Passover and Sacrifice

Passover and Sacrifice

Passover (פסח) and Sacrifice (קרבן)

By Menashe Walsh

Picture the communal scene, a ‘Rabbi’ wrapped in Tallit[1] sat at a table demonstrates the story of the Passover using the traditional rabbinic visual aids of the Seder Plate, Wine and Matzos. Everybody sat at table with their Haggadas[2] following along listening to the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, reciting the traditional blessings, singing the traditional songs and eating foods which symbolically represent both slavery and freedom. The communal scene is not all it seems, however, the ‘Rabbi’ has upgraded this Seder to incorporate new ideas which give the participants even greater spiritual lessons! With a wink in his eye and a knowing nod of his head, the ‘Rabbi’ lets the participants of the Seder into a little secret. The little secret being just one of the many little secrets to be told this evening! Holding the machine baked Matzos for all to see, the ‘Rabbi’ tells how most Jews unwittingly fail to see the major significance of the pierced holes and stripes of the Matzos. How there are a trinity of three Matzos used in theSeder and why the middle MatzoJesus is broken and hidden only to be resurrected found later. The irony for most Jews not ‘in the know’… there is no lamb Jesus, no sacrifice crucifixion, only a burnt egg and a shank bone on the Seder plate! The ‘Rabbi’ knows the punch line which he is more than happy to tell. There is a lamb sacrifice for everyone’s personal liberation from Egypt sin, its Yeshua (Jesus). Who would have known that all of this is tied up to a historical event 3500 years ago and traditional rabbinic visual aids of the Seder Plate, wine and now modern day machine baked Matzos providing the stripes!

The Seder continues, the participants happy in the ‘new’ knowledge that a superior atonement has been secured for all, forever, by the body and blood of THE LAMB JESUS! To emphasize the superior atonement has been secured for all, a communion service is added to the Seder, like the communion service that Jesus the Jew did on the Passover just before he initiated the ‘new’ covenant by dying on a cross. It just makes so much sense does it not? It fits like a glove! Dead to the old and now alive in a new covenant!

Sacrifices

The problem with messianic ‘Jews’ and Christians trying to morph the historical biblical event of Passover into Jesus and the New Testament is something which is not readily apparent to the casual observer with only a cursory knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures. Additionally, other agendas such as Messianics putting on a Passover Seder to target disaffected or disenfranchised Jews, for the purpose of converting Jews to Jesus, tends to monopolize on the emotional vulnerability of such Jews. Emotional vulnerability along with a morphing of two separate distinct theologies may border on the downright deceptive and in some cases has proven to be a potent combination in conversion of Jews to Jesus but not on a sound biblical basis however!

So what is the point and where is the harm? The point is that nowhere in the Jewish Scriptures is it ever intimated or suggested that the Passover sacrifice is a sacrifice for atonement. Indeed sacrifices of any kind from the time of Cain and Abel to the birth of the nation of Israel emerge in the Torah as man-initiated events, without any reference to sin! One possible exception to man-initiated events is the near sacrifice of Isaac commanded by G-d. Despite heated debate within Judaism about the meaning of the binding of Isaac, Abraham on his own initiative, subsequent to G-d telling Abraham not to sacrifice Isaac, sacrifices a ram (Gen 22:13), even though Abraham tells Isaac that G-d will provide a lamb (Gen 22:8). Either way, both possibilities of lamb and/ or ram are not commanded by G-d! Moreover, in the binding of Isaac there is no mention that the purpose of sacrifice is for atonement of sin either! Additionally, the binding of Isaac, a typology used by Messianics and Christians, attempts to create a correlation between the “Binding of Isaac” (Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac) and God’s sacrifice of Jesus. Unfortunately the correlation breaks down practically before it ever begins. The typology says that God sacrificed His own son just as Abraham would have sacrificed his own son, had God allowed the act to be completed. However, Abraham was sacrificing his son to God, which showed Abraham loved God more than he loved his son Isaac, something that even God acknowledges in the text:

“He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” (Gen 22:2)

So who did God sacrifice Jesus to? Did God sacrifice Jesus to mankind in order to show mankind that He loved mankind more than he loved Jesus? Is mankind God’s god? God needs mankind’s approval in order to be God? Does this make sense? Of course it does not make sense. Indeed, sacrifices as man-initiated events are confirmed in the book of Jeremiah 7:

²² For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. ²³ But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’

So troubling is the above to Christian theology, that the New International Version (NIV) of Jer 7:22, 23, adds an extra word to the translation which the Hebrew does not support:

²² For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices,²³ but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.

