With Pesach upon us, I wanted to focus on several things we do and recite at our seders.
A recent custom some have added is to place on the Seder table a cup filled with water in honor of Miriam, who led the women in song during the Exodus and who “carried” the well of water that sustained B’nai Yisrael in the desert.
Some years ago, after I spoke about this at a shiur, a man came up to question this custom. I shared with him that in the tenth century, the people of Kair Ovan (in North Africa) asked Rav Sherira, the Gaon of Pumpedita in Babylonia, regarding the two foods placed on the Seder table. He responded that they symbolize the two messengers, Moses and Aaron, whom God sent to Egypt. He told them that there are those who place a third food – fish – on the Seder table in memory of Miriam, as it says, “And I sent before you Moses and Aaron and Miriam (Micah 6:4).” Tradition teaches us that these three food items (egg, meat and fish) will be eaten in the World to Come. And so,I suggested to this man that he reclaim this custom and instead of placing a cup of water on the table he added a piece of gefilte fish in honor of Miriam!
This year, as our first Seder falls on a Saturday night, there is a mnemonic to help us with the “order” of Kiddush and Havdala called Yaknehaz (yud, kuf, nun, heh, zayin). It stands for yayin (wine), Kiddush, ner (candle), Havdala, and zman (time, i.e., the blessing on time, shehecheyanu). We make Kiddush and then Havdala (we turn to the lit holiday candles), skip the blessing over the spices, and then make the shehecheyanu. In some medieval Ashkenazic Haggagdot (and it may even be in your contemporary Haggadah), we can find a picture of a scene of hunters and hares. You may ask why that picture would be in a Haggadah? The answer is that the German term for hare hunt is jag den has (hunt the hare), which is quite similar phonetically to the mnemonic of Yaknehaz!
You may wonder about “Ha lachma anya” that we recite at the Seder. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, zt”l, asks how is it hospitable to offer to those who are hungry a taste of the “bread of affliction”? He explains this as follows: “As noted, m[M]atzah represents two things: it is the food of slaves, and also the bread eaten by the Israelites as they left Egypt in liberty. What transforms the bread of oppression into the bread of freedom is the willingness to share it with others. Sharing food is the first act through which slaves become free human beings. One who fears tomorrow does not offer his bread to others. But one who is willing to divide his food with a stranger has already shown himself to be capable of fellowship and faith, the two things from which hope is born. That is why we begin the Seder by inviting others to join us. Bread shared is no longer the bread of oppression. By reaching out to others, giving help to the needy and companionship to those who are alone, we bring freedom into the world, and with freedom, God.”
Finally towards the end of the seder we pour a special glass of wine to honor Elijah HaNavi and then open the door to welcome him in. This has its roots in the rabbinic discussion over how many cups of wine we are commanded to drink. We drink one cup for each of the four verses from the Torah that represent God’s saving action in redeeming us from Egypt. The rabbis could not agree whether there should be a fifth cup, based on the fifth verse, “And I will bring you into the land.” Thus they designated a “fifth cup” in honor of Elijah, to whom Jewish tradition ascribes the role of announcing the final redemption from exile. In messianic times, it will be Elijah who will answer all unsolved questions, including the question of a fifth cup. A beautiful custom based on the tradition of the 18th century Chasidic master, Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, is to pass Elijah’s Cup around to all the attendees and have them pour a bit of their wine or /grape juice into Elijah’s Cup. This is to remind us that in order to bring redemption we all have to be engaged in the process of improving our world.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Kasher V’Sameach!
Rabbanit Adena Berkowitz, a practicing therapist, is Scholar in Residence at Kol HaNeshamah NYC, an organization dedicated to reenergizing the spiritual life of both affiliated and not yet affiliated Jews. She is the author of the bestselling The Jewish Journey Haggadah and can be reached at [email protected].
