THE PASSOVER HAGGADAH MENU

THE MEANING OF THE SEDER

The Seder is a time to reflect on those less fortunate than ourselves, as well as the blessings that we now enjoy. In the spirit of the season, let no stranger be alone on Seder night and invite anyone who wishes to participate. We were all once slaves to Pharoah and to the Pharoah's of our lives and "WE WERE FREED BY THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD ON GOOD FRIDAY THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS. JESUS, became the lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.

PREPARATION FOR THE SEDER

Chametz Removal - Before the sun sets and we sit down for our Seder, it is customary to remove all "chametz' from the house. Chametz, like the sin in our life is any food that has been leavened, especially the five grains of wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. Matzah is unleavend bread so its, okay.

THE REMOVAL OF THE CHAMETZ PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Creator of the universe, Who makes Holy with Your mitzvot, and Who commanded us concerning the removal of Chametz - Amen!

To symbolize the search and removal of all chametz at the Seder, each person should look under their plate and remove (or pretend to remove) any traces of chametz they may find there.

THE SEARCH FOR THE CHAMETZ PRAYER:

Any chametz (sin), which is in my possession that I did not see, which I did or did not remove,s hall be nullified and be ownerless as the dust of the earth - Amen!

LIGHTING OF THE HOLIDAY/SABBATH CANDLE:

Each table should have festival or Sabbath candles to be lit for Passover:

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Creator of the universe, Who makes us Holy with your mitzvot, who commanded us to light festival candles.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Creator of the universe, Who gave us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy.

OPENING SEDER PRAYER:

May all who are enslaved throughout the world, come to know true freedom through Yeshua Hamaschiach. May all who are free, appreciate the blessings of abundance. And may all of us dwell in the house of the Lord and give thanks for the blessings that He has bestowed on us through our Passover Lamb, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - Amen and Amen

THE SEDER PLATE:

The Seder plate contains the main symbols that help us tell the story of passover. This was the story that Jesus told the disciples on his last night upon the earth, before He was betrayed by Judas and handed over to Pontius Pilot to be sentenced to death, death on a tree.

Matzah:

There are 3 whole matzot placed one on top of the other, separated and covered by a cloth or napkin.

Maror and Chazeret:

These are the bitter herbs symbolizing the bitter life the jews led while they were slaves in Egypt, which are eaten twice during the Seder, once by themselves and another time with matzah. You can use several different vegetables that qualify as maror, two of which are put on your Seder plate in the spaces marked maror and chazeret. Red or white horseradish is often used for maror and romaine lettuce for chazeret.

Charoset:

Charoset, should be made to look like mortar because it is symbolic of the bricks and mortar the slaves used in making the Egyptian buildings. One traditional recipe calls for a mixture of grated apples, nuts, and cinnamon mixed with a little red wine.

Zeroa:

A roasted bone (often a lamb shank or chicken bone) placed on the Seder plate. The bone serves as a symbol of God's mighty arm that convinced the Egyptians to free the slaves. It also represents the Paschal lamb (Jesus or Yeshua Hamaschiach) that was used as a special sacrifice in the days of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.

Beitzah:

A hard boiled egg or roasted egg represents the second sacrifice that was offered on the eve of passover a the Temple. The egg is quite popular as it serves as a symbol of mourning, and a reminder of our sadness caused by the destruction of the Holy Temple. Jesus said to Pilot, destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up.


Karpas:

A vegetable other than bitter herbs (parsley, for example) is placed on the Seder plate. Since Passover was also an agricultural festival celebrated by our ancestors, Karpas represents the arrival of spring. It will be dipped in salt water and eaten. In some traditions, a potato, onion, or other vegetable is used and is considered the "appetizer". It is also dipped in salt water and eaten.

Salt Water:

This represents the sweat and tears of our ancestors in bondage. While its not actually part of the Seder plate, a small bowl of salt water should be placed conveniently nearby. Where many people are present, several bowls should be placed around the table for the dipping of Karpas.