The extra word ‘just’, parachuted into the NIV translation of verse 22 gives the reverse idea that G-d did command the Israelites to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings for sins in stark contrast to the man initiated sacrifices found in the Torah (prior to Sinai) without reference to sin! Moreover, the ‘but’ of verse 23 renders verse 22 in the NIV illogical!

With respect to Passover, Christianity has made the substitutionary death of Jesus ‘the Passover lamb’, to be the sole basis for an entirely new religion! And here is the harm of such a distortion of the biblical narrative. The ‘Passover lamb’of Christianity is atonement for sin and has its worshipers passively worshiping the lamb itself because the lamb does the work for them, takes the punishment for them and pays the price of ALL sin for them![3] Indeed according to Christian theology it is impossible for anybody to actually make themself acceptable to G-d by their actions[4].

In contradistinction, the actions and thoughts behind the actions of the Israelites with respect to (but not only) slaying of the Passover lamb[5], where saving actions and thoughts by virtue of the Israelites choosing the G-d of Israel over the lamb god[5b] of the Egyptians! The Passover Lamb was a sacrifice to show ones’ allegiance to the G-d of Israel! Obedience to the word of G-d is more valuable to G-d than sacrifice[6]. And where one does need to bring a sacrifice for sin as commanded in the Torah, a primary prerequisite is teshuvaor in the not so accurate English term repentance. Judaism considers the prerequisite teshuva or repentance to achieve atonement and not the idea of a penal human substitutionary atonement which the Jewish scriptures teach against[8]. Without teshuva any sacrifice for sin is worthless otherwise! With the prerequisites of teshuva in place and obedience to the word of G-d being preferable than sacrifice, the sacrificial sacrifice[7] aspect of Torah is placed in its proper context.  Without the sacrificial sacrifice aspect of Torah in its proper context, Christianity makes sacrifice for atonement alone the sole basis of its religion without any reference to a personal effort to get closer to G-d. However, with Passover we are talking about something altogether different. Passover is a sacrifice of allegiance not a sacrifice of atonement.

---

[1] A Jewish Prayer Shawl.

[2] A booklet showing an order of service to follow for the Passover meal.

[3] 20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father with him, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son with him; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. (Ezekiel 20)

[4] ibid

[5] The lamb in the context of the Passover story was a god (amongst many) for the Egyptians. Indeed some of the ten plagues were with respect to the other idols of the Egyptians (frogs, river Nile, wild animals for example). Tellingly, the lamb, a sign of fertility, was killed in the middle of the month of Nisan (Aries in the zodiac and spring time too) and the blood of the lamb placed on the door lintels of the Israelites’ dwellings. The spiritual force of this Egyptian lamb god, in the middle of the month of Nisan (Aries in the zodiac) was supposed to be at its most potent then! The Israelites brazenly chose to go out of Egypt, painting their lintels and eating their lamb sacrifice, something never done before with respect to sacrifices of animals!

[5b]

The significance of the 10th of Nisan is mentioned in the Torah:

Speak to all the congregation ofIsrael, saying, “In the tenth day of this month they shall take every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house.” (Exodus 12:3) Tosfot [1] point out that by taking the lamb, the Jews piqued the interest, and the ire, of the firstborn ofEgypt. They pleaded with Pharaoh to release the Jews. When he refused, the firstborn rebelled and attacked their own parents [2]. Therefore the day is considered great, due to the miracle of God which was manifest and the subsequent unraveling of Egyptian society. Furthermore, by slaughtering the object of Egyptians worship, the Jews liberated themselves from the chains of spiritual slavery. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to slay the paschal lamb, Moses answered: “Lord of the Universe! How can I possibly do this thing? Do You not know that the lamb is the Egyptian god? As it says: If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?” (Exodus 8:22) God replied: “As you live,Israelwill not depart from here before they slaughter the Egyptian gods before their very eyes, that I may teach them that their gods are really nothing at all.’” This is what He [God] actually did, for on that night He slew the Egyptian firstborn and on that night the Israelites slaughtered their paschal lamb and ate it. When the Egyptians beheld their firstborn slain and their gods slaughtered, they could do nothing, as it says: While the Egyptians were burying them that the Lord had smitten among them, even all their firstborn; upon their gods also the Lord executed judgment. (Midrash Rabbah – Exodus 16:3) God then said to Moses: “As long asIsraelworship Egyptian gods, they will not be redeemed; go and tell them to abandon their evil ways and to reject idolatry.” This is what is meant by: Draw out and take you lambs. That is to say: Draw away your hands from idolatry and take for yourselves lambs, thereby slaying the gods of Egypt and preparing the Passover; only through this will the Lord pass over you. This is the meaning of In sitting still and rest shall you be saved. (Midrash Rabbah – Exodus 16:2). The taking of the lambs was significant on another level as well. The Jews were now occupied with performance of a Divine decree; aside from the rejection of the Egyptian gods they were now actively fulfilling God’s command.

