How to Read the Haggadah
The Haggadah is a book that serves as a guide to fulfilling the commandment in Exodus 13:8: "And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt." It is read at the seder, which is the ritual festive meal that is celebrated on the first two nights of Passover.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Haggadah Seder plate (with roasted egg, shank bone, bitter herbs, charoset and karpas) Wine Matzo
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1
Obtain a Haggadah that you and your guests like. Many different translations and types of commentary can be found, or you can make your own (try The Open Source Haggadah Project).
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2
Begin reading with the Order of the Seder. This is like a table of contents for the Haggadah; it lays out all the steps you will need to perform to celebrate the seder.
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3
Recite the blessings and perform the rituals for the first four parts of the seder: "kadesh" (the blessing of the wine); "urchatz" (washing the hands); "karpas" (blessing and eating the vegetable); and "yachatz" (breaking the middle matzah). As you read in your Haggadah, look at the commentary as well as the translation to learn about the symbolism of these actions.
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4
Read the "maggid" section, which tells the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. This is a long section, but it contains the best-known parts of the seder, including the Four Questions, the Ten Plagues and the song "Dayeinu."
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5
Recite the blessings and perform the rituals that lead up to the festive meal: "rachtzah" (washing the hands again); "motzi matzo" (blessings for the matzo); "maror" (blessing and eating the bitter herbs); and "koreich" (eating the sandwich of bitter herbs and charoset). Again, read the commentary in your Haggadah as well as the traditional text to satisfy your curiosity about the meanings of these items and rituals.
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6
Eat the festive meal ("shulchan orech"). Set aside the Haggadah so it doesn't get dirty. After eating, take the Haggadah out again to perform "tzafun" (eating the afikomen) and "barech" (grace after meals).
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7
Conclude the seder by finishing the reading of the Haggadah. First come songs of praise ("hallel") and then concluding prayers and songs ("nirtzah").
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1
Tips & Warnings
It is easiest if everyone at the seder has his or her own Haggadah to follow along in. However, all the Haggadahs at your table don't have to be the same; different translations and commentaries can enrich your seder.
