Introduction

Happy Passover!

Tonight we gather together to celebrate Passover, our holiday of freedom. We will eat a great meal together, enjoy (at least!) four glasses of wine, and tell the story of our ancestors’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. We welcome our friends and family members from other backgrounds to reflect with us on the meaning of freedom in all our lives and histories.

Enjoy!

Seder = Order

Our Passover meal is called a Seder, which means “order” in Hebrew, because we go through 14 specific steps as we retell the story of our ancestors’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.

1. KADEISH - Kiddush (the blessing over wine)
2. URCHATZ - Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the Seder
3. KARPAS - Dipping a green vegetable in salt water
4. YACHATZ - Breaking the middle of matzah
5. MAGGID - Telling the story of Passover
6. RACHTZA - Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal
7. MOTZI MATZAH - The blessing over the meal and matzo
8. MAROR - Dipping the bitter herb in sweet
9. KOREICH - Eating a sandwich of matzo and bitter herb
10. SCHULAN OREICH - Eating the meal
11. TZAFOON - Finding and eating the Afikomen
12. BAREICH - Saying grace after the meal and inviting Elijah the Prophet
13. HALLEL - Singing songs that praise God
14. NIRTZAH - Ending the Seder and thinking about the future


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: The Wandering is Over