Questions tagged [passover-seder-hagada]
The seder (ceremonial meal of the first night or two of Passover) and the haggadah (text used at that meal).
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Why "hamokom" in Haggada
Why do we say baruch hamokom baruch hu?
Why that name of hashem here? There are many more names we could have used.
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Is it appropriate for a Gentile to attend and/or participate in a Seder?
The context: last year, I saw this sign that announced the time and place that a Jewish Seder (probably Yom Kippur) would happen. I was definitely curious and considered going and at least observing ...
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What are the minimum required sections of the Hagadah that must be said?
I am leading the Seder for my family, many whom are older people and young children who must be on a strict schedule. I.e., they have to eat by a certain time and must be asleep by a certain time, etc....
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Why is the wicked son sanctioned for doing what the wise son does?
In the Passover Hagada we're told about the four sons.
The second one is called wicked because he asks, "What is this service to you?!" ("מה העבודה הזאת לכם?") (emphasis mine), while the first one is ...
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Beginners' Seder Advice
I'm going to be at a seder this year with young children who are familiar with the basic structure of the haggadah. Some will likely have some of the classic divrei torah prepared for them to say. I'm ...
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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 make blessings on mitzvot d'rabbanan at the second seder?
As far as I know mitzvot such as eating marror or saying hallel at the Pesach seder are only rabbinic (the marror was biblical previously but I am told that is no longer so). If this is the case and ...
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Seder advice when with people who aren't interested?
This may have some things in common with beginner's seder advice, but it's different enough that I'm asking separately.
For family-obligation reasons, I sometimes find myself at a seder where most of ...
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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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How much is 2 Zuz worth in current USD?
As mentioned in the Passover Hagaddah, how much is "2 Zuz" worth in March 2013 US Dollars?
Please note there may be different types of Zuz: "זוזי פשיטי" and "זוזי ממש" (Ketuvot 67a).
This may be the ...
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Chad Gadya: The price of a kid goat
Was the fair market value of a kid goat really two zuzim? This piyyut is of course allegorical, but, if the value given is highly inaccurate, is the discrepancy in value symbolic beyond the symbolism ...
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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's the deal with horseradish at the seder?
Every Pesach seder I've been to, including ones run by Chabad and Hillel, has used horseradish root as the maror. But this seems to be controversial -- maybe horseradish isn't ok at all, or maybe ...
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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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What's the best way to dip maror into charoset if you're using horseradish?
Every seder I've ever been to has used ground horseradish (like this) for maror, and "dipping" it in the charoset ends up being implemented as putting both maror and charoset on a piece of matzah and ...
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What is required at the seder? [duplicate]
What is required at the seder? I know this has been answered before, but I wanted to tie it all together in a simple list. Please tell me if I got something wrong.
Two basic commandments in Torah:
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What do you do with Kos Shel Eliyahu
The Minhag is to fill up an additional cup towards the end of the seder known as Kos Shel Eliyahu. I was just wondering what the various minhagim are as to what to do with it after the seder is over.
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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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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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Why do Ashkenazim say a b'racha for each of the four cups?
Normally if you have wine and refill your glass during the meal you don't make a new borei p'ri hagafen. Why do we (at least Ashkenazim) say a new b'racha for each cup at the seder? I think I've ...
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Why is the section of ארמי אובד אבי chosen as the main part of Maggid in the Seder?
Bab. Talmud Pesachim 116a says that during the Seder, one begins with shame / humility and ends with praise. Meaning, that during the Magid section of the Seder, we begin with the "mood" of ...
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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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Why isn't the bracha "Al Achillat Matzah" said before eating the Afikoman?
Follow up to this answer. Excerpt (my bolding, here):
According to Rashi and the Rashbam: The main Matza and Maror were
eaten right at the end together with the kezayit piece of Pesach
lamb/kid in ...
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What is the origin of the song Echad Mi Yodeya?
Who is the author or what is the origin of the song commonly found in the haggadah called Echad Mi Yodeya?