[6] See 1 Sam 15:22 , Jer 7:23 above and Amos 5;25.

[7] / Korban (קרבן) in Hebrew has its root in the concept of ‘to draw near’ to an unfathomable G-d.

[8] (Ezekiel 20:20, 21), 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God; for every abomination to the LORD, which He hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods. Deut 12

SOURCE: http://menashedovid1.wordpress.com/passover-and-sacrifice/

Pesach is a remembrance of the death of YAHUSHUA???

RABBI CROSS-EXAMINES CHRISTIANITY 

 

Blood, blood, blood. Missionaries insist that you need blood to atone for sins. This is totally untrue. Plus, Passover had absolutely nothing to do with sin. 

Jason Scott Sanford (G'yeson Ben Emek) ask's:
What do you all think of this post, it seems to be getting no response what-so-ever on the FB main wall.
The Rosh Chodeshim brings forth the harvest; the shofar is sounded to usher in the Moedim. On the tenth day of the first month, the Pesach lamb is selected, one without blemish or fault; it is kept alive until the fourteenth day, at the sixth hour, when it is slaughtered whole, not breaking a single bone and roasted by fire at the ninth hour, before the evening. It's shed blood is made in remembrance of YAHUSHUA, who bore the punishment for our sins, by laying down His life for us on the Roman execution stake. At the twelfth hour, an assembly is called for the lighting of the Shabbat candles and the Chag Matzah seder meal, in which the four cups, the matzah and the bitter herbs are observed. The Torah portion is then read, and the redemption story is chanted. At the fifteenth hour, the assembly then spends the night at the place of assembly until the twenty-fourth hour, at the conclusion of the first of two services. For seven days, only matzah is to be eaten, purging our bodies and homes from all leaven, which represents the sin in our lives. The Shabbat following the first day of Matzah, is the waving of the Bikkurim, which are the fifty days or seven weeks of presenting the first sheaves of the wheat and barley harvests to YAHUEH, our Elohim. Just as Pesach is a remembrance of the death of YAHUSHUA, the presenting of the Bikkurim is done in the celebration of His resurrection from the grave. On the twenty-second day, another assembly is called for the closing services of Chag Matzah. On Shavuot, the fiftieth day of presenting the sheaves, an assembly is called to bless YAHUEH (see Blasphemy) for speaking the Torah over all of Israel. It is also a day of thanking Him for pouring out the RUACH HAKODESH, upon the hearts and minds of all the set-apart believers. On the first day of the seventh month, an assembly is called for Yom Teruah, a day of rejoicing and the blowing of the shofar, celebrating the first day of the creation. It is also a day foreshadowing the seventh angel sounding the shofar at the end of days, and the resurrection of the witnesses who believe in the MESHIACH. On the tenth day of the same month, another assembly is called for Yom Kippur, a day of attonment, set-apart for prayer and fasting to Elohim. It is also a day foreshadowing the beginning of the Kingdom of Elohim, and the Melinnial Reign of the MESHIACH on the earth. At the end of the Melinnial Reign, there will be a day of judgment for both the righteous and the unrighteous, which will decide the eternal destinies of every man, woman and child who have ever roamed the face of the earth. On the fifteenth day of the same month, another assembly is to be called for Chag Sukkot, for seven days, we are to build a sukkah booth for which we are to worship, eat our meals and sleep in, depending on the weather conditions. This is a reminder of the time of exile for our ancestors when they were redeemed from the land of Mitsrayim in Egypt. On the twenty-second day of the month, an eighth and final assembly will be called for a closing ceremony to the Moedim.

