B"H
Monday, Nissan 5, 5780 / March 30, 2020
Pesach (Passover) begins Wednesday night, April 8. In the Diaspora we have two Pesach Seders – Wednesday night and Thursday night. In Israel only one Seder is celebrated.
Q. On Shabbat and holidays we recite the Kiddush over a cup of wine. After reciting the Kiddush we may drink as many cups of wine as we desire without making another blessing on the wine. However, at the Seder, although we said the blessing over wine during the Kiddush, we still recite a blessing over each of the cups of wine. Why?
A. The reason we drink four cupsat the Seder is to commemorate the fourexpressions of redemptionwhich G-d used to express His commitment to the Exodus.
Because each of the four cups symbolizes another one of these expressions, each cup is a separatemitzvahand therefore a separate blessing is required for each cup.
Another reason is that the lengthy passages of the Haggadah and the discussions we are encouraged to have about the story of the Exodus constitute an “interruption” between the cups of wine and thus necessitate an individual blessing for each cup.
Q. At the Seder, when we eat the matzah and drink the four cups of wine, we are required to sit in a reclining positiontowards our left side. What is the reason for this?
A. In ancient times, noblemen would eat in a reclining position, as it was an expression of freedom. The average person, especially a servant, did not recline. At the Seder, when we celebrate our freedom from slavery, the Rabbis instituted that we should demonstrate our freedom and recline as noblemen when performing the special mitzvot which symbolize our freedom.
Q. Why do we recline on the left side, as opposed to the right side?
A. Our sages established that we recline on the left side so that the food should not accidentally enter the upper part of the windpipe, which may cause choking.
Q. We drink the second cup of wine later in the Seder, after reciting the Hagadah. Why do we pour the wine into the cup at the very beginning of the Seder, before the children ask the four question and before reciting the Hagadah?
A. This is done in order to make the children curious and ask this question and as a result they will ask other questions, including the four questions. It is important on this night to do things which will make the children ask questions, so they will be interested in sitting at the Seder and hear the story of the Exodus.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHYAND SUCCESSFUL DAY