The Seder: Part II

Rachtzah - The Ritual Washing of Hands Before Eating Matzah, (same as washing for challah on Shabbat)

After washing the hands and saying the blessing, one should not speak until one has eaten a piece of matzah after the blessing over matzah.

Motzee - The First Blessing Over the Matzah (same blessing as over bread)

Just as on Shabbat and festivals one is required to make a blessing over two whole challahs, on Passover, one is required to make the motzee over two whole matzot. However, a second opinion is that one should make the motzee over the lechem oni, the bread of affliction, which is the broken matzah. In order to fulfill both opinions, the motzee is made on all three matzot.

One should continue to remain silent until the next blessing and the eating of the matzah.

Matzah - A Special Blessing Over the Matzah is Recited, and a Double Portion of Matzah is Eaten

For the blessing on eating matzah, the bottom matzah should be put down while the leader continues to hold the top two matzot.

After the blessing is recited, the Seder leader should break the top two matzot and distribute pieces amongst the participants. Everyone should receive a piece of both matzot.

* In order to fulfill the requirement of eating matzah, one must eat the amount of a k'zayit (literally–like an olive). One should check with their local rabbi as to the appropriate amount.
* Since everyone should receive pieces of the both the top and middle matzot, but must also eat a specific amount, other matzot may be used to supplement. (Do not use the bottom matzah.)
* The k'zayit of matzah should be completely eaten in a short period of time. Therefore, one should not leave the k'zayit of matzah to nibble at it through the rest of the meal.

Maror - A Blessing is Said, and the Bitter Herbs are Dipped in Charoset and Eaten

Maror, the bitter herb (usually fresh ground horseradish or romaine lettuce), is symbolic of the bitterness of slavery. We do not, however, eat the maror alone, but temper it with a small amount of charoset. Some people have the custom of dipping the maror in charoset and then shaking the charoset off.

One may look at this mixture of the bitter herb, a reminder of slavery, with the sweet charoset as symbolic of the fact that not all that one considers bitter lacks sweetness, and vice-versa. It was only through the bitterness of slavery that the Jews were able to recognize and accept the freedom inherent in the Torah and to unite into one nation.

Koraich - A Sandwich is Made with the Matzah and the Maror

When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, Jews came from everywhere to participate in the Passover offering as part of their Seder. In remembrance of Hillel's (one of the great sages) practice of eating a sandwich of matzah, maror and the Passover lamb together, a sandwich is made from the bottom matzah, a k'zayit (a biblical measurement the size of an olive-please ask your local rabbi for the exact amount) of maror, and, according to some opinions, a small amount of charoset.

Including charoset in the sandwich is not a universal custom. Many do not put any charoset into the sandwich and some dip the maror in charoset and then shake it off.

Shulchan Oruch - The Festival Meal is Served

* Chicken soup with matzah balls! ....You've earned this feast of freedom! But remember to leave room for the afikoman!
* It is customary to begin the festive meal with a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water.
o Several reasons have been offered by the rabbis as to why one should eat an egg:
o The Egg represents the Korban Chaggigah, the Festive Offering, which was eaten on Passover.
o The Egyptians did not eat animal foods and eating an egg symbolizes the liberation from Egypt (Ibn Ezra).
o Eggs signify the beginning of life, just as the Exodus represented the beginning of the Nation of Israel (Torat Emet)
o The egg is eaten as a reminder of the Passover offering, since Ashkenazic custom prohibits one from eating roasted meat at the Seder (Vilna Gaon).

Tzafon - Hidden
The afikoman, which was hidden earlier, is now brought out and eaten as dessert.

At some point during the course of the Seder and the meal, someone steals and hides the afikoman. Traditions vary from family to family as to how this is handled: whether the kids hide and the adults seek or an adult hides and the kids seek. Either way, the search for the afikoman is fun for all who participate and a very good way of keeping the children interested in the Seder. Whoever has the afikoman at Tzafon has the right to negotiate its redemption with the leader of the Seder (This often results in the successful negotiator receiving a much desired gift of his/her choice after Yom Tov!)

Once the afikoman is found, it is broken up and distributed for all the Seder participants as "dessert." Again, all participants are obligated to eat a k'zayit of matzah, so everyone should receive a small piece of the afikoman and supplement the rest with other matzah.

The afikoman must be eaten by (Jewish) midnight.

Baraich - The Grace After Meals is Recited

The traditional grace after meals is recited, including the addition of Y'aleh V'Yavo, "He will go up and he will come..." for the Passover holidays, and Harachaman for the holiday.

Baraich concludes with the drinking of the third cup of wine, after the proper blessing is recited.

Hallel - The Reciting of the Festival Psalms
Hallel concludes with the drinking of the fourth cup of wine, after the proper blessing is recited.

Nirtzah
The close of the Seder, traditional Passover songs, such as Chad Gadyah, are sung.

Copyright © 2010 National Jewish Outreach Program. All rights reserved.