There are many traditions to be followed when celebrating Passover. Most traditions refer to the Passover meal and the setting of the proper table for the holiday. One of these traditions is the Haggadah, which is a text establishing the manner in which the Passover Seder is to take place. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder (a special dinner on the occasion of Passover) is prescribed by the Torah as a commandment, urging thus any Jew to “tell his son” of the fleeing of Egypt. This commandment is set in the Exodus as follows: "And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt." (Exodus 13:8).

In the Sephardic and Mizrahi communities, the term Haggadah refers to the service itself, which is constituted by the very act of ”telling your son”.

According to the Jewish tradition, families will sit down together in the first night of the Passover festival at a special dinner named ”seder”. In the case of Jewish families celebrating Passover abroad, they will sit down for dinner for two nights in a row, to ensure that that their current calendar matches the Jewish traditional one.

The name ”seder” means ”order” and is a direct reference to the strict ritual that must be followed on the occasion. Given the importance of the occasion, the lady of the house shall use the best china and silverware for the table setting.

During this dinner, it is traditional to retell the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt with the help of a special text called ”Haggadah”. During the account, one has to drink four cups of wine.

There are 15 parts of the Haggadah as follows:

Kadeish קדש – this refers to the reciting of a Kiddush blessing, followed by the drinking of the first cup;

Urchatz ורחץ – washing one’s hands, without blessing;

Karpas כרפס – this part consists of dipping the karpas(vegetable) in salted water;

Yachatz יחץ – in this part, the middle matzo is broken, resulting in two parts, unequal in size. The larger part is called an “afikoman” and shall be consumed later in the ritual;

Maggid מגיד – this is the part in which the Passover story is told, followed by the drinking of the second cup of wine;

Rachtzah רחצה – a second washing of hands, this time followed by a blessing;

Motzi מוציא – this is a traditional blessing made before eating bread products;

Matzo מצה –this blessing is made before eating matzo;

Maror מרור – eating of the maror;

Koreich כורך – this part refers to eating a sandwich made of matzo and maror;

Shulchan oreich שולחן עורך – this is literary translated as “setting the table” and refers to the very serving of the traditional meal;

Tzafun צפון – eating of the afikoman aforementioned;

Bareich ברך – this is a blessing made after the meal, followed by drinking a third cup of wine;

Hallel הלל – the reciting of the Hallel is a traditional practice on festivals, followed by the drinking of the fourth cup of wine;

Nirtzah נירצה –end of the Haggadah ritual.

These 15 parts of the Haggadah ritual are an image of the 5 steps of the Temple in Jerusalem where the Levites used to stand during service. Also, these parts are to be found in the 15 Psalms, also known as the “Shir HaMa’a lot”, or the “Songs of Ascent”.

Apart from the traditional aspect of the Haggadah, there is also an educational side to it. This is due to the fact that the meal is accompanied by particular practices, which are not the usual rule in Judaism (for instance, the reciting of the Kiddush is not immediately followed by the blessing of the bread, which would be the regular practice in other Jewish holidays). As children also attend this meal, once they pose questions and participate in the storytelling and the debate concerning the Passover story, they will be rewarded with nuts and candies. In addition to this, children are strongly encouraged to search for the “afikoman”, which is the last piece of matzo to be eaten during the meal. The purpose of the meal is to have the family spend the occasion together as well as have them engage in discussions and debates about the holiday. As a result of this, the holiday is likely to last long into the night and is often concluded with singing praises to the faith. The common song performed on the occasion is Chad Gadya (“One Little Kid”).

Before going further it is important to establish the historical background of the practice. Thus, it appears that the Haggadah was initiated during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods, probably at the time of Rabbi Yehudah bar Elaay (approximately 170 CE), who is the last tanna to have been mentioned in it. According to the Talmud, Tav and Shmuel argued against the production of the Haggadah, so it cannot have been compiled at the time. Instead, the same source reveals that the Haggadah has been compiled at the time of Rav Nachman. However, the Talmud is not clear as to what Rav Nachman it refers to: either Rav Nachman bar Yaakov (living approximately around 280 CE) or Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak (living around 360 CE).

The oldest manuscript of the Haggadah dates back to the 10^th century, and is to be found in a prayer book gathered together by Saadia Gaon. There are also two other complete versions of the Haggadah, one dating back to the 13^th century – called ”The Golden Haggadah” of Barcelona (approx. 1320) and the 14^th century – the Sarajevo Haggadah. The first printed version of the Haggadah dates back to 1482 in Gualajara, Spain, but the printer is unknown. Four years later, in 1486, the Soncino family of the city bearing the same name, in Italy, had also commissioned the printing of a Haggadah.

In the following paragraphs we shall present in detail some of the most significant parts of the Haggadah ritual.

