Séder

The composition of Séder

The Juifs use a specific plate at the time of Séder; this one must comprise the seven following elements:

Three Matsoth, of the Unleavened bread, laid out one above the other, each one covered separately;
of the Karpass, green grasses (celery, parsley, radish…) ;
of salt water to recall the taste of the tears of the children of Israel during their slavery;
of the Maror, bitter grasses, to point out the bitterness of the life in Egypt (Roman, lettuce, endives, Horseradish…) ;
of the “Harosset, a mixture made containing apples, nut and grooves in wine, symbol of the mortar used by the Hebrew slaves for the manufacture of bricks;
Zeroa: a bone with a little meat, roasted on embers to point out the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb at the time of the Temple of Jerusalem;
Beytsa: a hard-boiled egg, to remember it the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Throughout the account of the Exodus, this food is used like Symbole S to point out various aspects of the history brought back by the Torah. Four cuts of wine (or grape juice) are drunk by each guest at specific times of Séder.

A rich person dinner is also been useful during Séder. One draws up the most beautiful possible table, as a sign of liberté

The unfolding of Séder

The order

Séder occurs in the following order:

Prayer of the Kiddoush : the first wine cut is drunk;
Everyone washes the hands without blessing;
One eats Karpass (less than 30 grams);
One splits the Matza medium; it will be the afikoman ;
Account of the exit of Egypt - the Haggada ;
One drinks the second wine cut;
Everyone washes the hands with blessing;
Blessing on the Matza, then consumption of this one;
One eats bitter grasses with of the 'Harosset;
Then one eats a made sandwich of Matza, bitter grasses and of “Harosset;
To dine;
One eats the afikoman ;
Blessing after the meal - the Birkat Hamazone . At the end, one drinks the third wine cut;
Recitation of psalms and praises with God - the Hallel . He concludes himself by consumption from the fourth and last cut from wine;
Conclusion of Séder: the Nirtsa , one as it should be hopes to have achieved Séder.

During Séder, the Jews remind the passage of Hebrew of slavery freedom. Pasah means passage: - passage of the angel of died over the houses of the children of Israel (thus passage of died in the life) - passage of slavery to freedom - passage through the Red Sea - passage of the inexistence of Israel to its constitution in people - passage of the winter in spring. As it is especially the passage of slavery to freedom, it is also a search for individual freedom, through the 15 stages of Séder. It is important to specify that the séder corresponds to the mitsvoth.

1. In first, it is the kiddoush, which wants to say “special, single” the Jews must realize that each one of them is single (while one recites the prayer of the kiddoush). Each one starts its voyage towards individual freedom, by raising questions like: of what humanity does have it more the need? In what can I contribute in a major way to protect and to feed the world? And… that will I make on this subject? The Jews drink also the first cut of wine.

2. After, everyone washes the hands, without blessing.

3. In third, the Jews take a vegetable and bless God to have created the fruits of the ground. It is necessary to be grateful. So that this vegetable arrives at the table, it had to be planted, collected, packed, transported, discharged, unpacked, laid out in the display and recorded by a cash clerk - before even as one can bring it to the house. It is the moment when it should be realized that if everyone were content with all that it has, he would say: “The life is a marvellous gift! ”

4. The fourth stage, it is to break the matsah medium. What the matsah? It is a bread, and there are three of them, one over the other. This is why one says that of the medium. The Jews break it immediately, but will use it only later. If it now is broken, it is that to find freedom, it is necessary to know to envisage the future, to anticipate the future.

5. Here come moment to tell the exit of Egypt, the exodus, by reading Haggada. With this intention, one remains waked up during a good part of the night.

6. The 2nd wine cut is drunk.

7. Everyone washes the hands, still without blessing.

8. One blesses the matsah and one consumes it. The matsah, it is a bread, but which was cooked quickly, without powder with paste, so that it did not raise. This bread represents the speed with which Hebrew left Egypt, while hurrying to make cook their bread.

9. During this stage, one eats bitter grasses to remember all the difficulties which Hebrew crossed, with the bitterness which followed. The Jews remember whereas God left them not fallen, even in the difficult moments.

10. During the 10th stage, the Jews eat a made sandwich of bitter grasses, matsah and `harosset. The matsah was broken and it is reconstituted in the sandwich, “a made sandwich of brick and of mortar”, that represents the Jewish people, which always remained plain.

11. The night of Séder, the Jews consume a meal of festival to remember that true freedom is our capacity to sanctify the life. Contrary to the other religions, the Judaism does not impose large physical constraints. According to them, if God created such a panoply of textures and flavors, it is because he wants that we have pleasure.

12. The last food that the Jews eat, it is Afikoman (the last piece of matsah; bread for dessert!) They not eat it by hunger, but because God ordered it. The physical pleasure, although it forms integral part of their life, must sometimes yield the place to a supreme value, with the spiritual one.

13. The 13th stage is varied: initially, the Jews remembers that it should be made what is right, even if it is not in the popular idea (for example compared to drug.) Then, they recite Birkat Hamazone, the blessing of the end of the meal. It is also the moment when the 3rd wine cut is drunk.

14. Then Hallel comes. One recognizes the word in Hallelouya because Hallel means to rent, praise. The Jews sing psalms, shout and express their joy of being delivered. One consumes also the fourth and last cut of wine.

15. The séder is concluded by a last prayer. The Jews also wish themselves to celebrate next the séder in Jerusalem.

Traditions

The afikoman (piece of Matza) is hidden at the beginning of the meal and the children must seek it at the end of the meal.

During the seder, one eats accoudé on the left side the made-to-order of the free men and one drinks four wine cuts.

During the reading of the Ten plagues of Egypt, one soaks his finger in wine glass and drop a drop for each wound.

Some are accustomed to pouring a fifth wine cut in the honor of the prophet Élie. In this case, it will be versed before Hallel in share glass. One begins Hallel, then one distributes the contents between the guests of it for what will be the fourth cut, while supplementing if necessary.

See too

the festival of Pessah
the account of the exit of Egypt - Haggada

External bonds

Course of the festival of Pessah'
To listen to an extract of the haggada and Seder sung by Rav Zermati of the Torat site Emits

Random links: