How To Host a Passover Seder

Set down a filled wine glass at each adult’s place setting. Also give each person a Haggadah, which contains the Exodus story and the guidelines for the ritual meal.

When all the guests have arrived, a designated person, usually an elder or one of the hosts, leads the seder.

Recite the Kiddush blessing over the wine. In some families, everyone holds their own cup for the blessing. In others, the Kiddush is said over one large cup, which is then distributed into individual glasses.

Drink the first cup of wine. Attendees drink four cups of wine each throughout the seder to symbolize the four redemption promises found in Exodus: God tells the Jews he will take them out of Egypt, deliver them from bondage, redeem them with an outstretched arm, and acquire them to be God’s chosen people.

Wash your hands, either away from the table or using a pitcher and bowl passed around the table.

Dip the karpas, or green vegetable, symbolizing rebirth, into the salt water, representing the tears of slavery. Recite the corresponding blessing and eat. Celery or parsley is often used.

The leader breaks the middle matzo in two and places the smaller half back in the cloth between the other matzos. The other half is wrapped and hidden for the afikomen, which children will hunt for later in the evening. Fill the second cup of wine.

The youngest person at the seder asks the four questions, which encourage participation in the ritual. The questions are all meant to explain why this night is different from other nights.

Recite the Passover story found in the Haggadah. Drink the second cup of wine and wash hands as before, this time accompanied by the traditional blessing for washing hands, which can be found in the Haggadah.

Recite the blessing over the remaining matzo on the table. Each person eats a small piece from the top matzo and broken middle matzo. If there is not enough matzo from the seder plate to go around, supplement with some from a box.

Dip the maror, or bitter herb (representing slavery’s bitterness), into the charoset, the sweet fruit and nut mixture that symbolizes the slave labor Jews performed with bricks and mortar. Recite the corresponding blessing and eat. Then, take pieces from the bottom matzo and make a sandwich with the chazeret, or second bitter herb, dipped into the charoset.

Eat dinner. Typical main dishes include brisket, matzo ball soup, and potato kugel. Many Passover meals begin with the egg on the seder plate dipped in salt water, a sign both of mourning for the destruction of the Temple and of new life.

At some point while the adults are eating, the children hunt for the afikomen. Since the meal cannot finish without eating it, it is traditional for the children to ransom the afikomen in exchange for a prize, such as candy or a small toy.

Fill your cup with wine. Say the grace after meals and wine blessing as found in the Haggadah, and drink the third cup of wine.

Pour the fourth cup of wine, setting aside an extra glass of wine for the Prophet Elijah, and open the door for Elijah.

Sing psalms and recite the blessing over the wine. Drink the fourth cup of wine. After dinner, eat a piece of the afikomen. Don’t eat or drink anything else for the rest of the night.

The ritual ends with a statement that the seder is done and the wish that Passover might be celebrated in Jerusalem next year, which signifies the hope that the messiah will come by then.

It is customary for some to repeat the seder on the second night of Passover.