participant at the Seder table recites the Haggadah in the original Hebrew and Aramaic. Halakha (the collective body of Jewish religious laws) requires that certain parts be said in language the participants can understand, and critical parts are often said in both Hebrew and the native language. The leader will often interrupt the reading to discuss different points with his or her children, or to offer an insight into the meaning or interpretation of the words.

In some homes, participants take turns reciting the text of the Haggadah, in the original Hebrew or in translation. It is traditional for the head of the household and other participants to have pillows placed behind them for added comfort. At several points during the Seder, participants lean to the left – when drinking the four cups of wine, eating the Afikoman, and eating the korech sandwich.

Jews generally observe one or two seders: in Israel, one seder is observed on the first night of Passover; traditional Diaspora communities (to the general exception of Reform and Reconstructionist Jews)also hold a seder on the second night. Seders have been observed around the world, including in remote places such as high in the Himalaya mountains in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Themes of the Seder

Slavery and freedom

The rituals and symbolic foods evoke the twin themes of the evening: slavery and freedom. It is stated in the Haggadah that "In every generation everyone is obligated to see themselves as if they themselves came out of Egypt" – i.e., out of slavery.

The rendering of time for Jews is that a day began at sunset and ended at sunset. According to the Exodus narrative, at the beginning of the 15th of isan_

Northeast_Thailand_or_Isan_(_Isan/_th,_อีสาน,_;__lo,_ອີສານ;_also_written_as_Isaan,_Isarn,_Issarn,_Issan,_Esan,_or_Esarn;_from__Pali_''īsānna''_or_Sanskrit_ईशान्य__''īśānya''_"northeast")_consists_of_20_prov_...