The seder (ceremonial meal of the first night or two of Passover) and the haggadah (text used at that meal).
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Who was worse Lavan, Pharoah or Haman?
In the hagadah we seem to indicate that Lavan was a worse enemy of the Jewish people because Pharoah only decreed against the males while Lavan sought to uproot all. Based on this logic it would seem ...
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Who reads the Haggadah?
In my family's Seder, and in one of the two others I've been to, the reading is done by taking turns going around the table. Mostly it is read in the language of one's preference, but some (myself ...
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Hardboiled eggs and salt water at the Seder
I've participated in only 3 different families' Passover Seders, so my experience is limited in terms of different families' traditions.
How widespread is the custom of eating a hardboiled egg in ...
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Preparing the Beitzah for the Seder Plate
What is the appropriate way to prepare the Beitzah for the Seder Plate?
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Why a Beitzah on the Seder Plate?
Why do we use a roasted (maybe?) egg on the Seder Plate to represent the Festival offering?
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The, um, Seder of the Seder [closed]
Since I have only experienced a handful of families' traditions of how they conduct their Sedarim, I thought I'd ask what others do.
What are some of the widely practiced customs for how to actually ...
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Why do we sing Chad Gadya and Echad Mi Yodea at the seder?
Some of the songs at the end of the seder have an obvious connection to what has come before. Adir Hu is about praising God, which we've been doing all night; Eliyahu HaNavi makes sense because ...
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“Motzi Matzah” or “Motzi and Matzah” (separately)? Passover Seder
In some haggadot, I have seen the numbers of sections as being 14, with Motzi Matzah being combined, and in other haggadot, I have seen 15 with them separated. What is the reason behind each side?
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At the seder, does everybody make kiddush?
Every year at the seder, we are not sure if everybody makes their own kiddush, or if the leader makes kiddush and everybody says Amen.
I was recently told by a friend that the custom at his seder is ...
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Origin of Spilling Wine by 10 Plagues
The custom among all Jews (as far as I know) is to spill a drip of wine for each of the plagues as they are mentioned in a list in the haggadah. This custom is not mentioned anywhere in the Talmud (as ...
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why do we say Pesach seder brachot both nights?
During the Pesach seder, but not during the rest of Pesach, we say b'rachot for the mitzvot of matzah and maror. (I mean the "asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav" b'rachot.) So it seems that we are only ...
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Abraham and Matzah [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Avot keeping Mitzvot
According to some traditions, Abraham was completely Torah observant. Would this include the mitzvah of eating matzah? Or participating in the ...
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Where is the Pesach seder discussed in the Mishna?
I heard a podcast that discussed the differences between the Pesach Seder as described in the Mishna and what we do today. But I couldn't catch the name/number of the relevant mishnaot. What are they?
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Traditionalist evaluation of the “New American Haggadah”?
One of the hot new offerings in the Haggada market this year is the New American Haggadah by novelists Jonathan Safran Foer and Nathan Englander. It features a new translation by Englander as well as ...
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Advanced Seder Advice
I'm going to be at a seder this year with other adults who are all relatively familiar with the text and structure of the haggadah. Most have heard many of the classic divrei torah many times. I'm ...
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Why doesn't the hagadah discuss miracles? [closed]
The hagadah (based on the discussion of Rav and Shmuel in pesachim) dedicates the bulk of maggid to expounded the verses of arami oved avi. But why is there very little discussion of the actual ...
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Translation of haggadah section titles
What are the litteral translations of the different section titles of the haggadah? (i.e. What exactly do kadesh, urchatz, etc. mean)
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Why is it ok to pay the kids for the afikoman?
Most Pesach sedarim feature the afikoman hide-and-seek game; either the children steal it and ransom it back or the parents hide it and (in my experience) pay a prize to the child who finds it. At ...
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What is Nirtzah?
In every one of the 15 steps one is supposed (according to Halacha) to either do something, eat something or say something.
For example,
Kadesh - one must do Kiddush - Biblical/Rabbinic.
Urchatz - ...
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Who composed the Piyut Echad Mi Yodeya?
