The Seder: When, Where, Whom

PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). falls on the 15^th of Nisan, which can be any time between late March and late April. Consult Ritualwell’s calendar on the homepage to find out when Passover falls this year. Most Jews who do not live in IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel. hold two seders, on the first two nights of Passover; some only hold 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. on the first night.

The Passover seder is usually held at home. While there are resorts that feature kosherFit to use or consume under Jewish ritual law. "Kosher" often refers to the food which it is permissible to eat according to Jewish dietary law, but can also mean the suitableness of a Torah scross or mezuzah for proper ritual use. For more on dietary laws, see kashrut. for Passover packages and restaurants that will seat you for a traditional Passover meal, if you are availing yourself of these options, you probably don’t need to worry about planning a seder.

Seders can be any size from immediate family to the ganze mishpacha (whole family), neighbors, friends and pets! Think about what kind of atmosphere you are striving to create and what the right number of people will be to do that. Think about the ages of your guests—children are an integral part of the seder but if you have children you will have to plan ways to engage them throughout. Think about the balance of knowledgeable Jews and less-knowledgeable Jews and people of other faiths and backgrounds. On the one hand, seder is an opportunity to invite friends and family who might not otherwise have a place to celebrate and to expose them to what is best in Judaism. On the other hand, if you have too many people who don’t know what is going on, you may not be able to have the level of singing or discussion for which you are striving. Lastly, think about your physical needs—most people forget this. Not only how many chairs can fit at the table and how many tables can be crammed in, but how much shopping and cooking your guests will require. You’re expecting a baby and finishing your dissertation? Maybe this isn’t the year to have 35 guests.