How to Conduct a Successful Passover Seder

What You Will Need:
Parsley
Salt Water
Horseradish
Charoset (Ingredients explained in Step 8)
Wine
Candles
A Haggadah For Each Guest
Matzah

The father of the house blesses the wine and pours a glass for each of his guests and one for the prophet, Elijah. After each guest has drank their first glass of wine, he pours the second.

Without a prayer, everyone washes their hands in preparation for the following steps.

A green vegetable, most often parsley, is dipped in salt water (to symbolize the tears of the enslaved Jews) and is eaten.

Break the middle piece of matzah. Hide the larger piece to be used as the afikoman and searched for at the end of the meal and put the smaller half in between the other two matzos on the Seder plate.

Tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover, starting with the youngest member of the dinner who asks the Four Questions. Recite prayer over second glass of wine and drink it.

Hands are washed again, this time with a prayer, in anticipation of eating the matzot.

With the three matzot in the air, say the regular blessing of bread. Then recite another prayer, specifically over the matzot. After the blessings each person eats a bit of matzot.

Bless the maror, a bitter vegetable, the symbol of the bitterness of slavery. Combine the maror, which is usually horseradish, with charoset (a paste made of fruits, nuts, wine, honey and spices, the symbol of the bricks made by the enslaved Jews). Use this mixture to create a sandwich with matzot.

Eat the meal! It is traditional to start with the hard boiled egg, followed by the matzah ball soup and then the main course, which is commonly brisket.

The piece of matzot hidden (from step 4) is searched for by the children present and eventually shared among the members of the Seder. The small pieces of the afikoman are supposed to be the last morsels of food consumed for the night.

The third glass of wine is poured and the post-meal blessings are recited. Then a blessing for the third glass of wine is recited and it is drank. The fourth glasses of wine are poured, including one of Elijah. The front door is opened, usually by a child, for the prophet to enter.

Then recite the remaining psalms and the blessing over the last glass of wine. Drink the fourth glass of wine.

Conclude your Seder. State that the ceremony has been completed and you hope to celebrate in Jerusalem and that the messiah will come in the following year.