What is the Seder feast?

Answer 1

The Seder meal has its basis in verses in Exodus ch.12. It is the occasion in which we eat the "matzos (unleavened hardtack) and bitter herbs" mentioned there, and fulfill "you shall recount to your son on that day...(what) God did for me when we left Egypt". All the foods, words and deeds of the Seder are to recount and symbolically relive the Exodus and the events preceding it.

Answer 2

The word 'seder' means order. The seder is a religious service held in the home during Passover where the story of our exodus from Egypt is recounted. The recounting of the exodus is told around the meal we eat. Depending on where the family is from, different foods are served; however, there are never any leavened items on the table, including bread of any type.

In Israel, there is one seder held and that is on the first night of Passover. Outside of Israel, there are two seders held, one on the first night, and another on the second night.

Answer:

During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.

The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).

The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.

During the Seder meal, there are other traditional foods in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, wine, parsley, and haroset (a mixture of apples, cinnamon, wine and nuts).

Answer 3

The word 'seder' literally means 'order'. The first night of Passover in Israel and the first two nights outside of Israel are observed by this religious service held in the home. Although dinner is eaten in the middle of the seder, the term 'seder meal' is not an accurate term.

During the seder, prayers are recited and the story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt is read. Symbolic foods that represent different aspects of the Israelites' slavery are eaten, these foods are not a part of the meal eaten.

Answer 4

The word 'seder' means 'order'. It refers to the religious service held in the home on the first night of Passover (in Israel) and the first two nights of Passover (outside of Israel). During the seder, the story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt is retold. The religious service includes a celebratory dinner.

Answer 5

1. Kadesh - We take a cup of wine and pronounce the blessings on the wine and on the holiday of Passover.

2. Urchatz - We pour water over our hands (without reciting the usual handwashing blessing).

3. Karpas - We dip a bit of vegetable in salt-water and then eat it (with the customary blessing).

4. Yachatz - We break the middle matzah (of the three matzot on the plate) into two pieces, leaving the smaller piece on the plate.

5. Maggid - We recount the narrative of our bondage and Exodus from Egypt.

6. Rochtzah - We wash our hands in preparation for eating the matzah.

7. Motzi - We recite the blessings for the matzah and eat it.

8. Matzah - The matzah is eaten while reclining.

9. Maror - We eat "bitter herbs" (romaine lettuce or horseradish) to recall the slavery.

10. Korekh - We eat a "sandwich" of matzah and bitter herbs.

11. Shulchan Orekh - a festive meal is served in celebration of the night.

12. Tzafun (lit. hidden) -The half matzah hidden at the beginning of the seder is eaten.

13. Barekh - We recite the Bircat HaMazon, grace after Meals.

Bircat HaMazon is followed by drinking the third of the Four Cups of wine.

14. Hallel - We sing the hallel, giving our thanks and praise to God.

15. Nirtzah - The conclusion. A short prayer is said.

Answer 6

Pesach (Passover) is important to us since in it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God.
The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuoustradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).
The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.

1. Kadesh - We take a cup of wine and pronounce the blessings on the wine and on the holiday of Passover.
2. Urchatz - We pour water over our hands (without reciting the usual handwashing blessing).
3. Karpas - We dip a small amount of vegetable in salt-water and then eat it (with the customary blessing).
4. Yachatz - We break the middle matzah (of the three matzot on the plate) into two pieces, leaving the smaller piece on the plate, and putting the larger piece aside for the afikoman.
The matzah that the narrative of the Exodus is recounted over must be broken, symbolizing the bondage that broke the body and spirit of our ancestors.
5. Maggid - Maggid begins with an invitation to join in the Seder and the posing of the Four Questions, whose answer sets the theme for the evening. We then recount the narrative of our bondage and Exodus from Egypt. This is the longest and the central part of the Seder. Its purpose is to relive God's redemption and to pass on the intense experience of to our families. At the conclusion of maggid, we recite a blessing and drink the second of the Four Cups of wine.
6. Rochtzah - We wash our hands in preparation for eating the matzah, reciting the customary blessing over the handwashing.
7. Motzi - We recite the blessings for the matzah and eat it.
8. Matzah - The matzah is eaten while reclining, indicating the royalty and splendor of the night in which we emerged from bondage to freedom.
9. Maror - We eat "bitter herbs" (customarily romaine lettuce or horseradish) to recall the bitterness of the Egyptian exile. Maror also alludes to the toil that a person must be ready to do in order to achieve Torah-growth.
10. Korekh - We eat a "sandwich" of matzah and bitter herbs.
The combination of the two is symbolic of the duality of the night, which recalls the bondage of Egypt together with the redemption that followed.
11. Shulchan Orekh - a festive meal is served in celebration of the night.
It is not enough to celebrate with words and thoughts. The celebration must reach the physical level too. Also, the meal teaches us that true freedom is the ability to sanctify the physical world.
12. Tzafun (lit. hidden) -The half matzah hidden at the beginning of the seder is the last food to be eaten in this night. The taste of matzah is to remain with us even after the Seder's conclusion. This suggests that Seder Night should make a continual impression on us, which should last throughout the year.
13. Barekh - We recite the Bircat HaMazon, grace after Meals.
Bircat HaMazon is followed by drinking the third of the Four Cups of wine.
14. Hallel - We sing the hallel, giving our thanks and praise to God.
As free individuals, it is incumbent on us to appreciate the Divine cause of our freedom.
Hallel is followed by the fourth and final cup of wine.
15. Nirtzah - The conclusion. A short prayer is said.

During the Seder meal, traditional foods are eaten, along with the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate:
The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Horseradish and/or romaine lettuce are traditionally used for maror.
Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple herb into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat-offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

See also the Related Links.

1) The Passover Haggadah

2) What is the importance of the Israelite Exodus?

Answer 7

During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.

The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).

The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.

During the Seder meal, there are other traditional foods in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, wine, parsley, and haroset (a mixture of apples, cinnamon, wine and nuts).

Answer 8

The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. In it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).

The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.

During the Seder meal, other traditional foods are eaten in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate:
The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Horseradish and/or romaine lettuce are traditionally used for maror.
Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple herb into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat-offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

See also:

How is the Seder celebrated?

What is the importance of the Israelite Exodus?

Answer 9

There is a ritual feast eaten during the Jewish holiday of Passover which is called a seder. As part of this meal, we recount at length the events of the Exodus.