Passover? Pesach? Seder? What Did I Get Myself Into?
The traditional Passover (also known as "Pesach") Seder , which means “order” in Hebrew, begins on Erev Pesach -- that is, before sundown -- during the first full moon in the first month of the lunar year. It is an eight-day springtime holiday that usually occurs in March or April on our modern Gregorian calendar.
The Passover meal is called a Seder because we go through 14 specific steps -- in a specific "order" -- as we retell the story of the Jews liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Let’s begin our Seder by reciting the names of the 14 steps:
Kiddush (the blessing over wine) | kadesh |קַדֵּשׁ
Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the Seder | urchatz |וּרְחַץ
Dipping a green vegetable in salt water| karpas |כַּרְפַּס
Breaking the middle matzoh | yachatz |יַחַץ
Telling the story of Passover and Miriam's Cup| magid |מַגִּיד
Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal | rachtza |רָחְצָה
The blessing over the meal and matzoh | motzi matzah |מוֹצִיא מַצָּה
Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset | maror |מָרוֹר
Eating a sandwich of matzoh and bitter herb | korech |כּוֹרֵךְ
Eating the meal | shulchan oreich |שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ
Finding and eating the afikomen | tzafoon |צָפוּן
Giving thanks and inviting Elijah the Prophet | barech |בָּרֵךְ
Singing songs of gratitude | hallel |הַלֵּל
Ending the Seder | nirtzah |נִרְצָה
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Passover Guide
Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
to all of your questions.