Torah Sources and the Seder

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Torah Sources and the Seder

Pesach

"In the first month on the fourteenth of the month in the afternoon is the time of the Pesach offering to G-d. And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Matzot to G-d; you shall eat Matzot for a seven day period. The first day shall be a sacred holiday to you when you may not do any work. You shall then bring sacrifices to G-d for seven days, the seventh day is a sacred holiday when you may not do any work."
VaYikra (Leviticus) 23:5-8

Pesach offering

What was the reason our ancestors ate the Passover offering at the time of the Temple? Because The Holy One, blessed be He, passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt, as it says: "You shall say, this is a Passover offering to G-d Who passed over the houses of the Jewish people in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians and saved our houses. And the people bowed and prostrated themselves."
(Exodus 12:27)

Chometz

"Eat matzah for seven days. By the first day you must have your home cleared of all leaven. Whoever eats chometz from the first day till the seventh day will have his soul cut off from Israel."
Shemot (Exodus) 12:15

"During these seven days no leaven may be found in your homes. If someone eats anything of chometz his soul shall be cut off from the community of Israel. This is true whether he is a convert or a person born into the nation. You must not eat anything leavened."
Shemot (Exodus) 12:19-20

Matzah

"From the fourteenth day of the first month in the evening, until the night of the twenty-first day of the month, you must eat Matzot."
Shemot (Exodus) 12:18

Haggadah

"And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of this that G-d acted on my behalf when I left Egypt.'"
Shemot (Exodus) 13:8

"And you shall tell" = VEHIGADETA
Haggadah = telling

Vehigadeta Levincha

The Seder of the Haggadah

The Hagadah breaks the Seder into the following steps.

1.Kadesh -

We recite the kiddush for Pesach and drink the first cup of wine while leaning.

2.Ur'chatz -

We wash our hands the same way we wash for bread but we do not make the blessing.

3.Karpas -

We dip a vegetable into saltwater or vinegar and make the blessing for vegetables.

4.Yachatz -

We break the middle matzah and set aside the larger half for use later in the Seder, this piece is called the Afikomen. The smaller half is returned to the middle of the stack of Matzot.

5.Maggid -

We recite the story of the Exodus. It is important to read the entire section and understand it. At the completion of Maggid we drink the second cup of wine while leaning.

6.Rachtza -

We wash our hands in the manner required for bread and make the blessing.

7.Motzi Matzah -

Lifting all three Matzot, we make the blessing for bread, then release the bottom matzah and recite the blessing for the mitzvah of matzah. We then eat a portion of matzah from the top two Matzot while leaning.

8.Maror -

We take a portion of maror and dip it into the charoses, shake off the excess charoses and make the blessing for the mitzvah of eating maror.

9.Korech -

We take a second portion of maror and sandwich it between a portion from the third matzah. We then eat the korech (sandwich) while leaning.

10.Shulchan Orech -

We eat the meal.

11.Tzafun -

We take the second half of the middle matzah which we set aside earlier and eat a portion while leaning. This portion is called the Afikomen.

12.Barech -

We recite the Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals). At the conclusion of the blessings we drink the third cup of wine while leaning.

13.Hallel -

We then recite the Hallel and other prayers. At the completion of this section we drink the fourth and final cup of wine while leaning.

14.Nirtza -

We are to spend as much of the night as we can discussing the Exodus and the laws of Pesach. We sing a number of ancient songs such as "Ehad Mi Yodea?" (Who Knows One?) and "Chad Gadya" (One Lamb). Many Jews also recite Shir HaShirim (The Song of Songs) during this night.