Wine

Every participant in the Seder needs a cup for wine that holds a minimum of three ounces. Four cups of wine will be drunk by each participant during the course of the Seder. We should hurry home from shul on the Seder night to ensure that the children will be awake during the recitation of the Haggadah.  All preparations should be done in advance to avoid any delay.  The table should be set with our best china and utensils to symbolize our freedom.  Kiddush should be made 45 minutes after sundown (tz’ait ha’kochavim). Those who follow the custom of Rabbeinu Tam and wait 72 minutes for tz'ait ha'kochavim,  should not do so on Pesah night so they may begin the Seder immediately.

What Should be Used for Kiddush 
A. On this night of redemption, it is preferable to use red wine to remind us of the Plague of Blood with which the Egyptians were punished by Hashem. 

B. Even if one has a white wine of superior quality, he should still use red wine. If, however, the white wine has some red wine mixed into it, it may be used. 

C. The wine should not be cooked, mevushal, or have any additives of sugar or honey. 

D. If red wine is unavailable, white wine, cooked wine or wine with additives may be used.

E. Grape juice should not be used as a first choice because it does not symbolize freedom and royalty since it is not intoxicating.

F. If the mitzvah is somewhat difficult to fulfill with wine, grape juice may be used as an alternative.  First, however, he should follow G or H. 

G. A more preferable option in this case is to dilute up to 49 percent of the wine with grape juice. Everything that is needed for the Seder should be prepared in advance.  If erev Pesah is on Shabbat, the necessary preparations should be made on Friday.  The reason everything should be ready in advance is to avoid delay and make sure that the children will be awake for the Seder.  Necessary items for the Seder include: wine, matzot, Ka’arah, Haggadot, karpas, marror, haroset and salt water.  We will now discuss these things in greater detail. 

H. Another option is to dilute the wine with water.  However, the dilution cannot be more than 49 percent of the total.  (Some of the N.Y. wines may be diluted about 34 percent, therefore only up to 15 percent water may be mixed in.)  Note:  Matuk Rouge Soft wine has no water mixed in, therefore one may dilute it with more than 20 percent water.  However, if this amount of water will water down the taste of the wine, then a smaller amount should be added. The Matuk wine also has a low alcohol percentage. Therefore, it is advisable for those who have trouble with wine to dilute the Matuk and then drink most of the cup (1½ ounces). 

I. A last resort may be to dilute grape juice with water.

J. If the consumption of wine or grape juice is hazardous to one’s health, someone else may be motzee him with his Kiddush. 

K. If no one is available to be motzee him, he may recite Kiddush on the matzah rather than on the wine. He would first wash Netilat Yadayim before Kiddush and make the berachah of Hamotzie rather than the berachah of Hagefen. After finishing Kiddush, he should eat 2 ounces of matzah. Before eating the matzah, he must recite the berachah of  “Al Achilat Matzah.” (Yahatz should be done before Kiddush.) 

L. The berachah of Ga’al Yisroel at the conclusion of Maggid is still recited, even when one is unable to drink wine.

M. According to Kabbalah, it is customary to dilute the wine with three drops of water, taking care not to overdilute it.  (This is done even though, according to halachah, our wine does not have to be diluted.) 

Haggadah
A Haggadah book is needed for all participants in the Seder including women and children.  Any Haggadah that was used before the Pesah holiday that might have hametz should be checked beforehand and put away if it cannot be cleaned. 

Vegetables for Karpas 
Enough vegetables for karpas (celery is customary) should be provided for all the participants.  The portions will be dipped in salt water or vinegar.  Each portion is a little less than an ounce. 

Matzah
Three matzot are placed in front of the leader.  Everyone participating in the Seder will be eating a minimum of four ounces (preferably five ounces) of matzah.  The first two ounces will be eaten during Motzie Matzah which will be discussed on page 80. The third ounce will be eaten for Korech as discussed on page 82.  The fourth ounce is eaten for Afikoman.  Some have the custom to eat two ounces for Afikoman.  Refer to pages 85-86 for more halachot.

What Kind of Matzah 

A. Preferably one should use matzah shmurah missha’at ketzirah at the Seder.  These matzot are made from wheat which was supervised from the time that the wheat was cut to make sure it did not come in contact with even a drop of water, rendering it hametz.

B. It is also preferable to use handmade matzah rather than machine made matzah.

C. Matzot that are not handmade and not matzah shmurah missha’at ketzirah are also acceptable.  However, egg matzah is not acceptable for the mitzvah. 

Laws Pertaining to the Elderly

One who cannot chew the matzah follows these halachic options:

A. Preferably, he may crumble the matzah finely (into a consistency that resembles matzah meal). 

B. He may reheat the matzah to soften it. 

C. He may dip his matzah into cold or warm soup (not hot). 

D. If it is still not soft enough, he can soak the matzah in water for up to 24 hours prior, yet he must keep the following in mind: 

1. He may only soak it in water, not any other liquid. 
2. The water must be warm and not hot.
3. If the matzah being immersed is less than 1 ounce, the water cannot turn white. 

