During the Passover order of service, called the seder, it was obligatory to list and explain the meaning of the three original elements, a custom still observed in modern seders.

The meal had to be completed by midnight. A biblical injunction forbade the breaking of any bones of the Passover lamb, even while eating it (Ex. 12:46). Violators of this command were punished with 39 lashes of a whip. Any uneaten portion of the Passover lamb was to be burned on the morning of the 16th of Nisan (unless the 16th fell on a Sabbath, in which case the burning occurred on the morning of the 17th) [Ex. 12:10].

Since the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D., the Passover observance has undergone changes. Without a Temple, a priesthood, and a Passover sacrifice, the service has been adapted to the ever-fluctuating condition of the Jewish community. Passover is still a joyful holiday. As preparation is made, the participants anticipate the happy occasion as if they were royalty for a day. The best food is served; the best tableware is used; the best decorations are set out; the best clothing is worn.

On the first night, the synagogue service is held early, so that children may attend. Back in the home, the family comes together to begin the seder. To help remember the events of the Passover, the story is retold with the aid of a booklet called the Haggadah, which contains the account of the Passover, various rabbinical commentaries, assorted prayers, and songs. Not every Jewish family reads through the entire Haggadah, because to do so would take hours.
The original Passover was simple. There were only three elements on the table. Since the Exodus, however, other elements have been added, each having its own symbolic meaning.

Wine or Grape Juice: Four times during the Passover seder the cups are filled with wine or grape juice, and a blessing is pronounced. These four cups represent the four ways in which God describes Israel’s redemption in Exodus 6:6–7: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; And I will take you to me for a people.” The color of the wine or grape juice is always red, recalling the blood of the Passover lamb.

Elijah’s Cup: Based on Malachi 4:5, Jewish tradition teaches that the Prophet Elijah will come one day and announce the arrival of the Messiah. In anticipation of that event, there is an extra place setting and a special cup on the seder table designated just for Elijah. This cup is identified with God’s promise in Exodus 6:8: “I will bring you in unto the land,” which is interpreted as referring to Israel’s final redemption in the last days.

Parsley: This leafy herb is on the table to remember the hyssop used by the Israelites as a brush to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the doorposts and lintels of their homes (Ex. 12:22).

Salt Water: Salt water is used to symbolize the tears of the Jewish people shed while in bondage.

Charoset: This mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine or grape juice represents the bricks and mortar the Israelites made while they were slaves in Egypt.

Hard-boiled Egg: The egg has numerous interpretations. Some view it as a reminder of the festival offering that was sacrificed along with the Passover lamb. Others see it as a symbol of grief over the destruction of the Temple. Some Jewish families eat the egg during the seder, while others simply include it for its symbolic meaning.

Bitter Herbs: Symbolizing the bitter lives of the children of Israel in Egypt (Ex. 1:14), horseradish is often used for the bitter herbs. Strong horseradish brings tears to the eyes, aiding in the reflection on the bitterness of slavery.

Lettuce: This serves as another form of bitter herbs.

Unleavened Bread: There are three matzo (unleavened bread) crackers on the Passover table. They are often placed inside a special pouch containing three compartments. These three matzos represent the three biblical divisions within the people of Israel. The top piece represents the Cohens (priests); the middle piece represents the Levites; the bottom piece represents the Israelites. The matzos serve as a reminder of the unleavened bread the children of Israel ate as they left Egypt in haste (Ex. 12:39).

Roasted Shank Bone of a Lamb: According to the Bible, the holiday of Passover was to be observed only in the city of Jerusalem, site of the Temple, where the Passover lambs were sacrificed for this special occasion (Dt. 16:5–7). Today this is no longer required. Since the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D., no Passover lambs have been killed and eaten. Instead, the roasted shank bone of a lamb is placed on the table as a memorial of the Passover sacrifice.

