• Serve crudites immediately following yachatz, the breaking of the middle matzahThe unleavened bread eaten on Passover that recalls the Israelite's hasty escape from Egypt when there was no time for the dough to rise. Matzah is also considered the "bread of our affliction," eaten while we were slaves., so that guests will not be hungry and will have more attention for the reading of the haggadahLit. "Telling.” The haggadah is the book used at the seder table on Passover to tell the story of the Exodus, the central commandment of the holiday. It is rich in song, prayer, and legend. There are many different version of the Haggadah produced throughout Jewish history..
• Gear the length of your sederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. Additionally, there an ancient tradition to have a seder on Rosh Hashanah, which has been practiced in particular by Sephardi communities. This seder involves the blessing and eating of simanim, or symbolic foods. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. to your audience. An hour and a half before the meal and half an hour after the meal is a good estimate for seders with children and guests not steeped in the details of the haggadah. Seders till 1 am are for knowledgeable adults. This also means knowing when to invite discussion and when to cut it off.
• If you can remotely afford to, hire someone to serve the meal and clean up. This is the best $100 I spend every year. Once the seder is over it is wonderful not to have to face stacks of dishes and uneaten food.
• Use percussive instruments. We give out tambourines and other percussives for Miriam’s Song.
• Plan something special. We do different things each year to enhance our seder. We have made up skits, written songs, created artwork, done bibliodrama—to tell the story in an engaging way. Sometimes a couple of adults can plan a skit with the children for a short time while the other adults engage more serious study or dialogue.
• Buy a plague bag or make one. These bags contain little toys representing each of the plagues—you pull them out one at a time as you read through the list. This is good entertainment.
• Have someone dress as ElijahElijah is a biblical prophet who is said never to have died. There are therefore many legends associated with Elijah. In the Talmud, unresolved arguments will be resolved when Elijah comes. He will herald the coming of the messiah. In Jewish ritual, Elijah is a liminal figure, arriving at moments of danger and transition – at a brit milah, a chair is put out for him, a cup is poured for Elijah at the Passover seder, and he is invoked at havdalah. His Hebrew name is Eliyahu. and knock on the door at the appropriate moment. Invite the children to ask him questions about his journeys.
• Make an individual seder plate for each person. This is done with cupcake paper holders. Put parsley in one holder, harosetThe fruit and nut paste included in the Passover seder to represent the mortar the Israelite slaves used in Egypt. In Ashkenazic tradition, nuts are ground with apples and wine to make haroset for the Passover seder plate. Sephardic and other Middle-Eastern haroset typically uses dates as the base, often seasoned with ground ginger or cinnamon. in a second, and saltwater with half a hard-boiled egg in it in the third. Then everyone has what they need and you do not have to waste time passing dishes down the table.
• Adopt the Afghani/Irani custom of hitting one another with scallions during the singing of Dayeinu. They represent the whips the slavemasters in
• Invite people to discuss their personal journeys of liberation during the past year.
• Fill a Miriam’s Cup with water and talk about it. Put an orange on the seder plate for feminism.
