What to expect? At my first Passover Seder??

Question

Baruch,

David

Answer 1

Since you are part of a Messianic Community, don't expect the Seder to be exactly the same as what an Orthodox Seder would be. Presumably you won't be doing the entire service in Hebrew for example.

Expect to not eat the main meal until at least an hour or two after the beginning of the Seder. You should have removed the leaven from your house the day before and consumed any remaining food that would have leaven by 10:30 that morning. The rest you should get rid of. This is a picture of sin in your life being driven out. At Pesach we remove the leaven from our house for 7 days. Six months later at Sukkot we remove ourselves from the house for 7 days. Two different pictures of the same thing.

There are 4 cups of wine that you drink during the Seder service. The first the the Cup of Santification.

Then there is Karpas - dipping of a vegetable into salt water. The salt water is to remind us of the tears that we shed in slavery. (Slavery in Egypt back then, and slavery to sin in our lives.)

A package of 3 matzahs is lifed up, the middle one is broken in half and the larger half (yeah, I know, you just can't get these things to break evenly) is wrapped up and hidden. Depending upon your groups tradition, either the children grab it and hide it, or the adults hide it from the children. In either case the adults are expected to ransom it back from the chidlren after the meal is over.

The story of the Exodus is retold for all to hear. And the youngest children ask the 4 questions: why are we only eating matzah when other nights we can have regular bread? Why are we eating bitter herbs? What's up with the dipping? Why are we slouching to one side at the table? These questions are then addressed by the adults.

4 sons are described and how they are to be addressed. A wise son, a rebellious son, a simple son, and a son too young to ask. Each is answered in an appropriate way. The 5th son who couldn't be bothered to show up for the Seder isn't mentioned. (But you should still seek him out and pray for his return.)

We recount each of the 10 plagues, leaving a drop of wine for each of the plagues.

We sing a song called Dayenu. (It would have been enough.)

We eat matzah with bitter herbs (horseradish most often). If it is decently strong it should make the top of your head feel like it is about to explode. It is meant to cause you to cry. Feel free to shed some tears. Consider them to be tears of repentance. But this is sweetened with Charoset which is a delicious mixture of apples, nuts and wine. This is a measure of Grace in our times of bitterness.

Finally after all of this the Passover meal is served. The Orthodox community will never serve lamb, nor will they serve any roasted meat at the Seder. This is because Torah commands that the Passover lamb only be killed at the Temple. Since there is no Temple, it would be a violation of Torah to serve lamb since it wasn't killed at the Temple as Torah commands. Likewise, Torah specifies that the lamb has to be roasted whole, none of it boiled, none of it fried, etc. Back when there was a Temple they would use pomagranet rods to roast the lambs on since other woods would conduct liquid causing part of the lamb to boil, and likewise metal rods would cause part of the lamb to fry. Since you are going to a Messianic seder they will probably serve lamb.

After the meal is completed, the adults have to pay the children to bring back the Afikomen. This is broken and served as the final solid food of the evening. Tradition states that nothing more can be eaten after this so that the flavor of the Afikomen stays with you.

The Cup of Redemption is poured, blessed and all drink. Grace after meals is said. The cup of Elijah is poured and a child goes to the door to see if Elijah has arrived to proclaim the coming of Moshaich. The 4th Cup called Hallel is poured. The Hallel is recited (Psalm 113-118).

The traditional prayer of Nishmat is recited. This prayer has an interesting history. According to Rabbeinu Tam (Rashi's grandson) this prayer was composed by Shimon Kefa - the Apostle Peter!

Everyone says "Next year in Jerusalem" and leaves.

Of course this is just a thumbnail sketch of the Seder and it's meanings. For greater detail there are places where you can download a copy of the Haggadah. Check your account's email in-box for example. Most of these will have some level of commentary included as well which will help explain the meaning. Ask others in your congregation what is expected and I am sure they will be glad to help you out.

Feel free to ask me if you have any further questions.

Answer 2

Ok, the seder goes like this: You will start off the with 'Kiddush' which is the drinking of the first cup of wine. Next you will wash your hands and then dip a piece of vegetable (usually potato, onion or celery) into salt water and eat it. After that you will be told to break the middle matza in half. And theeeeen, comes the story of passover. Depending on where you are will depend on how long it takes. People differ. The story consists of asking the 4 questions, spilling some of your wine, drinking the second cup of wine, some singing and alot of reading. It can take a while, but that is the main part of the seder. When you finish the story, you will wash your hands again and then you will eat the matzah! After the matzah you will eat the maror-bitter herbs followed by the 'korach' sandwich, which consists of maror, matzah and some charoses (mixture of apples, nuts and wine). And then, you will finally eat the meal! The meal starts with a boiled egg dipped in salt water and then the usuals, fish, soup, meat, etc! Dessert is the 'afikoman' which is the other half of the middle matza that you didn't eat during the meal. ( You eat 3 matzahs in total). Then you will do the after blessing for the meal and drink the 3rd cup of wine. The women will then go to the door with candles and welcome in the Prophet Elijah. Almost over, hehe. The 'Halel' is recited next which is a few pages of talking and singing about the Jews leaving Egypt. And after that is done, you will drink the 4th cup of wine and shout out, 'Next year in Jerusalem' (Leshana hab'a berushalayim!).

Answer 3

From your pic you are probually a Messianic jew?Well at a seder you will see a huge meal but before there is alot of prayer and customs.There are 15 things done in a seder.But as a non-jew you should just buy a kippah and wear a nice suit(comfortable suit).

Answer 4

I;m guessing you are not going to a traditional seder. That means you do not know what to expect.

As to doing a biblical seder - please enjoy having a sheep sacrificed in the Temple courtyard by a priest and consuming it within the confines of Jerusalem in one night with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, of which nobody uncircumcised in the flesh of their foreskin may eat.

Answer 5

dont expect to eat real food for a while, and when food does come out- dont eat too much of it! you first get matza, then you get marror -bitter herbs- usually fresh horseradish. then comes the meal- expect it to be lots of courses. also yure gonna drink 4 cups of wine at specific parts of the seder, and sing lots of songs. it'll probably end really late, so make sure to take a nap that day!

Answer 6

that depends on who is doing it-- and if they are adding the man made stuff to it, and if they are- expect to wait a llllllllllllong time before you eat. But, if they do a Seder according to the Bible - you will remember what He did for our forefathers and have a good time with other believers- I enjoy them! and the food is good too!