Wine:

Four cups of wine are consumed during the Seder (grape juice may be substituted for some or all of the wine. Why 4 (four)? They serve as a reminder of the 4(four) references to Redemption that are mentioned in the Book of Exodus:

I will bring you out of the land of Egypt.
I will deliver you from bondage.
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
I will take you unto "Me" for a people.

It is traditional that each person's cup be filled by the person sitting next to them, to symbolize the majesty of the evening, as though each person had a servant ( at least for the night). During the Seder proceedings, whenever wine is consumed, it is customary to drink the entire cup

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BLESSING OVER THE WINE (KADDESH):

BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHEINU MELECH HA'OLAM BOREI P'RI HAGAFEN -

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Creator of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God,
Creator of the universe, Who has chosen us from all nations, raised us above all tongues, and made us Holy with Your mitzvot.

An You, Adonai our God, have lovingly given us, (Sabbaths for rest and) festivals for rejoicing, holidays and seasons for gladness, (this Sabbath day and) this Festival of Matzah, the season of our freedom, a Holy gathering in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt.

For You have chosen and made us Holy above all peoples, and Your Holy (Shabbat and)festivals, in joy and gladness, You granted us a heritage through Your Son Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Blessed are You, Adonai, Who makes Holy ( the shabbat and) Israel, and the festive seasons.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Creator of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Drink the cup of wine while reclining. To exaggerate our awareness of freedom and wealth, it is customary to recline leaning to the left, as did the aristocracy in ancient times.

WASHING OF THE HANDS (URECHATZ)

Everyone now washes their hands at the sink or at the table by pouring water onto their hands into a basin. If you like, the leader can wash his or her hands on behalf of everyone as a symbolic act of preparation for the Seder and the Passover feast. Since there's no meal served at this time, there is no prayer recited.

DIPPING OF VEGETABLE/APPETIZER (KARPAS):

Everyone takes a vegetable other than maror (usually parsley, potato, onion, or whatever is used for karpas on the Seder plate) and dips it into salt water. The following blessing is receited before the vegetable is eaten:

BARACH ATAH ADONAI ELOHEINU MELECH HA'OLAM BOREI P'RI HA'ADAMAH.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Creator of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.

BREAKING OF MATZAH/CREATION OF AFIKOMAN (YACHATZ)

The leader uncovers the matzah and breaks the middle matzah in two, places the smaller part back between the whole matzot, and wraps up the larger part in a cloth or napkin ( or Afikoman bag) for later use as the Afikomen. The leader places the Afikoman portion on their shoulder and says:

"IN HASTE DID WE GO OUT OF EGYPT."

At this point, the children will hide the Afikoman for the head of the household to find later. An alternate version of this tradition is to have someone hide the Afikoman for the children to find later on, after the meal.

THE STORY OF PASSOVER (MAGGID)

The broken matzah is lifted for all to see as the leader recites:

THIS MATZAH IS A SYMBOL OF AFFLICTION AND POVERTY. THE STORY OF PASSOVER TELLS US ABOUT THE HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERING THAT OUR ANCESTORS ENDURED. IT REMINDS US OF THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED TODAY, SO WE SAY: "WHOEVER IS HUNGRY, COME SHARE OUR FOOD-AND CELEBRATE PASSOVER! TO THOSE WHO ARE POOR OR OPPRESSED; WE PRAY FOR THEM AND HOPE THAT THE COMING YEAR WILL BRING A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL".


4 - THE FOUR QUESTIONS:

Pour the second cup of wine (don't drink it yet!) and have the youngest present ask the following:



CHILD:

WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER NIGHTS?

LEADER:

IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU FIND THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT?

CHILD:

IN FOUR WAYS DO I FIND THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT

LEADER:

ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS WE MAY EAT CHAMETZ AND MATZAH, BUT ON THIS NIGHT, ONLY MATZAH.

ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS WE EAT MANY VEGETABLES BUT ON THIS NIGHT ONLY MAROR.

ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS WE DON'T DIP EVEN ONCE, BUT ON THIS NIGHT, WE DIP TWICE.

ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS WE EAT EITHER SITTING UP OR RECLINING, BUT ON THIS NIGHT, WE RECLINE.








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