1.The Kadeish (containing blessings and the drinking of the first cup of wine) is similar to the blessing commonly recited on the occasion of pilgrimage festivals, but also contains references to the fleeing of Egypt and the matzo eaten on the occasion. While the Kiddush blessing is often recited by the father of the house, the Kadeish is to be recited by all those taking part in the seder and is accompanied by the drinking of a cup of wine. It is customary at this level for those taking part in the seder to fill each others’ cups with wine.

2. Ur'chatz (the washing of the hands) is a traditional Jewish law referring to the need for one to wash his hands if he/she is to eat fruit or vegetables which are still wet from washing. In the event in which one has already washed his hands to eat bread, or if the fruit and vegetables are dried, then there is no need to wash one’s hands anymore (provided, as mentioned above, that they have been cleaned in advance). While traditional Jews do not recite any blessing at this point in the meal (as would be the case before eating bread), in the case of specific peoples (such as the followers of Rambam or the Gaon of Vilna) one usually recites a blessing at this point in the seder as well.

3.The Karpas is an appetizer. This consists of dipping a vegetable into a specific liquid, which differs from one branch of Judaism to another. In the Ashkenazi tradition, one dips it into salted water as a reminder of the tears shed by their ancestors as slaves, in the Sephardic tradition it is usual to dip it into vinegar, while in the older Sephardic one, which has been taken over by the Yemenite Jews, it is customary to dip it in charoset. Another custom, of Ashkenazi origin, is to dip the respective vegetable into wine.

4.Yachatz refers to the breaking of the middle matzah. There are usually three matzot present on the seder table. At this step of the Haggadah, the middle matzah is broken into half and the larger half is hidden to be eaten as a dessert – ”afikoman” at a later step in the Haggadah tradition. The remaining half is restored to the table between the other two.

5. Magid - at this step in the Haggadah, the Passover story is being told. There are however differences to be noted in this step, depending on the branch of Jews one belongs to. In the case of the Moroccan Jews, at this point, it is customary to raise the seder plate over the heads of all those present and start singing a specific chant: ” Bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim, halahma anya b'nei horin" (In haste we went out of Egypt [with our] bread of affliction, [now we are] free people)”

6. Ha Lachma Anyais an invitation to the Seder.At this point in the ritual, the matzot (also called the ”bread of affliction”) are uncovered and an official invitation is made to all those who are present to join in the meal. The invitation is initially made in Aramaic and then resumed in the native language of the country in which the respective Jews live.

7. The Mah Nishtanah (also known as The Four Questions) is in direct connection with the educational side of the holiday. According to tradition, children have to recite several questions during the night, referring to the importance of the traditions held during the respective holiday. The recital is usually entrusted to the oldest child of the household, and shall then be taken over by the next in age, as long as he/she has received enough Jewish religious instruction. In the absence of children, the questions are to be asked by one of the spouses, and, in the event in which one is alone, he/she is the one to ask and answer the respective questions.

All four questions concern the issue of why is this particular night different from the other nights of the year(Ma nishtana ha lyla ha zeh mikkol hallaylot?)

The first question addresses the fact that while on other nights one eats both leavened bread or matza, on the Passover seder they only eat matzo - ” Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh’lin ḥamets umatsa, vehallayla hazze kullo matsa”. The second question is similar and refers to the fact that while on other nights one eats all types of vegetables, on this night, they have to eat bitter herbs- ”Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh’lin sh’ar y'rakot, vehallayla hazze maror”. The third question concerns the fact that on this night one has to dip his/her food twice- ”Shebb'khol hallelot en anu matbillin afillu pa‘am eḥat, vehallayla hazze sh'tei fe‘amim”. A fourth question concerns the fact that on this particular night one has to eat in a reclined position -” Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh’lin ben yosh’vin uven m'subbin, vehallayla hazze kullanu m'subbin”. There has also been a fifth question in this group of questions, concerning the fact that on this particular night one had to eat the meat entirely roasted – ”Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh’lin basar tsali shaluk umvushal, vehallayla hazze kullo tsali”. Eventually, the question has been removed from the group, after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Apart from being a ritual in the Passover holiday, the Haggadah is also an important symbol of Judaism which could be offered as an educational gift. Throughout time, the text of the Haggadah has been printed in over 2000 editions, one more elegant than the other. The oldest versions, with illuminations and various decorations have become a must-have for the collectors in the field.

The newest versions, apart from being an exquisite gift to be offered on various occasions, are also an instructive one, should they be offered to children. This is due to the fact that the Haggadah tells the story of the fight for freedom from slavery, achieved through ones’ own forces and belief. Thus, the Haggadah is a powerful example of determination and personal strength, as well as one of the importance of tradition that survived through centuries.