Six of these Passover elements are usually set on a special decorative seder plate, positioned above the matzo pouch.
Once the table is set and all the elements put in place, the evening’s festivities begin. The lady of the house greets the holiday with a blessing over the festival candles. After the participants gather at the table, the first cup of wine, the kiddush, is blessed and drunk, following by a hand-washing ceremony. Cleanliness has always been important to the Jewish people. Ceremonial washings played an integral role in biblical Judaism and still do in rabbinical Judaism.

A green vegetable, usually parsley, is then dipped into the salt water and eaten by all of the participants. At this point, the middle matzo is taken from the matzo pouch and broken in half. One half is put back inside the pouch for later use. The other half is wrapped in a cloth and hidden away, to be hunted later by the children. This special piece of unleavened bread is called the afikomen.

The story of the Exodus is then recounted, introduced by the youngest child, who poses the question, “Why is this night of Pesach so different from all other nights of the year?” The child then asks four more questions. “On all other nights we may eat either leavened or unleavened bread; why on this night do we eat only unleavened bread? On all other nights we may eat any species of herbs; why on this night do we eat only bitter herbs? On all other nights we do not dip even once; why on this night do we dip twice? On all other nights we eat and drink either sitting or reclining; why on this night do we all recline?”

The answers to these questions form the impetus for explaining the Passover story. Beginning with Abraham’s God-given glimpse into Israel’s enslaved future (Gen. 15:13–14), the account of Moses and the redemption from Egypt is retold. When the narrative comes to the ten plagues, each participant dips a finger (representing the “finger of God” in judgment) into a goblet and places a drop of wine on the plate as each plague is recited.

As the retelling of the Passover story concludes, two of the Hallel psalms (Ps. 113–114) are spoken, followed by the blessing and drinking of the second cup. All participants then wash their hands, while an appropriate blessing is spoken. A blessing also is pronounced as the upper and middle matzos are broken and distributed for everyone to eat, immediately followed by eating the bitter herbs.

Next a sandwich is formed from the bitter herbs, the charoset, and two pieces of the bottom matzo. Known as a “Hillel sandwich,” it originally included meat from the Passover lamb and was instituted by Hillel the Elder, a notable first-century Jewish rabbi, and therefore bears his name.

Finally the time arrives in the service for the festive, often sumptuous holiday meal. Once that is completed, the participants search for and eat the afikomen. This is the moment the children anxiously await. When the previously hidden afikomen is discovered, the fortunate finder brings the enshrouded piece of matzo to the father, who rewards the child, usually with a monetary gift. The afikomen is then broken and distributed for everyone to eat. No other food is eaten after the afikomen has been consumed.

The meal is followed by a prayer of thanksgiving, succeeded by blessing and drinking the third cup of wine. A member of the family is then asked to go to the door, open it, and see if Elijah the prophet is coming.
The remaining Hallel psalms (Ps. 115–118) are then read, followed by blessing and drinking the fourth and final cup. Some observant families then fill Elijah’s cup and surround it with all of the other cups, signifying the special place Elijah has in Israel’s future redemption.

At the conclusion of the Passover seder, additional festival songs are sung. Looking forward to the coming messianic age, all of the participants cry out with one voice, “Next year in Jerusalem!” With this expression of hope, the first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread ends.

Of course, beginning with the first evening and continuing throughout the feast, only unleavened bread or matzo is eaten. For years matzo was handmade in a circular shape. When machines began to mass produce unleavened bread, it was shaped in a square to safeguard against leaving behind the corners of cut-out circular matzo and allowing them to ferment, thereby contaminating the whole batch. Matzo has always been baked with puncture holes to permit any trapped air to escape, thus preventing the dough from rising.

The biblical commandment not to eat anything leavened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread was so important that God declared that anyone who disobeyed would be “cut off from Israel” (Ex. 12:15). Being cut off from the congregation of Israel was the worst penalty that could be incurred and was usually reserved for intentional or deliberate offenders. Rabbinical scholars differ as to what being “cut off” actually denoted. It certainly involved death—either premature death in this life or separation from God and His people in the life to come. Because of the severity of the penalty, ultra-Orthodox Jews today eat only matzo that has been “guarded” until the festival (watched continually from the time the grain is cut until the dough is put into the oven to insure that no fermentation has occurred).