More Seder History

One of the most important and transformative things the Jewish Sages did after the destruction of the Second Temple, was to transfer and transform Temple ideas to the home setting. Many symbols were created to not only keep the "memories" of Temple ritual alive, but to allow for the continuing development of Rabbinic Judaism as well. For example, on Shabbat, the table of the home becomes the new "altar', the white tablecloth represents the Priest's garments, the candles lit to usher in the Shabbat recalls the 7 branched menorah lit every evening outside the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The wine and the bread become substitutes for the blood and the meat of the sacrifices themselves, while the head of the household reciting the prayers is the "priest," and on the Shabbat itself, people would gather to hear the words of the Torah and study the Creator's wisdom in the synagogue instead of the Temple.

Between the years 200 BCE to 200 CE, the teachings of the Jewish Sages were gathered, organized and edited into a collection called the Mishnah, which in essence is Rabbinic Scripture. The Torah commands many things, but rarely explains how to do them, especially without a Temple, Sacrifices and Priesthood. The Mishnah presents the methods to celebrate the Festivals and Shabbat, the yearly cycle for reading the Torah, the Standardization of Jewish Prayers and other instructions, laws and interpretations. Even though this corpus was closed in 200 CE, the process of reinterpretation continued in Jewish history and still continues today in other forms. The Passover Seder grew out of this process.

In Jewish tradition, God should be worshipped not only through prayer, but also through study and learning. The Passover seder is set up as a lesson in which are mingled Jewish history, literature, rituals, customs, stories and songs. The small book we use as guide for the seder is called a Haggadah, which means, "The Telling", is based upon Exodus 13:8 which says, ". . . and you shall tell your son."

Printed Haggadah

All printed Haggadahs have 15 words which trace the sequence of the seder service, written in rhyme as a mnemonic. The seder plate has mnemonic symbols, a Zero'a (shankbone), a Beitzah (hard boiled roasted egg), Maror (bitter herbs, usually grated horseradish), Haroset (chopped walnuts,apples, honey and wine, recipes vary) and Karpas (greenherb, usually parsley). Also on the table is Matzah, unleavened bread which is a remembrance of the Israelites having to leave Egypt in a hurry, before the bread had no time to rise.

Seder Plate

The shankbone recalls the actual "Paschal Lamb" sacrifice, the egg can represent the roundness of life, no beginning and no end, roasted again can refer to the ancient Temple sacrifices, The bitter herb remembers the bitterness of servitude. The Haroset (chopped apples, nuts honey and wine) brings to mind the mudbricks used to build the storage cities of Pitom and Ramases. (The Israelites did not build the Pyramids, they were already thousands of years old when the Israelites were there.) The Karpas, green vegetable, dipped in salt water is a remembrance of the hyssop dipped in the blood of the Pesach over the doorways and gates as a protective device, and also the renewal of life in the spring when people dipped veggies in saltwater or other liquid when eating. 

In ancient times, slaves and laborers ate hurriedly, squatting on the ground. On Passover, it is the custom to recline and eat on the left side which was the sign that the individual was a free person. There are blessings and ritual washing of the hands. Next, the youngest child or children start the seder by asking 4 questions which are answered as the seder moves along. This style of study is taken from Greek philosophy, where one student asks the Master a question and the rest of the session is devoted to answering that question. 

Today, those of you who've never been to a seder or who are interested in doing one can find many sources online and in books. There are a lot more beautiful parts of the seder I'm leaving out, but I hope this explanation has been informative and peaked some interest. By the way, here is an interesting Passover fact. In the Torah, the Exodus revolves around the Giant Personality and actions of Moses. In the Haggadah, Moses is only mentioned once in passing. Why? The answer will be in my next installment of seder history.

Be Blessed, Choose Life & Do TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

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