Marror – Types of Herbs that May be Used

A. There are five types of herbs that can be used:  1) Romaine lettuce;  2) endives; 3) fresh horseradish;  4) ivy;  5) coriander.  The most preferable, according to Syrian tradition, is escarole for marror and Romaine lettuce for Korech. Follow the order that it is written above, if these items are not available.

B. If these herbs are absolutely unattainable, then any bitter herb may be used, but the berachah of Al Achilat Marror is not recited. 
C. The mitzvah of marror can be fulfilled with either the stems or leaves of the herbs. 

D. If one is using the leaves, they must be fresh and not dried.  If he is using the stalks, they may be fresh or dried. 

E. Cooked herbs are not permissible for marror, nor herbs pickled or soaked in water for 24 hours.

F. Fresh horseradish may be used for marror.  However, it may not be cooked.  To remove some of its sharpness, it can be ground and then left uncovered.  Some are of the opinion that it can only be ground after returning from shul on the Seder night, not earlier.  (When the Seder occurs on Shabbat, it must be done before Shabbat.) 

G. Under no circumstances should one eat horseradish in its whole state as it is hazardous to one’s health and he will not be fulfilling the mitzvah.

Cleansing Process of the Marror

Since the leaves of escarole and romaine lettuce are infested with insects, the leaves must be cleaned and checked very well before they are served so as not to transgress the various sins involved in eating an insect (has v’shalom).  Many of the insects and flies are green and are camouflaged by the leaves, making this task very tedious. It is possible to buy bags of halachically checked romaine lettuce which are very convenient and may be used for the Seder.  Below are two methods which can be used to cleanse and check these herbs successfully. 

Method A 
1. Soak the leaves for five minutes in a solution consisting of one teaspoon salt added to ten cups of water.  This will loosen the grip of the insects on the leaf. (A stronger soluton may kill the insect, causing an even tighter grip.) 

2. Agitate the leaves in the water. 

3. Rinse the leaves and shake off excess water.

4. Holding the leaf to a bright light (allowing the light to shine through the leaf) carefully check both sides of the leaf.  (Black spots must be carefully investigated.) 

Method B
1. With a solution of soap and water, sponge each leaf.
2. Then rinse the leaf under a strong stream of cold water.
3. Check each leaf using a good light. 

(Methods A and B taken from the Pesach Guide compiled by Rabbi Avraham Blumenkrantz.) 

Haroset
The marror is dipped into haroset.  The Syrian tradition is to make the haroset from dates.  First the dates should be opened and checked for worms.  The dates are then cooked, after which they are ground into a thick paste, representing the cement the Jewish People worked with in Egypt.  Cinnamon is added to the dates, representing the straw that the Jewish slaves worked with in Egypt.  Some have the custom to leave the cinnamon sticks whole so it will look like straw.  Ground nuts (walnuts) are added to the haroset as it says in Shir HaShirim (6:11) אל גנת אגוז ירדתי,Hashem went down to our “nut garden” which refers to the Bet HaMikdash.  Almonds are also added because the Hebrew word for almonds is ש קדיםand שקד also means to be alert and keep watch
— Hashem watched over us and then redeemed us from Egypt. 

Before the marror is dipped into the haroset, wine is added to the mixture, both to soften it as well as to represent the red of the blood.  We use a “sharp” liquid (i.e., wine) to remind us of the bitter slavery suffered by our ancestors in Egypt.  When Pesah falls on Shabbat, the liquid should be added and mixed into a little haroset at a time, using a shinui (i.e., left hand or first putting the wine into the plate and then adding the haroset mixture.)

Shulhan Orech 
A nice meal should be prepared in honor of the Yom Tov.  It is a mitzvah to eat meat, as it states און שמחה אלא בבשר יין . In addition, two cooked foods are prepared which are placed on the Ka’arah: 

1. A shankbone (ze’roa) or, if unavailable, a roasted chicken wing, represents the Korban Pesah and the זרוע נטויה “outstretched arm” that Hashem demonstrated when He took us out of Egypt.  It is customary that the shankbone should be roasted. However, it may be eaten only if it was cooked after being roasted. 

2. A cooked egg represents the Korban Hagigah. The egg (בעי) refers to בעי) בעירחמנא למפרק יתנא), meaning that “Hashem wants (בעי) to redeem us.”  Also, a hard cooked egg is eaten by mourners as a sign of aveilut.  We too experience an element of aveilut because we cannot bring the Korban Pesah at this time. Therefore, a cooked egg is placed on the Ka’arah as a reminder of our mourning and the Bet HaMikdash’s destruction. 

It is customary not to eat any roasted meat or poultry on Seder night.  Included in this minhag is pot roasted meat without liquid.