What is done at a Seder?
“Seder” literally means “order”, and refers to the rituals around the feast to celebrate the beginning of Passover.
The Seder follows the order laid out in the Haggadah (you can read more about the Haggadah at our previous blog, “ What does Haggadah mean?”
All seders follow the same order and include the same elements: Blessings over (at least) four cups of wine, and over greens, bitter herbs, Matzah, candles, and washing hands. A ritualized asking of questions about the Seder and the items on a seder plate, a retelling of the story of Exodus, a festive meal, the search for hidden matzah (afikomen) songs of praise to God, and a wish for redemption in the coming year.
Here is how Jew Belong explains the order of the Seder. Some people count step 7 as two steps: the general blessing for bread (Hamotzi Lechem Min HaAretz) and the blessing for eating Matzah.
1. Kiddush (the blessing over wine) – KADEISH
2. Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the Seder – URCHATZ
Illustration from Haggadot.com
3. Dipping a green vegetable in salt water – KARPAS
4. Breaking the middle of matzah – MATZAH YACHATZ
5. Telling the story of Passover – MAGGID
6. Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal – RACHTZA
7. The blessing over the meal and matzah – MOTZI MATZAH
8. Dipping the bitter herb in sweet – CHAROSET MAROR
9. Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb – KOREICH
10. Eating the meal – SCHULAN OREICH
11. Finding and eating the Afikomen – TZAFOON
12. Saying grace after the meal and inviting Elijah the Prophet – BAREICH
13. Singing songs that praise God – HALLEL
14. Ending the Seder and thinking about the future – NIRTZAH
If you’re asking, “Where are the Four Questions in this list?” the answer is, they (and the discussion of the four types of children) introduce the Maggid – the telling.
Although every Haggadah will lead you through the steps of a Seder, there are differences. Our blog https://www.jewjubox.ca/blog/what-to-look-for-in-a-haggadah explores some considerations when you choose the text that will guide you through the Seder.