Afikoman | Baytzah | Bedikat Chametz | Chametz | Charoset | Chazeret | Elijah | Exodus | Haggadah | Karpas | Kiddush | Kitneot | Maror | Matzah | Seder | Zeroa

Afikoman

Afikoman means "dessert" in Aramaic. At the beginning of the seder, the middle of the three pieces of matzah is broken. The largest piece, called the afikoman, is hidden. During the seder, the children try to find the afikoman. If they find it, they hide it.  At the end of the seder, the person leading the service will ask the children to bring the afikoman. The seder can only conclude after the afikoman is eaten. At this point, the children will bargain for some reward before agreeing to return the afikoman. The afikoman serves to keep the children involved and awake during the long seder service.

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Baytzah

Baytzah is the hard boiled egg which is placed on the seder plate. It is symbolic of the regular festival sacrifice brought in the days of the Temple. Some authorities have interpreted this as a symbol of mourning for the loss of the two Temples (the first was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.). With the Temples destroyed, sacrifices could no longer be offered. The egg symbolized this loss and traditionally became the food of mourners.

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Bedikat Chametz

The night before the Passover Seder, we search the house for any leavened grain products. Whatever we find is burned the next morning. Bidikat Chametz means "Search for Leaven" in Hebrew.

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Chametz

Chametz is leavened grain products. It is written in the Torah that during the week of Passover, "neither chametz (the result of grain that ferments) nor se'or (highly fermented sourdough that is used to make another dough ferment) shall be visible to you in all your boundaries."

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Charoset

Charoset is a mixture of apples, nuts, wine and spices. It is put on the seder plate to remind us of the mortar the Jewish slaves used in their building for the Egyptians.

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Chazeret

Chazeret is a bitter vegetable, like lettuce or celery, which is sometimes placed on the seder plate to remind us of the bitter lives of the Israelites as slaves.

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Elijah

Elijah was a Prophet who delivered messages from God and helped many people. It is believed that Elijah was taken to Heaven in a flaming chariot (he never really died), and that he continues to deliver messages from God. It is also believed that Elijah will be sent sometime in the future to announce the coming of the Messiah. On Passover, we fill a special cup of wine for Elijah. Eliyahu Ha-Navi means "Elijah the Prophet" in Hebrew. 

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Exodus

An exodus is a leaving of a great number of people. Exodus in the Passover story refers to the Jewish People coming out of Egypt.

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Haggadah

The word 'Haggadah' means 'telling'. The Passover Haggadah is a book which guides us through the Seder service. It contains blessings, questions and answers, the story of the exodus, and songs.

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Karpas

Karpas is a vegetable, like parsley or a potato, which is placed on the seder plate. Karpas is dipped in salt water to represent tears. The custom of serving karpas dates back to Jerusalem of the 1st and 2nd centuries when it was common to begin a formal meal by passing around vegetables as hors d’oeuvres. 

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Kiddush

Kiddush is the special blessing over wine which is recited on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Kiddush means "sanctification" in Hebrew.

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Kitneot

Originally, in the Ashkenazic community only five grains were considered chametz; wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. Post-talmudic authorities added rice and legumes (kitneot) to this group. Legumes include beans, peas and the fruit of any plant of the pea family.

The Sephardic community did not accept this geonic prohibition, because the main articles of food in their geographic locations were rice and legumes. Consequently, today Sephardic Jews eat both legumes and rice on Passover, while Ashkenazic Jews do not.

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Maror

Maror is bitter herbs, such as horseradish root or prepared horseradish, which is placed on the seder plate to remind us of the bitterness in the lives of the Israelites during the time of their enslavement in Egypt.

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Matzah

Matzah is flat, dry, unleavened bread. When the Israelites left Egypt, they did not have time to wait for their dough to rise. The unleavened bread they made and ate instead is called matzah. We eat matzah, rather than bread, during the week of Passover to remember the exodus of the Jewish slaves from Egypt.

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Seder

The word "Seder" means order (as in organization). During the Passover Seder, we recite blessings, tell of the story of the exodus, eat, and sing songs - all in a particular order. By participating in a Passover Seder service, we fulfill the commandment to retell the story of the exodus (Exod. 13:8).

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Zeroa

Zeroa is a shankbone or neck of poultry which is roasted and put on the seder plate. Zeroa reminds us of the "mighty arm of G-d" and it also symbolizes the Paschal lamb offered as the Passover sacrifice in Temple days.