Why is it Called a Seder?

The Hebrew word seder means order, or arrangement. The Passover Seder is comprised of 15 sequential steps, and thus it is quite fitting that the word seder is used to portray the gist of the evening's proceedings.

Shortcuts are convenient. They save time, effort, and sometimes even money. They can also be quite illusory. Sure, you can figure out an ingenious back-alley route to sneak by rush-hour traffic, or curl up with a single volume containing three-page summaries of everything from Shakespeare to Fulghum.

But don't try it in life. Not with your children, not with your spouse, and certainly not with yourself.

If you want self-awareness, personal growth, deeper relationships, and a life of integrity -- sorry, no shortcuts allowed. Only seder, only order will do. Deeper living just doesn't flourish in the land of quick fixes. No child ever reaches adulthood without paying a visit to adolescence and no adult achieves inner maturation without first embarking on an orderly, if daring, course of human development.


haggadah Section: Introduction