What is a Seder? Technically, it is a ritual meal that commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Passover, aka Pesach or Pasch, is a major Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It takes place on the 15th of the month of Nisan and lasts eight days.
The purpose of celebrating and remembering this event is to relive the experience of the Exodus from Egypt, to pass down the communal memory of the fundamental Jewish story, and to reflect on the meaning of redemption.
The Seder can be celebrated communally or just with family. So, you are not Jewish and were invited to attend a Seder. Congratulations!
You will experience a ritual dinner and service and learn about Jewish history, traditions and religion.
Expectations of being a guest: be prepared to learn, participate respectfully and understand that the Seder is an educational and spiritual event focused on the Exodus story and Jewish freedom.
The Hagaddah is the guide for the service. It takes you through the 15 steps for the Seder meal on the first and second nights of Passover.
The participants read portions of the Hagaddah before and after the dinner is served. Every family has their own special way of determining what portion of the Hagaddah each person reads.
The festival rules for food during the eight days of Passover include:
No chametz (leavened bread products with wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt).
Eating only matzah symbolizes the Israelites’ leaving Egypt without time to let the bread rise. Be open to new foods!
Traditional festive foods include: gefilte fish (homemade by bube is best); chopped liver (you can develop a taste for this), and matzah brie.
Traditional symbolic foods, placed prominently on a Seder plate on the dining room table include: matzah, bitter herbs, parsley and charoset, (usually chopped apples with walnuts). The main course is usually beef brisket or chicken and matzah ball soup. Everyone has their own family recipes! Plus, four FULL cups of Passover wine drunk during the service.
The Haggadah is read from back to front Jewish-style with one side in English and the other in Hebrew, at least the free ones provided by Maxwell House Coffee. If you have any questions please feel free to ask – many a family Seder has been livened up by questions and ritual suggestions.
The Afikomen matzah is broken by the leader at the beginning of the service. While the leader washes their hands during the blessing, the youngest one present hides the broken matzah. At the completion of the service, if the leader isn’t able to locate the hidden matzah, the youngest one gets to choose a prize for stumping them to great cheers from the participants.
The service readings go on until the festive meal. After the meal, the readings continue until the “Acceptance of The Divine Service”, which concludes the Seder service. Now, the fun begins with songs and rounds of readings.
Whew, it is a long service but insightful into the history of the Jewish peoples, their values and their spiritual beliefs. This article was written from the viewpoint of a non-Jew who eventually married a wonderful Jewish man and inherited his family and traditions.
From a visitor marveling at the Passover service every year to one who eventually took charge in the preparations, I learned so much. I wish we could all share our religious beliefs with each other, getting to better understand one another and embracing our differences.
