Passover 12

The Torah tells us that the Passover sacrifice was to be eaten at night. We are also told "In the evening, you shall eat matzot" (As I pointed out in an earlier post, matzah is both an adjunct to the sacrifice, and an independent mitzvah unto itself.). We are required to retell the story of the Exodus, while the matzah and bitter herbs lie before us. Therefore, the seder is to be held at night, not by day. Although we ideally wait for nightfall to begin the seder, some rabbis do permit beginning earlier for the sake of the very young or very old. A qualified rabbi should be consulted when this is necessary. In ancient times, the rich would dine while reclining on couches, with little tray tables before each person, while the poor would squat, or eat sitting on the floor. We are commanded on this Festival of Freedom to act as though we lack nothing. Therefore, many people put beds or couches by the table. Most don't do that, but have pillows on their chairs to recline. Ideally, we should recline for the entire seder, but the more common custom is to recline only for parts of the seder dealing with matzah or wine. Reclining is done to the left. In some communities, only the men recline, in others, women recline as well (this is my practice). The various elements used at the seder must lie before us. In many Yemenite communities, the table is covered in lettuce leaves, with all the elements lying on them in no particular order. In most communities, we use a seder plate, which substitutes for the ancient tray tables. Although there is no halachah about the arrangement of the elements on the plate, two customs arose. One view is that the elements are arranged in such a way, that we encounter them in the order that we use them, so as not to have to "pass by" a mitzvah; that is, reaching past one element in order to grasp another. This is the custom of Elijah of Vilna. The other custom follows ARI, and is the more prevalent one. . There are three matzot, corresponding to the "intellectual" attributes of G-d (the original practice was two matzot, but since the custom of three, an old Ashkenazi custom, is backed by the Kabbalah, it has become the almost universal practice), with an additional six elements on the plate; a lamb shank (or other meat), reminiscent of the Passover Sacrifice, an egg (reminiscent of the holiday sacrifice), bitter herbs, charoset, (a paste of fruit, nuts, and wine, reminiscent of the mortar our ancestors were forced to use in building Pharaoh's cities), Karpas (which actually means celery, but any green vegetable will do. Most Ashkenazim use parsley. In Northern parts of Europe, green vegetables were not yet available in time for Passover, so potatoes were used. As the Talmud specified "greens", this is not ideal), and additional bitter herbs for the "Hillel Sandwich" (to be discussed later). These six represent the "emotional" attributes of G-d. They all sit on the seder plate, which represents the attribute of "Malchut"; Kingship, or the Divine Feminine. Sepharadim also place the three matzot on the seder plate, with Ashkenazim either placing them above or below the plate. Chabad use no seder plate, but place a cloth (usually a napkin) over the matzot, and place the other elements on that cloth. In most communities, the seder plate is only placed before the one conducting the seder. In some, each participant has one. It should be noted that many of the seder plates sold in Judaica shops and synagogue gift shops conform to neither of the two customs. Although many recommend that the seder plate be already set up before the seder begins, many others wait to set it up until everyone is sitting around the table, with the seder leader explaining each item as he sets it up. All the laws of the seder apply equally to men and women. Children are encouraged to ask questions. Then the drama begins. To be continued.