The Seder and its 15 Steps

We learned about the Pesach Story, we cleaned our house of Chometz, and bought Mazta and grape juice to eat and drink at the Pesach Seder.

There are many things we do at the Pesach Seder that are unusual. They are unlike anything we do the entire year at any Shabbos  meal.

Why is that so? Firstly, we do many unusual things to peak the children's interest. We want them to be curious asking questions why we do the things we do. We want the children involved since they were part of the Pesach miracle story as well.

Secondly, all the things we do and all the things we eat at the Seder are to remember the events which took place for the Jewish people in Mitzrayim, how Hashem took care of us and took us out of there to freedom where we could serve him happily without needing to look over our shoulders.

 

Here we are at last!

The Pesach Seder. :)

The 15 Steps of the Seder/ How we conduct the Pesach Seder: 

-Setting up the Seder plate:

-Put 3 matzos under the Seder Plate

Zeroah: Chicken bone which reminds us of the Korban the Jewish people brought to Hashem when leaving Mitzrayim. (We dont eat the bone or any meat left on it)

Egg: Reminds us of the Korban brought to Hashem every Yom Tov.

Marror: Bitter Herbs- To remember the bitter times of the Jews in Mitzrayim.

Charoses: Reminds us of the bricks and cement the Jews made and built in Mitzrayim.

Karpas: Vegetable dipped into salt water to remember the tears of the Jewish people during their hard times in Mitzrayim.

Chazeres: Lettuce and Marror that will be used in the Korech sandwich together with a bit of Charoses.

 

We drink Four cups of wine/grape juice over the course of the Seder.

Step 1: Kadaish (drink first cup) - After we set the Seder Plate we make Kiddush.

 

Step 2: Urchatz

Washing hands for the wet vegetable that we will dip into salt water without making brocha we say on matza.

Step 3: Karpas- Dipping vegetable into salt of water and remembering the tears while crunching away.

 

Step 4: Yachatz- breaking the middle matza in half that is under the Seder plate.

The little piece we put back under the plate. The big piece we break into five pieces and put away in a bag for the Afikoman dessert at the end of the meal.

Step 5: Maggid-(After Maggid we drink second cup) Asking the four questions of Pesach and afterwards retelling the Pesach Story to our children, family, and friends. (The questions asked begins with the youngest child asking them first.)

Step 6: Rachtza: Washing hands for Matza the same way as we wash for bread. This time we say the brocha for Mazta.

Step 7: Motzei Mazta- We eat the Matza reclining a bit to the left. Yum!

 

Step 8: Maror- Eating Maror while remembering the bitterness of the Jew's plight back in the days of Mitzrayim.

(Here Joshua is bravely grating the Maror before the "Seder" then placing it on the correct spot on the plate.)

 

Step 9: Korech- Eating the Matza sandwich filled with lettuce, marror, and charoses. Yum!

 

Step 10: Shulchan Aruch- Time to eat the meal!! Phew!! Yay!! We cant wait!!

Before we eat the meal, we eat the egg from the Seder plate.

 

Step 11: Tzafon- Find the matza with five pieces if was hidden and then share wih your family and eat it for dessert, that is of course after you eat a real tastey dessert, such as, ice cream and fruit. :)

Step 12: Bairach-(After we bentch drink third cup) Bentching and thanking Hashem for the food we ate.

 

Step 12 and 13: Halled and Nirtza- (Drink fourth cup) We open the door for the Prophet Eliyahu Hanavi who comes to everyones homes but of course we cant see him. We ask him to daven to Hashem to make it easy for us to make the right choices and send Moshiach. We then dance and sing and praise Hashem for all the mirzacles He has done for us and for all the every day miracles He does for us now every single day.

We sing "L'shana Habah Biyerushalayim"- "Next Year we will be celebrating Pesach in Yerushalayim."