Chapter 1. The Laws of the Seder Night

Wearing the kittel

alef Married Ashkenazim customarily wear a white garment [kittel] when conducting the Seder; regarding a groom in his first year, there are various customs1 . However, the custom is that he does not wear it, and one who does wear it is not protested against2 .

Bringing the Seder plate

bet

The Seder-night plate is brought to the table, containing the maror, karpas, charoset, shank bone, and egg. There are differing customs as to when the plate is brought: some bring it after kiddush, before eating karpas3 , and some customarily bring it  before kiddush4  The custom  of the Gra is to bring it after  the first dipping5 .

Likewise, customs differ  regarding arranging  the plate: some arrange it  so that the karpas and salt  water stand close to the head of the household, followed by the three matzot, and then maror,  charoset, the shank bone, and the egg, so as not to pass over mitzvot6 . Others arrange the shank bone  on the right and the egg on the left, with the maror beneath them in the center, then the charoset on the right  under the shank bone and the karpas on the left under the egg; this follows the kabbalah of the Ari7 , and each person  should follow the custom of his fathers.

Preparation

gimel  One should arrange his seat so that he can sit while reclining. The manner of reclining is to tilt one’s body to the left8 , and even a left-handed person reclines on his left9 , leaning on cushions and pillows10 ; after the fact, he may lean on another person11 .

Its form

dalet The form of reclining must be such that his hand is not free and he cannot use it12 .

Women

heh The custom of most Ashkenazim is that women do not recline13 , though some have the custom that women also recline14 .

A student before his rabbi and a son before his father

vav A student in the presence of his rabbi, even if he is not his primary teacher, does not recline unless his rabbi gave him permission15 ; likewise, one who eats in the presence of the gadol hador, even if he did not learn Torah from him, does not recline16 . A son in the presence of his father reclines even if his father is his primary teacher, since it is assumed that the father forgoes his honor17 . If he explicitly says that he does not forgo it, some say his view is disregarded and the son reclines18 , while others say he should not recline19 .

If he has a wound on his left side

zayin One who has a wound on his left side and reclining causes him pain may possibly be exempt from reclining20 .

When to recline

chet Ideally, one should recline throughout the entire meal21 . Today many have the custom not to recline during the meal because people are not accustomed to reclining during the year. See further below that there are places where reclining is indispensable even after the fact: if one did not recline there, he has not fulfilled his obligation; and even in those places he should eat or drink again  without a blessing.

Its time

tet The kiddush of Seder night may be made only after nightfall. Nevertheless, when the time arrives, immediately after the Arvit prayer, one should hurry to make kiddush so that the children will not fall asleep22 .

Shehecheyanu

yod Shehecheyanu is recited in kiddush. Women who recited Shehecheyanu when lighting candles—there is room to question whether they should answer amen; it appears that they should. Women who have no such custom should not recite Shehecheyanu at candle-lighting, but rather at kiddush23 .

Roasted grains and nuts

yod-alef It is customary to distribute roasted grains, nuts, and other sweets to the children in order to arouse them so they will not sleep24 , and also so that they will notice a change from the custom all year, when they are distributed only after the meal, and will come to ask Mah Nishtanah25 .

Reciting Shalom Aleichem

yod-bet Regarding the recitation of Shalom Aleichem and other Shabbat zemirot on Seder night that falls on Shabbat, see below in the laws of Pesach that falls on Shabbat.

Reciting the signs of the Seder

yod-gimel  Before kiddush, the leader of the Seder should say “Kadesh”; before the first washing of the hands  he should say “Urchatz”; and so throughout the Seder, before each act he should say what he is about to do26 .

Pouring

yod-dalet Others should pour the kiddush cup for the head of the household, and he should not pour for himself27 . Some have the custom that all the participants likewise do not pour for themselves; rather, each pours for another, in the manner of freedom28 .

The amount to drink

tet-vav Ideally, from each cup one should drink a full revi’it [150 cc according to the larger measure, 86 cc according to the smaller measure29 ], and one should be especially careful to drink the entire revi’it in the first and fourth cups30 . If one drank most of a revi’it [76 cc by the larger measure, 44 cc by the smaller measure], he has fulfilled his obligation. Some say that drinking most of a revi’it suffices only when drinking from a cup that holds a revi’it; but if the cup contains more than a revi’it, one must drink at least most of it, even though that is more than a revi’it31 , and some are stringent to require all of it32 ; it is proper to take these opinions into account.  Therefore, one for whom drinking much wine is difficult should take a cup that contains no more than a revi’it.

