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.

Passover 11

The authentic Passover seder is of three types. First is Pesach Mitzrayim (Egyptian Passover), the one observed on the eve of the Exodus. The blood of the sacrifice was placed on the doorposts, it had to be eaten in haste, loins girded, with shoes on their feet, ready to depart from slavery. None of these applied to subsequent Passovers. The second is Pesach Dorot (Passover for the generations), which entailed the eating of the sacrifice with matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus.(Our present-day seder, lacking the sacrifice, maintains many of the features of Pesach Dorot, while lacking some others that we merely commemorate). The third is Pesach Sheni (second Passover). This was instituted at the first anniversary of the Exodus, when many men were unable to bring the sacrifice due to being unclean through contact with the dead. G-d commanded them to offer the sacrifice on the same date in the following month, eating it with matzah and maror. Pesach Sheni was observed only in terms of the sacrifice and festive meal. There was no accompanying holiday. Hametz (leaven) could not be eaten at this meal, but the prohibition was only for the one meal. This was to be observed in future generations for those who were unclean at the actual Passover, or who were away on a journey. There are no further details in the Written Torah concerning the Seder. That it is a very central theme, is obvious from the fact that "karet" (being "cut off" from the people) is a punishment for the violation of many serious negative commands, but only for the neglect of two positive commands; circumcision and the Passover Sacrifice. There are many additional requirements in the Oral Torah, as well as enactments following the destruction of the Temple, in order to fulfill that which is still possible, and to appropriately commemorate that which is not, and long for its restoration. Our present-day Seder consists of fifteen parts (to be discussed in later posts), which are built around four basic ceremonies. Like all joyous events, each is celebrated over a cup of wine. Over the first cup, we recite the usual holiday Kiddush (sanctification of the day). However, unlike Shabbat and other holidays, we do not have the meal at this point, but instead do things to surprise the children, so as to bring them to ask questions. Over the second cup, we recite the story of the Exodus, preceded by the asking of questions; four questions today, five when we had the sacrifice. We give thanks for the redemption from Egypt, and pray for the restoration of the Temple. Following that, we partake of the matzah and maror, followed by a very festive meal. Over the third cup, we give thanks for the food (Grace After Meals), followed by a fourth cup, over which we recite Psalms of thanksgiving and other praises. In some communities, there is also a fifth cup, which I shall discuss later. In the Diaspora, we repeat the entire Seder the following night as well. My first year in Israel, I remarked to a well-known rabbi that I missed the second Seder. He told me that he could not imagine doing something so very special twice. Each consciousness has much to be said for it. In my next few posts, I will go into detail on the various stages of the Seder and their meaning.