Jason Scott Sanford (G'yeson Ben Emek) ask's: What do you all think of this post?   Ah...it's called Pagan Christianity i.e. Christopaganism or Catholic Dogma.

Blood, blood, blood. Missionaries insist that you need blood to atone for sins. This is totally untrue. The missionary error comes from two places: misreading Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews.

Leviticus 17:11 says nothing about blood atoning for sin.

What it does say is that blood atones for the life force (that makes sense -- blood coursing through your veins keeps you alive). But interesting enough the Torah uses the exact same words for two other things which atone in exactly the same way as blood. Somehow the missionaries never mention jewelry!

Numbers 31:50 "We therefore want to bring an offering to G-d. Every man who found any gold article [such as] and anklet, a bracelet, a finger ring, and earring, or a body ornament [wishes to bring it] to kafar (atone) for our nefesh (life force / soul) before G-d.'"

Jewelry atones for a life force just like blood in Leviticus 17:11! Did Jesus wear jewelry on the cross?

Money also atones for the life force (nefesh) -- again exactly the same term used in Leviticus 17:11. A half shekel acts as a memorial -- no kind of atonement in Shemot / Exodus 30:16: "You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before HaShem, to make atonement for the life force (nefesh)."

So it is a complete lie that you need blood to atone for sins. You do NOT need blood to atone for sin and Torah makes that very clear as far back as Genesis 4:7. Sin lurks at our door, but MAN can over come it.

If we really need blood to atone for sin (as missionaries insist) please explain why in Genesis 4 when Cain exclaims that his sin is to great to bear, why doesn't G-d tell him to go out and kill a goat?

How about Genesis 18? G-d tells Abraham He will forgive Sodom and Gomorrah's sins if He can find 10 righteous men.

RIGHTEOUS MEN. No blood sacrifices needed. G-d will forgive the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah if Abraham can find even 10 righteous men.

You'll find this throughout Torah -- Pharaoh asks Moses to pray for G-d to forgive him (not make a sacrifice). Moses goes to Mount Sinai to plead for G-d to forgive Israel's sin of the golden calf (no sacrifices).

There are so many of these examples in the Jewish bible which missionaries ignore! Let us not forget:

Proverbs 16:6 "Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the L-RD a man avoids evil."

Blood can atone for SOME very specific sins (see primarily Leviticus 4 and 5 for information on the chatat and asham -- although flour can be a replacement for some who are too poor) but it has never been necessary and it has never been the only way to atone even for those very specific (usually minor) sins. BIG sins (willful disobedience of G-d and conscious sins) always needed repentance, prayer, etc.

On Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) there was a goat which carried the sins of the entire Jewish nation away -- ALIVE into the wilderness. NOT sacrificed. No blood on the altar. (See Leviticus 16).

So we are left with two conclusions:

1. blood is not the only thing that atones for a life force -- so do money and jewelry;

2. blood is not the only thing that atones for sin -- and when it does there are very specific rules about what sins are covered (usually mistakes or minor specific sins related to the Temple) -- and what can be sacrificed (kosher animals one year old) -- and where and when (Temple at specific times and holy days). . .

"Pesach is a remembrance of the death of YAHUSHUA"?.. REALLY?

It's this simple #1 You have to make up your mind to believe Torah (which is not to be changed) or The New Testament that changes it... Now, What is Pesach: Passover? 

Pesach: Passover Level: Basic

Significance: Remembers the Exodus from Egypt Observances: Avoiding all leavened grain products and related foods; Family or communal retelling of the Exodus story Length: 8 days (Some: 7 days)

And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes ... you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. - Exodus 12:14-17

Seder Plate

Pesach, known in English as Passover, is one of the most commonly observed Jewish holidays, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. According to the 2000-01 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), 67% of Jews routinely hold or attend a Pesach seder, while only 46% belong to a synagogue.

Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two areShavu'ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season inIsrael, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15.

The name "Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit , meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv , (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot , (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z'man Cheiruteinu , (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s).

Pesach Laws and Customs

Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves avoiding chametz (leaven; sounds like "hum it's" with that Scottish "ch") throughout the holiday. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls.

Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after first coming into contact with water. Orthodox Jews of Ashkenazicbackground also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, legumes (beans) and some other foods as if they were chametz. All of these items are commonly used to make bread, or are grown and processed near chametz, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion or cross-contamination. Such additional items are referred to as "kitniyot." (usually pronounced as in Yiddish, KIT-nee-yohs).

We may not eat chametz during Pesach; we may not even own it or derive benefit from it. We may not even feed it to our pets or cattle. All chametz, including utensils used to cook chametz, must either be disposed of or sold to a non-Jew (they can be repurchased after the holiday). Pets' diets must be changed for the holiday, or the pets must be sold to a non-Jew (like the food and utensils, the pets can be repurchased after the holiday ends). You can sell your chametz online through Chabad-Lubavitch. I have noticed that many non-Jews and non-observant Jews mock this practice of selling chametz as an artificial technicality. I assure you that this sale is very real and legally binding, and would not be valid under Jewish law if it were not. From the gentile's perspective, the purchase functions much like the buying and selling of futures on the stock market: even though he does not take physical possession of the goods, his temporary legal ownership of those goods is very real and potentially profitable.

The process of cleaning the home of all chametz in preparation for Pesach is an enormous task. To do it right, you must prepare for several weeks and spend several days scrubbing everything down, going over the edges of your stove and fridge with a toothpick and a Q-Tip, covering all surfaces that come in contact with food with foil or shelf-liner, etc., etc., etc. After the cleaning is completed, the morning before the seder, a formal search of the house for chametz is undertaken, and any remaining chametz is burned.

The grain product we eat during Pesach is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. We have come up with many inventive ways to use matzah; it is available in a variety of textures for cooking: matzah flour (finely ground for cakes and cookies), matzah meal (coarsely ground, used as a bread crumb substitute), matzah farfel (little chunks, a noodle or crouton substitute), and full-sized matzah (sheets about 8 inch square, a bread substitute).

Some people observe an additional strictness during Pesach known as gebrochts, from a Yiddish word meaning "broken," although I'm not sure what brokenness has to do with this restriction. Those who observe gebrochts (or more accurately, "no gebrochts") will avoid any matzah product that has come into contact with liquid after being baked. The rule arises from a concern that matzah may contain bits of flour that were not completely cooked and that would become leavened upon contact with liquid. People who observe this strictness cannot eat many common traditional Pesach dishes, such as matzah ball soup, and cannot even eat charoset on matzah at seder. They are careful not to spill seder wine on their matzah, and promptly remove the wine spilled as part of the seder. Observance of this additional restriction is not common, but many people become exposed to it because it is followed by theChabad-Lubavitch, who are active in Jewish education. Some have criticized gebrochts for unnecessarily complicating Pesach and taking some of the joy out of this celebration of freedom for no good reason, noting that the premise of this rule contradicts codes of Jewish law that explicitly say it is impossible for matzah to become chametz once it is baked. Nevertheless, this effort to more fully observe G-d's law is worthy of respect, even if you are not inclined to add this restriction to your own Pesach experience.

The day before Pesach is the Fast of the Firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague.

On the first night of Pesach (first two nights for traditional Jews outside Israel), we have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a seder , from a Hebrew root word meaning "order," because there is a specific set of information that must be discussed in a specific order. It is the same root from which we derive the word "siddur" , (prayer book). An overview of a traditional seder is included below.

Pesach lasts for eight days (seven days in Israel). The first two days and last two days of the holiday (first and last in Israel) are days on which no work is permitted. See Extra Day of Holidays for more information. Work is permitted on the intermediate days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Sukkot.

When Pesach Begins on a Saturday Night

Occasionally, Pesach begins on a motzaei Shabbat, that is, on Saturday night after the sabbath has concluded. This last occurred in 5768 (2008), and will not occur again until 5781 (2021). This complicates the process of preparing for Pesach, because many of the preparations normally undertaken on the day before Pesach cannot be performed on Shabbat.

The Fast of the Firstborn, normally observed on the day before Pesach, is observed on Thursday instead. The search for chametz, normally performed on the night before Pesach, is performed on Thursday night. The seder should be prepared for as much as possible before Shabbat begins, because time should not be taken away from Shabbat to prepare for Pesach. In addition, there are severe complications dealing with the conflict between the requirement of removing chametz no later than mid-morning on Saturday, the prohibition against eating matzah on the day before the seder, and the requirement of eating three meals with bread during Shabbat! For further details, see an excellent summary from the Orthodox Union, the world's largest, oldest and perhaps most respected kosher certification agency.

