Seder Food Recipes Cooking International Guide
Jewish Seder Feast
By Katerina Octanova
The Jewish Seder is a feast on the first and second days of Passover
and everything about it is designed to symbolize the duality of
slavery and freedom. While the Christian faith celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus as their most significant holiday, the Jewish
people celebrate their freedom from slavery and their appointment
as the chosen ones.
The Passover reflects upon the Exodus from Egypt and the plagues
that passed over their people. This holiday is one of the most
carefully constructed learning experiences in the Jewish faith,
which is celebrated much the same way around the world.
Every Last Crumb Of Chametz
Preparation for the Seder is almost as important as the holiday
itself. Without a clean house, clean hands and a clean heart,
no celebration can occur, by Jewish law. Prior to the feast, every
last crumb of Chametz (wheat, rye, barley, spelt) must be removed
from the house, which symbolizes how the Jewish slaves left Egypt
in a hurry, with no time to prepare or allow their bread to rise.
It also symbolizes a freeing oneself of "puffy" human
arrogance and pride.
Several weeks of cleaning take place, scrubbing all counters,
floors, stove tops and cupboards, going over every nook and cranny
with toothpicks or Q-tips to ensure every last crumb has been
removed. Thursday night the whole family undertakes a search for
Chametz, just to be sure. All dinner utensils that came into contact
with Chametz are boiled, all pets have their feed changed prior
to Passover and any remaining Chametz is burned or sold.
The Seder Dinner
At the beginning of the Seder dinner, a glass of wine is blessed
(Kaddesh) and drank. Next, there is a washing of the hands (Urechatz)
and simple vegetables such as parsley (Karpas) are dipped in saltwater
and eaten to symbolize the lowliness of the slaves and the tears
of slavery. One of the three matzahs are broken (Yachatz) and
the story of the Exodus is retold (Maggid), with the youngest
children asking four questions to enhance their understanding
of the faith.
A blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.
There is a second washing of the hands (Rachtzah), this time with
blessings (Motzi), just before eating a piece of the matzah. Next
a blessing is recited over bitter herbs (Maror) like raw horseradish
or romaine lettuce, which are eaten to symbolize the bitterness
of slavery; the remaining herbs are then dipped into Charoset
(a mixture of walnuts, apples, cinnamon and wine) and eaten to
symbolize the bricks and mortar used to build the first Jewish
temple.
Next, the bitter vegetables and the Charoset are put onto a piece
of matzah and eaten as a sandwich (Koreich) as a Passover offering.
In some traditions, a lamb shank bone is eaten (Z’roa) to symbolize
the Paschal lamb sacrifice and a roasted egg (Beitzah) is eaten
to mourn the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E. Then the big
feast begins!
The Festive Seder Meal
After a festive Seder meal of lamb, fish, chicken, turkey or
beef brisket and vegetable sides, the Jewish Passover celebration
continues. The Birkat Hamazon (grace) is recited following the
meal and the third cup of wine is drunk.
The fourth cup of wine is poured and set aside for the prophet
Elijah and the door is opened for a while. Some families open
the door to welcome Elijah, herald to the Messiah, while other
families simply observe the historical tradition of showing Christian
neighbors there is nothing to hide in the Jewish household, that
all are welcome. Psalms are then recited (Hallel) and the last
cup of wine is consumed.
The fifteen orders of the Seder are now complete, but some families
add on additional Passover songs at the end (Nirtzah).
About the Author:
Katerina Octanova has written a number of articles on food and
cooking including Christmas
Gift Baskets, The
Christmas, Christmas,
Santa
Claus, Christmas
Hamper, Christmas
Party, Christmas
Gift For The Office, Christmas
Gift Idea For Family.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Did You Know?
Easter is a holiday that is celebrated all across the world by
Christians. It marks the time when Jesus Christ arose from the
grave. Many families gather together for the modern custom of
having a family meal and hiding eggs for the children to find.
Often there are small gifts exchanged in baskets. If you are wondering
what to put in your child’s basket, you have a wide variety of
choices ranging from small religious icons to chocolates. You
can do all of your shopping from the comfort of your own home.
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