The beginning of the seder seems strange. We started with Kiddush as we normally would when we begin any festive meal. But now we are going to wash our hands without a blessing, dip vegetables in salt water, and break matzah without eating it. What’s going on here?

It seems that the beginning of the seder is kind of a false start. We act as if we are going to begin the meal but then we realize that we can’t. We can’t really eat this meal until we understand it, until we tell the story of the exodus from Egypt. So we interrupt our meal preparations with karpas (vegetables), yachatz (breaking matzah), and maggid (storytelling). Only once we have told the story do we make Kiddush again, wash our hands again (this time with a blessing) and break matzah and eat it. The meaning is clear: In order to savor this meal, in order to appreciate the sweet taste of Passover, we must first understand it.

— Adapted from Rabbi Rona Shapiro

Everyone who would like to may get up and wash their hands.


haggadah Section: Urchatz
Source: OneTable