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Why does Echad mi Yodeia switch languages in middle?
Why does echad mi yodeia switch from hebrew (eg. אֶחָד מִי יוֹדֵעַ? אֶחָד אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ.) to arameic (eg. שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבָּתָא), back to hebrew (eg. ...
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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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Why must the child ask these four questions?
The Torah, as explained in the Hagaddah, gives examples of four children. Each asks a question in his own way, and receives an appropriate answer.
However, the Mishnah in Pesachim 116a teaches:
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"If God had not delivered us from Egypt we would still be slaves"? Really?
One part of the Pesach seder that has always bothered me is saying that if God had not taken us out of Mitzrayim at that time we would still be slaves today. This seems lacking in faith in God; ...
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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 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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Seeking mnemonic for the order of the Pesach Seder
The Passover Seder is long and has lots of steps. Sometimes I get confused what comes next!
I'm looking for a mnemonic (perhaps poetic?) to use to help remember the order of the different steps. Do ...
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Why is Moshe (mostly) absent from the haggadah?
Somebody asked at my seder this year why Moshe is largely absent from the magid. I have heard that the reason is because we're supposed to focus on God, and also that Moshe was very humble and there ...
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Answers to the Mah Nishtanah
Almost every small Jewish child learns the Mah Nishtanah sometimes even in multiple languages the questions remains is that the question remains. Where in the Haggadah are the four questions answered (...
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Responses to the Chacham and Tam
In the Haggadah, the response to the Chacham is teaching him the halachos of Pesach, whereas the response to the Tam is that Hashem took us out of Mitzraim with a strong arm.
Yet, in the Yerushalmi, ...
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Why in the Haggadah do we split up the Hallel?
Why do we split up the Hallel in the Haggadah and say two paragraphs of Hallel by Magid and the rest of Hallel after the Birchat Hamzon? Why not complete all of Hallel initially?
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Why is hallel at the seder different from hallel during the year?
I know there are many differences between hallel at the seder and regular hallel.
At the seder, hallel:
Has no starting bracha (Orech Chaim Hilchot Pesach Siman 473)
Is said sitting down (Sefer ...
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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 don't we say "kol dichfin" before kidush
In the halachma anya of the Passover Hagada it says "Let all who are hungry come and eat".
Why don't we say this before the kidush?
Makes more sense that we should invite people before starting the ...
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Significance of nine months of pregnancy and eleven stars
In the piyyut Echad Mi Yodeya, recited at the Passover seder, we discuss what relates to the first thirteen numbers.
Most of these are central to Jewish belief: One is Hashem, two are the Tablets (...
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Will Korech move to the end of the Seder in the future?
When we start bringing and consuming the Korban Pesach again (speedily may it be, in our days), will the Korech step of the Seder be moved to adjacent to Tzafun or possibly replaced by it?
Kadesh ...
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Ehad Mi Yodea on the mishnayos
I have an idea to compile a song for the Passover Seder. It is based on the famous "Ehad Mi Yodea", but the answers to the question should be mishnayos mentioning the number. The intention is to make ...
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Is there a halachic preference order to the grains used for matzot?
My understanding is that there are 5 grains that may be used for fulfilling the mitzvah of matzah at the seder: wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt.
In U.S., the majority of matzot sold are made from ...
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Rav Belsky's illustration on how to lean by the seder
I remember watching one of OU's Pesach webinars a few years back where Rav Belsky was asked what is the proper way to lean at the seder. Rav Belsky answered that based off an ancient (Roman) tapestry ...
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Hallel in syngagogue on Pesach night before dark
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 487:4 describes a custom to recite Hallel in the synagogue at the end of Arvit on the first (two) night(s) of Pesach.
Some (e.g. Gra) link this custom to the practice found ...
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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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Why don't we (or when do we) use a lenient definition of nightfall on seder nights?
There are various positions on when we can say maariv (evening prayers), corresponding to various positions on when the day ends (and, thus, a new day begins which starts from the night). But the ...
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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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