The Pesach Seder

And if your son asks you in the future, saying, What are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, that the L-RD our G-d commanded you? You will say to your son, We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt; and the L-RD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The L-RD gave signs and wonders, great and harmful, against Egypt, against Pharaoh, and against all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out of there to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised our fathers. -Deuteronomy 6:20-23

The text of the Pesach seder is written in a book called the haggadah. The haggadah tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt and explains some of the practices and symbols of the holiday. Suggestions for buying a haggadah are includedbelow. The content of the seder can be summed up by the following Hebrew rhyme:

Kaddesh, Urechatz,

Karpas, Yachatz,

Maggid, Rachtzah,

Motzi, Matzah,

Maror, Korekh,

Shulchan Orekh,

Tzafun, Barekh,

Hallel, Nirtzah

Now, what does that mean?

1. Kaddesh: Sanctification

A blessing over wine in honor of the holiday. The wine is drunk, and a second cup is poured.

2. Urechatz: Washing

A washing of the hands without a blessing, in preparation for eating the Karpas.

3. Karpas: Vegetable

A vegetable (usually parsley) is dipped in salt water and eaten. The vegetable symbolizes the lowly origins of the Jewish people; the salt water symbolizes the tears shed as a result of our slavery. Parsley is a good vegetable to use for this purpose, because when you shake off the salt water, it looks like tears.

4. Yachatz: Breaking

One of the three matzahs on the table is broken. Part is returned to the pile, the other part is set aside for the afikomen (see below).

5. Maggid: The Story

A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Pesach. This begins with the youngest person asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings designed to encourage participation in the seder. The Four Questions are also known as Mah Nishtanah (Why is it different?), which are the first words of the Four Questions. This is often sung. See below.

 

The maggid is designed to satisfy the needs of four different types of people: the wise one, who wants to know the technical details; the wicked one, who excludes himself (and learns the penalty for doing so); the simple one, who needs to know the basics; and the one who is unable to ask, who doesn't even know enough to know what he needs to know.

 

At the end of the maggid, a blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.

6. Rachtzah: Washing

A second washing of the hands, this time with a blessing, in preparation for eating the matzah

7. Motzi: Blessing over Grain Products

The ha-motzi blessing, a generic blessing for bread or grain products used as a meal, is recited over the matzah.

8. Matzah: Blessing over Matzah

A blessing specific to matzah is recited, and a bit of matzah is eaten.

9. Maror: Bitter Herbs

A blessing is recited over a bitter vegetable (usually raw horseradish; sometimes romaine lettuce), and it is eaten. This symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. The maror is dipped in charoset, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine, which symbolizes the mortar used by the Jews in building during their slavery. (I highly recommend it -- it's the best tasting thing on the holiday, and goes surprisingly well with horseradish! My recipe is included below.)

Note that there are two bitter herbs on the seder plate: one labeled Maror and one labeled Chazeret. The one labeled Maror should be used for Maror and the one labeled Chazeret should be used in the Korekh, below.

10. Korekh: The Sandwich

Rabbi Hillel was of the opinion that the maror should be eaten together with matzah and the paschal offering in a sandwich. In his honor, we eat some maror on a piece of matzah, with some charoset (we don't doanimal sacrifice anymore, so there is no paschal offering to eat).

11. Shulchan Orekh: Dinner

A festive meal is eaten. There is no particular requirement regarding what to eat at this meal (except, of course, that chametz cannot be eaten). Among Ashkenazic Jews, gefilte fish and matzah ball soup are traditionally eaten at the beginning of the meal. Roast chicken or turkey are common as a main course, as is beef brisket.

12. Tzafun: The Afikomen

The piece of matzah set aside earlier is eaten as "dessert," the last food of the meal. Different families have different traditions relating to the afikomen. Some have the children hide it, while the parents have to either find it or ransom it back. Others have the parents hide it. The idea is to keep the children awake and attentive throughout the pre-meal proceedings, waiting for this part.