Duration of drinking

tet-zayin Ideally, most of the revi’it should be drunk at once33 , and in any event with no more than one interruption, meaning in two swallows. If drinking most of a revi’it from the first cup took longer than four minutes, he should drink again. If it took less than this time but he interrupted his drinking twice, then if he acted as explained below in section yod-zayin and in note samekh-dalet, and intended to cover all his drinking until the second cup, he should drink again; if he did not have this intent, he should not drink again34 [regarding the other cups, see below sections lamed-chet, samekh-alef, samekh-tet].

A person with a large mouth

tet-vav A person whose mouth is large and whose personal cheekful contains more than most of a revi’it must drink the amount of his cheekful35 .

After-blessing

tet-zayin The common custom is not to recite an after-blessing after drinking the first cup, even if the time of digestion will pass. Some wrote that one should be careful not to let this time pass, and if it will pass, he should recite an after-blessing immediately after drinking the cup36 .

Reclining

yod-zayin All four cups should be drunk while reclining. If one forgot and did not recline, an Ashkenazi does not drink again except for the second cup; a Sephardi drinks again for all the cups. If from the outset, when reciting the blessing of HaGafen, he intended to drink more wine, even an Ashkenazi should drink again for the first cup. Therefore, it is proper initially to intend before drinking the first cup that he will drink more wine until the time of the second cup37 , [see also below note samekh-dalet].

Women

yod-chet Women are obligated in all the mitzvot of the Seder38 .

Intent

yod-tet Before kiddush, one should intend for the mitzvah of kiddush of Yom Tov, for the mitzvah of the four cups, and for the mitzvah of rejoicing on Yom Tov39 .

Order of kiddush

kaf The order of kiddush: the blessing Borei Pri HaGafen, the blessing of the sanctification of the day, and the blessing Shehecheyanu. Some say one should intend in Shehecheyanu for all the mitzvot of the night40 , and some say one should intend for the mitzvah  of counting the Omer41  but this is not the custom. Some recite Shehecheyanu while seated,  and according to the Ari it too should be recited while standing.

The HaGafen blessing

kaf-alef One does not recite HaGafen after drinking the cup, since it is covered by Birkat HaMazon. If one is concerned that the time of digestion will pass, see above section tet-zayin.

The washing

kaf-bet The hands are washed in the manner they are washed for eating bread42 , but no blessing is recited over this washing43  . If one forgot and recited a blessing over this washing, he should eat a kezayit of karpas44 .

What to take for karpas

kaf-gimel For the mitzvah of karpas, some customarily take celery45 , some customarily take radish 46 , and some customarily take potato47  .

Amount to eat

kaf-dalet One should eat less than a kezayit of the karpas, recite Borei Pri HaAdamah over it, and intend to cover the maror with this blessing48 . It is proper to intend to cover also the maror in korech49 .

The dipping

kaf-heh It appears that one should be meticulous to dip the karpas and eat it with his actual hands, and not with a fork and the like, since in order to become obligated in washing hands because of food dipped in liquid, he must dip it and eat it with his hand50 .

Reclining

kaf-vav When eating karpas there is no obligation to recline; on the contrary, according to the esoteric teaching one should not recline51 . Some say one is obligated to recline52 . Some have the custom to eat half the amount while reclining and half not reclining, thereby satisfying all opinions.

How

kaf-zayin Take the middle matzah on the plate and break it by hand into two halves of a matzah53 ; remove the larger half and keep it for the afikoman, and return the smaller half to its place between the two matzot.

The size of the smaller half

kaf-chet One should be careful that even the smaller half contains at least the amount of a kezayit, so that one can recite over it the blessing on eating matzah.

Intent

kaf-tet Before beginning to recite the Haggadah, one should intend to fulfill the Torah mitzvah of recounting the Exodus from Egypt54 .

Who tells it

lamed Regarding recounting the Exodus from Egypt, when one is at the parents’ home it is sufficient for the grandfather to tell it, based on the principle that listening is like responding, and also because the grandfather does this in the father’s place, since there is no requirement specifically that the father tell it himself55 . Nevertheless, ideally it is preferable that the father also tell his sons a little of the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

Lifting the plate

lamed-alef One should lift the plate with the matzot and begin reciting Ha Lachma Anya, etc., until Mah Nishtanah56 . Some say he should lift only the broken matzah57 .

