Why Do We Invite The Prophet Eliyah At The Seder - Alexandra

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After the birkat hamazon, most families are following the custom to fill up a cup of wine: The cup of Eliyah! Then, we open the front door of the home and we recite several psalms wherein we ask G-d to protect us from our persecutors and opressors. At this moment, our homes are blessed by the presence of Eliyah. I.Why are we opening the door? The Torah describes the seder night as a "guarded night": this night thousands of years ago the Bnei-Israel were protected by G-d from the plagues and especially the one that killed all the egyptian first born. It's one of the moments in the Torah when G-d's protection over us is the most clear and the fact that we are the chosen nation very obvious. Opening the door, shows our trust in G-d's protection and our wish to welcome Eliyah. In my family, the children are opening the door and "guarding" it; we say that all the kids that can't speak yet have the ability to see the prophet! Once we were in a hotel with my whole family, as usually me, my sisters and cousins were standing next to the door. As my father begun to read the psalms, I felt a wind draft and exactly at the same moment, the fire alarm begun to ring in the whole building! As a child and even now I think that this wind was a way of showing us Eliya's presence! According to the Midrash, on the night before they left: seder night, every man of the jewish nation had a brit mila in order to be ready to eat from the Paschal Lamb. Therefore there is such a strong connection between Eliyah, the brit mila and Pessah. Eliyah is invited to the seder to make sure that all the participants are circumcised! II.Why is the cup of Eliyah so important? We never resolved the question if we have to fill up 4 or 5 cups, therefore we fill up 5 cups but only drink 4 of them, the 5th is the one of Eliyah. Eliyah was angry against G-d: he tells Him that he was always faithful to Him, always fought for Him, that he always fought against the people that forgot G-d and killed His prophets. Eliyah says he is the only one left and they try to find him in order to kill him! In answer to that G-d takes him his role of prophet back. Why? Because Eliyah thought being religious by sacrifiyng men for G-d. This is not the religion G-d is waiting for. He didn't have to make earth heaven. He can't be a prophet anymore! Eliyahu must learn to be a true religious man: to love and respect G-d but also the men;because G-d cares for them! When does Eliyahu learn this? on seder night! He drinks the 5th cup to bring Moshiah! what's the meaning behind the cup? Religion comes from heaven but is made for earth! That's why he will come to earth before Moshiah to "correct" the mistakes he did in the past: "He will return the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers" which means that he will bring love between the people of Israel! After the coming of Moshiah, one of Eliyas tasks will be to resolve halahic questions men couldn't find an answer to, such as this doubt about the cups number! The cup of Eliyah is right before the halel whose focus is on the future coming of Moshiah. After comemorating the 1st redemption of the jewish people in Egypt, we express our hope in the coming of Moshiah: the next and final redemption! Eliyah will always be with us in every Pessah and every Brit Mila but I'm sure that he is also always with us in any important celebration. He shows us that even though you're making mistakes, G-d gives you the opportunity to make better and learn from it! Alexandra

haggadah Section: Hallel