Salt Water

The salt water is placed on the table as part of the Passover Seder.

Throughout the Seder, there are many different customs to follow, according to the Haggadah. When it is time to remember the hard times of the slaves, one way is to take a piece of Karpas or green vegetable and dip it into salt water.

This symbolizes the slaves sweat and tears while they were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt.

Passover Seder

The Hebrew word Seder means "order" in English. If you ever attended a Passover Seder, there is a specific order which is followed and can be found on the third page of the Haggadah.



The order of Seder is as follows:



1) Kaddesh - Kiddush (saying blessing over the first cup of Wine and drinking it.)



2) Urechatz - First time washing your hands without saying a blessing to eat the Karpas.



3) Karpas - Dipping the green vegetable dipped into salt watert to remind us of the tears of the Jewish slaves in Egypt.



4) Yachatz - Breaking of the middle matzah and placing the smaller part back in the matzah cover. The larger part becomes the Afikomen.



5) Maggid - The telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold. Asking of the Four Questions by the youngest person at the table.



6) Rachtzah - Washing of hands for the second time while saying a blessing before eating the matzah.



7) Motzi - A blessing for bread or grain products is recited over the matzah.



8) Matzah - A blessing just over the matzah is said and then a little matzah is eaten.



9) Maror - A blessing is said for Maror and is dipped in charoset and eaten.



10) Korech - A sandwich is made with Matzah, Charoset, and Maror and eaten as a symbol of the paschal offering.



11) Shulchan Orech - The main meal! No yeast products are served. Some foods which are served are: gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, roast chicken, turkey, and beef brisket.



12) Tzafun - The middle piece of Matzah called the Afikoman was hidden for the children. Now is the time to find it and eat it as the dessert or the last food of the meal.



13) Barech - Birkat ha-mazon or the grace / blessings after the meal is said. The third cup of wine is poured then drank. Elijah's cup of wine is poured set aside. The door is opened to invite him in.



14. Hallel - Songs are sung and the blessing over the last cup of wine is said and drank.



15) Nirtzah - The Seder ends with the saying, "Next year in Jerusalem."

4 Cups of Wine

Throughout the Passover Seder, there are four cups of wine poured.

An individual is not suppose to pour their own wine as Passover is a celebration of freedom from slavery.

Anytime the wine is drank, it should be drank in a reclining position. Again, this is to symbolize and celebrate the freedom of not being slaves of Pharaoh.

The promises G-d made to the Jewish people:

1) I will deliver you out of Egypt

2) I will take you out of slavery

3) I will show you my powers

4)I will make you a great nation

These are times throughout the Seder the wine is drank.

A fifth cup of wine is poured and left on the Seder table. This is for the prophet Elijah who comes and visits each Passover Seder and shares in the celebration.

Searching for the Afikoman

During the Passover Seder, the middle matzah is broken. One half is left on the table and the other half is hidden.

The larger hidden half is called the Afikoman. The word Afikoman literally means "dessert."

This tradition was done since many children would have a difficult time staying awake for the entire seder, it became a game of hide and go seek.

Usually the leader of the Passover Seder will sneak away and hide it sometime throughout the meal without anyone knowing. The Seder cannot end till the Afikoman is found and eaten.

The Afikoman is the last thing to be eaten at the Seder table.

Mortar or Charoset

Charoset (in Hebrew) is a mixture of apples, nuts, spices, and wine or grape juice. It symbolizes the mortar that the Jewish people used to build and keep the bricks together when they were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt.

There are many different traditional ways of making Charoset from using dates and raisins to bananas and figs. The taste is sweet.

During the Passover Seder, the Charoset is eaten with Matzah, Karpas, and the Bitter Herbs.

Bitter Herbs or Maror

Bitter Herbs or Maror (in Hebrew) symbolizes the bitter times the Jews had to experience while slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt.

The common food used for Bitter Herbs on a seder plate is horseradish. Some people use the horseradish in the jar while others will use fresh, and slice pieces from the horseradish root.

The Bitter Herbs is eaten alone on a piece of Matzah and in a (Hillel) sandwich with Maror.

Moses and the Burning Bush

When Moses was told he was born a Jew and raised by Pharaoh's kingdom, Moses had to make a decision about his future.

Did he continue to watch the Jewish people as slaves under Pharaoh or did he help the Jewish people become free from slavery?

The answer came to Moses one day when he was herding the sheep. One sheep got away from the pack and Moses went after it.

While Moses was alone, he heard the voice of G-d as a bush was burning blue flames. It said to Moses he was chosen to free the Jews from slavery.

The burning bush is said to have been G-d speaking to Moses. Moses is considered a prophet since G-d chose to speak to him.

Parting of the Red Sea

When Moses commanded Pharaoh to, "Let my people go," Moses told the Jewish people to grab their things and run.

During the Exodus from Egypt of 40 days and 40 nights, Moses and the Jewish people reached the Red Sea.

How would the Jewish people be able to cross the large sea?

Moses took his staff, stuck it in the water, and as the Jewish people began to walk into the water, the sea split apart, allowing all to walk through.

As Pharaoh and the Egyptian army approached this miraculous display, the water began to cease. Pharaoh and his men were drowned by the water and the Jewish people were never slaves of Pharaoh again.