13. Barekh: Grace after Meals

The third cup of wine is poured, and birkat ha-mazon (grace after meals) is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any Shabbat. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk. The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald the Messiah, and is supposed to come on Pesach to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point (supposedly for Elijah, but historically because Jews were accused of nonsense like putting the blood of Christian babies in matzah, and we wanted to show our Christian neighbors that we weren't doing anything unseemly).

14. Hallel: Praises

Several psalms are recited. A blessing is recited over the last cup of wine and it is drunk.

15. Nirtzah: Closing

A simple statement that the seder has been completed, with a wish that next year, we may celebrate Pesach in Jerusalem (i.e., that the Messiah will come within the next year). This is followed by various hymns and stories.

For more information about how the Pesach seder compares to a traditional Jewish weekday, Shabbat or holidaymeal, see Pesach Seder: How is This Night Different.

Pesach Music

Many people think of Pesach as a time of deprivation: a time when we cannot eat bread or other leavened foods. This is not the traditional way of viewing the holiday. Pesach is Z'man Cheiruteinu, the Time of Our Freedom, and the joy of that time is evident in the music of the season. There are many joyous songs sung during the seder.

Mah Nishtanah (Why is it Different?)  This is the tune sung during the youngest participant's recitation of the Four Questions.
Why is this night different from all other nights, from all other nights?	Mah nishtanah ha-lahylah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-layloht, mi-kol ha-layloht?
On all other nights, we may eat chametz and matzah, chametz and matzah. On this night, on this night, only matzah.	She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin chameytz u-matzah, chameytz u-matzah. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, kooloh matzah.
On all other nights, we eat many vegetables, many vegetables. On this night, on this night, maror.	She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin sh'ar y'rakot, sh'ar y'rakot. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, maror.
On all other nights, we do not dip even once. On this night, on this night, twice.	She-b'khol ha-layloht ayn anu mat'bilin afilu pa'am echat, afilu pa'am echat. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, sh'tay p'amim.
On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, either sitting or reclining. On this night, on this night, we all recline.	She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin bayn yosh'bin u'vayn m'soobin, bayn yosh'bin u'vayn m'soobin. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, koolanu m'soobin.

Dahyenu (It Would Have Been Enough For Us)  This is one of the most popular tunes of the seder, a very up-beat song about the many favors that G-d bestowed upon us when He brought us out of Egypt. The song appears in the haggadah after the telling of the story of the exodus, just before the explanation of Pesach, Matzah and Maror. I provide just two sample verses from a rather long song. The English does not include all of the repetition that is in the Hebrew.
Had He brought us out of Egypt and not judged them, it would have been enough for us.	Ilu hotzi-hotzianu hotzianu mi-Mitzrayim, v'lo asah bahem s'fateem dahyenu.
(Chorus) It would have been enough for us.	Dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu. Dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu!
Had He judged them and not done so to their idols, it would have been enough for us.	Ilu asah bahem s'fateem, v'lo asah beyloheyhem, v'lo asah beyloheyhem dahyenu.
Chorus, etc.

Eliyahu Ha-Navi (Elijah, the Prophet)  Many people sing this song when the Cup of Elijah is poured and the door is opened in anticipation of his return.
Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah, Elijah, Elijah the Gileadite	Eliyahu ha-Navi, Eliyahu ha-Tishbi, Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu ha-Giladi.
Speedily and in our days, come to us, with the messiah, son of David, with the messiah, son of David.	Bimhayrah v'yamenu, yavo aleynu, im Mashiach ben David, im Mashiach ben David.

Adir Hu (He is Mighty)  Adir Hu is a great sing-along song, because it has a lot of repetition. You don't need to know much Hebrew to get by with this one! It's also got a catchy tune. It's sung as the seder comes to a close. It expresses our hope that the messianic age will begin soon, and the Temple will be rebuilt. Each line of praise begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetical order, a common gimmick in Jewish hymns.
He is mighty, He is mighty	Adir hu, adir hu
Chorus: May He soon rebuild his house Speedily, speedily and in our days, soon. G-d, rebuild! G-d, rebuild! Rebuild your house soon!	Chorus: Yivneh vayto b'karov Bim'hayrah, bim'hayrah, b'yamenu b'karov E-yl b'nay! E-yl b'nay! B'nay vayt'kha b'karov
He is distinguished, He is great, He is exhalted (Chorus)	Bachur hu, gadol hu, dagul hu, (Chorus)
He is glorious, He is faithful, He is faultless, He is righteous (Chorus)	Hadur hu, vatik hu, zakay hu, chasid hu, (Chorus)
He is pure, He is unique, He is powerful, He is wise, He is King, He is awesome, He is sublime, He is all-powerful, He is the redeemer, He is all-righteous (Chorus)	Tahor hu, yachid hu, kabir hu, Lamud hu, melekh hu, nora hu, Sagiv hu, izuz hu, podeh hu, tzaddik hu (Chorus)
He is holy, He is compassionate, He is almighty, He is omnipotent (Chorus)	Kadosh hu, rachum hu, shaddai hu, takif hu (Chorus)

Recipe for Charoset

This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used.