Removing the plate

lamed-bet After finishing the recitation of Ha Lachma Anya, one should remove the plate to the edge of the table so that the children will see and ask. Some say there is no need to remove the plate; one may suffice with covering the matzot58 .

Pouring the second cup

lamed-gimel Afterward he pours the second cup; there is no need to rinse and wash the cup before pouring the second cup59 . Although it is not drunk until after the Haggadah is completed, the cup is nevertheless poured already so that the children will see, wonder, and come to ask about it60 .

Manner of recitation

lamed-dalet  The Haggadah should be recited with awe and reverence, not while reclining61 . One should not eat or drink during the recitation of the Haggadah until completing the blessing Ga’al Yisrael.

The HaGafen blessing

lamed-heh For the second cup, Sephardim do not recite Borei Pri HaGafen, for it has already been covered by the HaGafen blessing of the first cup62 ; Ashkenazim recite Borei Pri HaGafen over it63 . It is good to intend when blessing on the first cup that one does not wish to cover the second cup with it; see also the note64 .

If he did not recline

lamed-vav If one forgot and did not recline for the second cup, he drinks again while reclining65 .

Interrupted while drinking

lamed-zayin If he interrupted twice in the middle of drinking the second cup, he should drink again66 .

Did not touch anything that imparts impurity

lamed-chet Before washing hands for the meal, one who is certain that he guarded his hands well and did not touch anything that imparts impurity to the hands should properly render his hands impure by touching a dirty place or covered parts of the body, since for this washing a blessing of al netilat yadayim is recited67 . 

Transferring ownership of the matzah

lamed-tet Some wrote that it is proper to transfer ownership of the matzot to all the participants [his wife, household members, and the like], but the common custom is not to transfer ownership, and they have what to rely on68 .

Intent

mem One should intend when eating the matzah to fulfill the mitzvah of eating matzah69 .

Manner of breaking

mem-alef The manner of breaking: take the three matzot (the two whole ones and the broken one between them) and recite HaMotzi; afterward set down the bottom matzah and recite al achilat matzah over the two that remain in his hands70 , intending with this blessing to cover also the matzot of korech and of afikoman71 , and eat a kezayit from the upper matzah and a kezayit from the broken matzah72 .

Amount to eat

mem-bet  The amount of matzah that must be eaten is 30 grams73 ; with this, one is eating a kezayit according to the larger measure for fulfillment of the Torah law of one kezayit, and two kezayit portions according to the smaller measure for fulfillment of the rabbinic requirement to eat from the two matzot74 . [See further at length below, sections ayin and ayin-alef].

Weighing the matzah

mem-gimel It is permitted to weigh the matzah on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and this does not involve the prohibition of measuring on Shabbat, since it is for the purpose of a mitzvah75 .

Duration of eating

mem-dalet The widespread custom is to eat the two kezayit portions little by little, without interruption, until the amount is completed within less than the time of kedei achilat pras76 , [ideally 2 minutes, and after the fact 4 minutes]77 .

Dipping in salt

mem-heh The custom of Sephardim is that even on Seder night they dip the matzah in salt78 , while the custom of Ashkenazim is that on Seder night they do not dip the matzah in salt79 . It appears that even Ashkenazim should bring salt to the table, even though they do not dip in salt80 .

How

mem-vav He should take a kezayit of maror, horseradish or lettuce, dip it in charoset, and immediately shake off the charoset. Even when it falls on Shabbat, he may shake off the charoset, and this does not constitute the labor of borer, since by shaking he is not separating all of the charoset81 .

The blessing

mem-zayin  He should recite al achilat maror and intend with his blessing to cover also the maror that he will eat in korech82  .

Reclining

mem-chet When eating maror there is no need to recline83 .

The amount

The measure of maror: lettuce leaves are somewhat lighter than water, and their volume can be estimated by the weight of water. Since the kezayit of maror is rabbinic, one may be lenient according to the measure that a kezayit is one third of an egg of our time, which is 17 cc—grams. However, this is only if he hears the blessing over the maror from someone else. But regarding one who recites the blessing over the maror, the Mishnah Berurah wrote that since he is reciting a blessing, he must eat according to the larger measure of a kezayit, which is half an egg of their time, 50 cc—grams, approximately 2 large lettuce leaves [see below sections peh-heh, peh-vav].

