How To Prepare a Passover Seder

Clean your house from top to bottom. Remove all chametz, or bread and other leavened foods. This is done in remembrance of the Jews who did not have time for dough to rise before escaping captivity. Use utensils that are designated strictly for Passover, to eliminate the possibility of coming into contact with chametz.

Select the Haggadah – the book with the Exodus story and instructions for the seder. Haggadahs vary by their adherence to tradition, overall length, and the amount of Hebrew used. Have several of the edition you’ve chosen on hand, ideally one per person.

Plan and prepare a kosher dinner, which is eaten after the Exodus story is recounted. Finish cooking the meal before people arrive, since once the seder has begun you shouldn’t do any cooking.

Place three matzos folded into a white cloth so that none of the matzos touches each other.

Set aside kosher wine and cups that will be used at certain points during the seder. Make sure to have at least four glasses of wine per adult.

Roast a shankbone, called zeroa, as a symbol of the paschal lamb Jews during biblical times would have offered as the Pesach sacrifice. Any meat or poultry bone is okay, though lamb is traditional.

Hard-boil an egg; then roast it in the oven until the shell browns slightly. The roasted egg, or beitzah, represents the loss of the Temple and the hope that it will be rebuilt some day. Its shape also symbolizes the circle of life.

Make the charoset, the fruit and nut mixture. The mixture symbolizes the slave labor Egyptians forced Jews to perform with bricks and mortar.

Prepare the maror, which represents the bitterness of slavery. If using romaine lettuce, make sure to inspect for bugs, since they’re not kosher. Many people use grated horseradish.

Prepare the second bitter herb, like lettuce or radishes. This is called chazeret, and is combined with the charoset and matzo in a sandwich called the korech.

Wash vegetables such as celery or parsley for the karpas. The greens symbolize rebirth from slavery and the season of spring. Dissolve salt into a bowl of water, which represents the tears of the slaves. During the seder, the karpas will be dipped into the salt water.

Place the six items on the seder plate. Depending on the number of guests you’re having, you may need more than one seder plate. Generally the egg goes next to the bone, and the maror next to the charoset.

The seder is ready – now get yourself ready!