• 4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup sweet wine
• 1/4 cup dry wine
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon

Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish.

Buying a Haggadah

If you want to know more about Pesach, the best place to start is with the haggadah. The haggadah was written as a teaching tool, to allow people at all levels to learn the significance of Pesach and its symbols.

There are a wide variety of Haggadahs available for every political and religious point of view: traditional haggadahs, liberal haggadahs, mystical haggadahs, feminist haggadahs, and others. I have even seen what might be described as an atheist haggadah: one that does not mention the role of G-d in the Exodus.

If you're buying a haggadah for study or collection, there are many haggadahs with extensive commentary or with pictures from illuminated medieval haggadahs. However, if you're buying haggadahs for actual use at a seder, you're best off with an inexpensive paperback. Keep in mind that you'll need one for everybody, you're likely to get food and wine on these things, and you'll be using them year after year.

I'm particularly partial to the Artscroll/Mesorah series' The Family Haggadah. It has the full, Orthodox text of the haggadah in English side-by-side with Hebrew and Aramaic, with complete instructions for preparing for and performing the seder. The translations are very readable and the book includes marginal notes explaining the significance of each paragraph of the text. This book is usually only available at Jewish gift or book stores, and usually sells for about $2.50.

Another good traditional one is Nathan Goldberg's Passover Haggadah. This is the familiar "yellow and red cover" haggadah that so many of us grew up with. Believe it or not, it is frequently available in grocery stores in the Passover aisle. It usually sells for less than $5, and is often given away free with certain grocery purchases.

Watch out for Christianized versions of the haggadah. The Christian "last supper" is generally believed to have been a Pesach seder, so many Christians recreate the ritual of the seder, and the haggadahs that they use for this purpose tend to reinterpret the significance of the holiday and its symbols to fit into their Christian theology. For example, they say that the three matzahs represent the Trinity, with the broken one representing Jesus on the cross (in Judaism, the three matzahs represent the three Temples, two of which have been destroyed, and the third of which will be built when the mashiach comes). They speak of the paschal lamb as a prophecy of Jesus, rather than a remembrance of the lamb's blood on the doorposts in Egypt. If you want to learn what Pesach means to Jews, then these "messianic" haggadahs aren't for you.

Finding a Seder

Are you looking for a place to attend a Pesach seder? Chabad-Lubavitch sponsors Pesach seders all around the country. You can search for a seder in your area using their International Seder Directory.

Key Terms

Note: Pronunciations are intended to reflect the way these terms are most commonly pronounced by Jews in the United States, and may not be strictly technically correct.

Term	Meaning	Pronunciation	Hebrew
Pesach	Passover	PAY-sahkh or PEH-sahkh
Matzah	Unleavened bread	MAHTZ-uh
Chametz	Leavened things	KHUH-mitz
Seder	Home ritual performed on the first two nights of Pesach	SAY-d'r
Haggadah	The book read during the seder	huh-GAH-duh

Video: The Seder Plate

I've put together a video on YouTube that explains the items on the seder table and another discussing the beginning of the seder. I hope to have more of the seder on YouTube soon.

• The Seder Plate (3:30)
• Kaddesh, Urechatz, Karpas, Yachatz (4:47)

List of Dates

Pesach will occur on the following days of the secular calendar:

• Jewish Year 5772: sunset April 6, 2012 - nightfall April 14, 2012
• Jewish Year 5773: sunset March 25, 2013 - nightfall April 2, 2013
• Jewish Year 5774: sunset April 14, 2014 - nightfall April 22, 2014
• Jewish Year 5775: sunset April 3, 2015 - nightfall April 11, 2015
• Jewish Year 5776: sunset April 22, 2016 - nightfall April 30, 2016