Manner of wrapping

nun He should take a kezayit from the third matzah and a kezayit of maror, and the custom is to place the maror between two pieces of matzah84 . The amount of matzah for korech is 15 grams85 . Afterward he dips them in charoset; those who are careful not to eat gebrokts should not dip the matzah, but only the maror. He should say “Zecher leMikdash keHillel,” and afterward eat the korech86 . Some say that only after eating the korech should he say “Zecher leMikdash keHillel”87 .

Eating the egg

nun-alef After korech, the meal is eaten, and one should eat eggs during it88 . One should make an effort to eat from the egg on the plate89 . One does not eat from the shank bone on the plate, since roasted meat is not eaten on this night.

Do not fill one’s belly

nun-bet One should be careful not to eat much at this meal, so that he can eat the afikoman with appetite and so that eating the afikoman will not be coarse overeating, which is not considered eating90 .

Amount to eat

nun-gimel After the meal is finished, one should eat a kezayit of the afikoman matzah91 . Ideally, it is proper to eat two kezayit portions of the afikoman matzah92 . Their amount is 30 grams; for children up to bar mitzvah age one may initially be lenient with an amount of 15 grams93  .

The other participants

nun-dalet The other participants should eat a little of the afikoman matzah, and make up what is lacking for the amount of a kezayit from the other matzot.

Reclining

The afikoman should be eaten while reclining. If one forgot and did not recline, if he remembered before Birkat HaMazon it is proper that he eat again while reclining; but if eating is difficult for him, he may be lenient and need not eat again94 .

Eating and drinking after the afikoman

nun-vav After eating the afikoman, it is forbidden to eat and drink, except for water and tea, until dawn95 . If one slept and rose before dawn, by the letter of the law he may eat and drink96 .

Before midnight

nun-zayin One should be careful to eat the afikoman before halachic midnight97 . For this purpose he should hurry his meal. In pressing circumstances, some are lenient by making a condition: if the halachah follows Rabbi Eliezer, the matzah he eats during Shulchan Orech should be for the sake of afikoman, while the matzah he eats afterward as afikoman should be ordinary matzah; and if the halachah follows Rabbi Akiva, that the time of afikoman is until dawn, then the matzah he eats at Tzafun should be for the sake of afikoman98 .

Rinsing the cup

nun-chet Birkat HaMazon should be recited over a cup, and one should rinse and wash it before the blessing99  .

Mentioning Retzeh and Ya’aleh VeYavo

nun-tet When Seder night falls on Shabbat, one must mention Retzeh and Ya’aleh VeYavo in Birkat HaMazon. If one forgot either of them, he must go back and recite it again100 . However, if he remembered only after he already drank from the cup of Birkat HaMazon, he should recite Birkat HaMazon again without a cup101 .

Drinking the third cup

samekh  He should drink the third cup while reclining. If he forgot and did not recline, a Sephardi drinks again while reclining, and an Ashkenazi should not drink, so as not to add to the cups. 

Interrupted while drinking

samekh-alef If he interrupted in the middle of drinking the third cup such that he drank it over a period longer than four minutes, he should drink again102 .

Pouring the fourth cup

samekh-bet  After drinking the cup of Birkat HaMazon, he pours the fourth cup and recites Shefoch Chamat’cha, etc.; some pour the fourth cup after this recitation103 .

Opening the door

samekh-gimel The custom is to open the door of the house before this recitation104 .

Hallel before midnight

samekh-dalet Ideally, Hallel should be recited before midnight105 .

From where to recite

samekh-heh He recites from Lo Lanu until the end of Hallel and Birkat HaShir over the fourth cup, and afterward drinks from it. One should drink from it the amount of a revi’it so that he can recite an after-blessing after it106 .

Drinking the fourth cup before midnight

samekh-vav It is proper to be careful to drink from the fourth cup before midnight107 .

The HaGafen blessing on the fourth cup

samekh-zayin For drinking the fourth cup, Sephardim do not recite Borei Pri HaGafen, since it has already been covered by the HaGafen blessing over the third cup; Ashkenazim recite Borei Pri HaGafen over it. It is good to intend in the blessing over the third cup that one does not wish to cover the fourth cup108 .

Reclining

samekh-chet One should recline when drinking the fourth cup. If he forgot and did not recline, a Sephardi drinks again while reclining, and an Ashkenazi does not drink again109 . 

Interrupted while drinking

samekh-tet If he interrupted in the middle of drinking the fourth cup such that he drank it for
more than four minutes, he should drink again110 .