This is the maror , the bitter herbs. (Strictly speaking, horseradish isn't an herb, but that's tradition for you.) The maror represents the bitterness of slavery. We only eat a little of it at the Seder, much as we hope that, while we can't entirely avoid pain and bitterness in our lives, we hope to only experience a bit of it at a time. We don't eat the horseradish on its own. Later on, we will taste it twice, once mixed...

This is the Matzah , the unleavened bread that we eat on Pesach. You probably already knew that. But why do we eat it now? Most significantly, this is what the Hebrew slaves had to eat when they fled from Egypt. (The Bible doesn't say why, if they were able to carry all that dough as well as the gold and silver that the Egyptians handed them, they didn't also take some yeast, but maybe they baked bread differently from how...

This is the Paschal Lamb. (Ok, actually, it's probably a chicken neck, but we'll get to that.) In the days of the Temple, one important part of worship was the bringing of sacrifices. The Passover sacrifice each year consisted of a sheaf of the first grain harvested that spring, about seven pounds of flour mixed with fine olive oil, about a quart of wine, and one lamb, a year old, without defects. But the symbol of the lamb goes back to...

The Seder Table, and especially the Seder Plate, contain several symbols that we explain each year.  Some go back to the first Seder tables. Rabban Gamaliel said no Seder is complete without explaining the Pesach, the Matzah, and the Maror. Others are more modern. but no less important.

אלו הוציאנו ממצרים דיינו Ilu hotzi'eynu mimitzrayim Dayeynu If God had only brought us out of Egypt, It would have been enough for us. אלו נתן לנו את השבת דיינו Ilu natan lanu et ha-shabbat Dayeynu If God had only given us the Sabbath It would have been enough for us אלו נתן לנו את התורה דיינו Ilu natan lanu et ha-torah Dayeynu If God had only given us the Torah, It would have been enough for us

After the tenth plague, Pharaoh and the Egyptians asked the Hebrew slaves to get out. They even gave the slaves their gold and silver jewelry (which the Hebrews later melted down to make the ornaments for the Tabernacle). The slaves took dough with them. Without leavening, they baked the dough into what we now know as matzah. Their route out took them to the banks of the Sea of Reeds. By the time that they got there, Pharaoh changed his mind...

Here's a possible scientific explanation for the plagues: The volcano Santorini, in the Aegean Sea not far from Egypt, had a massive eruption around the time of the Exodus. Much of the volcanic ash would have fallen over Egypt. Ash from the volcano has been found in the Nile River. Ash falling into the river would have changed the pH level of the water, increasing the amount of algae. A common algae problem, known as the Red Tide, can cause the...

When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let My people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let My people go! Refrain: Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt’s land; Tell old Pharaoh To let My people go! The Lord told Moses what to do, Let My people go! To lead the children of Israel through, Let My people go! You need not always weep and mourn, Let My people go! And wear these slav’ry chains forlorn, Let My people go!

God inflicted a series of ten plagues on the Egyptian people. After each one, Pharaoh started to relent and almost let the slaves go. But each time, the Bible says that Pharaoh "hardened his heart" (or God caused it to harden) and he didn't set them free. These are the names of the Ten Plagues. As we say each one, we pour a drop of wine from our cups (or touch a finger into the wine and then touch it to...

According to the Bible, all Jews are descended from Abraham. (Ritually speaking, this includes those who have converted to Judaism.) Abraham had a son named Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. Jacob had a whole lot of sons (and at least one daughter). During a famine, Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt. Fast forward four hundred years, That family grew to become thousands of people, and had become slaves to Egypt's king, the Pharaoh. They were probably involved in...

Different people learn in different ways and come to the Seder table with different attitudes. The Rabbis spoke of four different children to whom you have to tell the story. First is the Wise Child. This child understands the stories and has gotten deeply into the details of observance. If the child asks about the fine points of the holiday and its history, answer with as much information as you can. (It's OK if you don't know all the facts about...

Sometime around the year 130 CE, five rabbis, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiba, and Rabbi Tarfon, gathered in the town of B'nei Brak and got to talking about the Exodus from Egypt all night, until the sun rose. Their students, finding them still at the table, still talking, said "It's already morning, and time to recite the morning prayers!" Fortunately, they responded, so the students didn't have to call to each of them specifically and didn't...

Actually, the four questions aren't grammatically speaking, four questions. They're one question in four parts: What makes this night so different that we do each of these odd things? And we're not actually doing each of the four things -- most of us aren't reclining, and we are eating vegetables other than the marror. But still, the question remains: what is so special about this night that Jews around the world (and, often, their friends and non-Jewish members of the family)...

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת Mah nishtanah halaylah hazeh mikol hleylot... What makes this night so different from all other nights... שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִי  חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה, כֻּלּוֹ מַצָּה She-b'khol ha-leylot anu okhlin khameytz umatzah Halaylah hazeh, kulo matzah... That on all other nights we might eat both leavened and unleavened bread But on this night, only unleavened bread... שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה, כֻּלּוֹ מָרוֹר She-b'khol ha-leylot anu okhlin sh'ar y'rakot, ha-laylah ha-zeh, kulo...

This is the bread of poverty, which our ancestors had to eat when they were slaves in Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat; let all who are needy come and celebrate the Passover with us. כל דכפיו ייתי וייכל כל דצריך ייתי ויפסך Kol ditzrikh yeytey v'yeykhul Kol ditzrikh yeytey v'yigsakh השתא הכא לשנה הבאה בארעה דישראל Hashatah hakha L'shanah haba'ah b'ar'ah d'yisrael השתא עבדי לשנה הבאח בני חורין Hashatah avdey L'shanah haba'ah b'nei khorin This year we...

[We dip the green vegetable in salt water and pass it around. When everyone has a piece of it, we say:] בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה. Barukh atah Adonai, eloheynu melekh ha'olam, borey pri ha'adamah. Blessed art Thou, our God who rules the universe, creator of what grows from the earth.

In washing our hands, we also think of those who don't get to share in the basic human right of abundant, clean water of people deprived of water by the weather in Somalia, in India, in Texas and those deprived of water by human action in places like Flint, Michigan as well as those whose homes have been ravaged by wind and water in Colombia, in California, and here in New Jersey. We wash our hands and accept our responsibilities to...

[We wash our hands without saying a blessing. A bowl of water is carried or passed around, along with a towel, and we pour the water from a cup over our hands. Don't forget that the people carrying the bowl have to wash their hands, too.] This symbolic hand-washing recalls Miriam's Well. This well followed Miriam, sister of Moses, through the desert. Filled with waters of life, the well was a source of strength and renewal to all who drew from...