Who composed the Piyut Echad Mi Yodeya that is commonly recited on Pesach?
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Custom to refrain from eating meat at the Pesach Seder?
I recently heard from two separate people about a custom not to eat any meat at the Seder (i.e. only fish and chicken are eaten). This was surprising to me, as the minhag mentioned in the Mishnah, ...
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What type of Maror?
For Maror there are those that use lettuce, those that use endives, those that use fresh grated horseradish, or maybe something else. Is there a difference in what you use for Maror and what you use ...
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What is “chad gadya” really all about?
Why do we sing "chad gadya" at the pesach seder? What is it supposed to be about?
Also, as a side question, is it "d'zabin aba" or "dizvan aba"?
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Sheva Brachos Seder
What does one do if his or her Sheva Brachos comes out on Seder Night do the Kosos become Sheva Brachos and what are all the other Halachic Implications?
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Can you eat the Beitza at the Seder?
The Halacha is not to eat roasted meat at the Seder, therfore you can not eat the Zeroa at the Seder. Can you eat the roasted egg (Beitza) at the Seder? (sources)
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What were the 300 plagues of the Exodus?
The הגדה says:
במצרים לקו חמשים מכות, ועל הים לקו חמשים ומאתים מכות
In Egypt, they were struck with 50 plagues, and by the Sea [of Reeds], they were struck with 250 plagues
What were ...
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רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הָיָה נוֹתֵן בָּהֶם סִמָּנִים: דְּצַ“ךְ עַדַ”שׁ בְּאַחַ"ב
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הָיָה נוֹתֵן בָּהֶם סִמָּנִים: דְּצַ"ךְ עַדַ"שׁ בְּאַחַ"ב. We call the last Makah "Makas Bechoros" - why didn't Rabbi Yehuda say בְּאַחַ"ם
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Using The Washington Haggadah
Yesterday, Harvard University Press released a haggadah which is a reproduction of a manuscript written in 1478 and held by the Library of Congress. It can be purchased on Amazon.
If I bought this, ...
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Wearing a Kittel at the Seder
I grew up with my father wearing a Kittel at the Seder. My father wore a Kittel at the Seder immediately from when he got married. Over the years I have heard that some people do not wear a Kittel the ...
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What is your favorite haggadah? [closed]
There are many classic and modern haggadot. Any recommendations? If so, why? And if available online (such as at HebrewBooks), please provide a link.
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Two Matzos at the Seder
Many Hagados show an option of using only 2 Matzos at the Seder as Nusach HaGra. Does anyone still do only 2 Matzos?
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Urchatz - does everyone wash?
I have heard different Minhagim regarding washing at Urchatz. It seems that in some families everyone washes and in others only the Baal HaBayis. Does anyone have sources as to the different Minhagim ...
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Karpas - What do you use?
I have heard of potatoes, celery, scallion. What else do people use for Karpas? Is there one item that is more L'Chatchila than the others?
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matza significance
I would like to know the meaning of the three matzot and why only the middle one is broken.
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Arami Oved Avi Vayerd Mitzraimah
The Declaration ( Viduy )said when bringing the BIKKURIM includes saying “An Armenian wanted to destroy my father, and he went down to Egypt” Yaakov had many things Happen to him why choose the ...
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Do bananas make the best karpas?
For karpas at the seder, one is supposed to eat a food on which the blessing "borei pri ha'adama" is made. However, many of the most commonly used food items for karpas (e.g. parsley, raw onion, raw ...
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Washing hands before Karpas
What was the Brisker Rov's explanation for washing hands before Karpas by ורחץ?
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When do you eat the charoset?
During the seder, are you really not supposed have any charoset left on your maror when you eat it? Why is this? When do people actually get to eat the charoset?
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Are you supposed to do the responsive parts of Hallel at the Seder?
At a Pesach Seder, when you get to the parts of Hallel that are done responsively in a congregation, are you supposed to do them responsively? Does the answer depend on how many people are at the ...
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Who hides the afikoman?
Is the leader of the seder supposed to hide the afikoman so that the kids can find it, or are the kids supposed to hide it so that the leader can find it? And what is the point of this hide-and-seek ...
