Search results for: ""Marror""

Mirror or Picture of People in Front of You
Don't face a mirror or picture of people when saying amida or any other prayer at which you will bow.
Reason You should not bow down to an image.
Maror: How To Eat It
Say the blessing “al achilat maror.”
Dip the maror into the charoset and shake off all but a little bit of the charoset.
Do not lean when eating the maror.
Note The blessing for maror was included in the borei pri ha'adama blessing, which was said on the karpas earlier in the seder.
Maror: How Much To Eat
The minimum amount to fulfill the mitzva of eating maror at seder is 0.65 fl. oz. (19 ml), or about the volume of 1/3 of an egg.
Note If you choose to use romaine instead of horseradish for maror, the minimum amount is about 2-3 stems (depending on their size), or enough leaves if crushed to make up 0.65 fl. oz.
Note It is even better to eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup).
Maror: What To Eat
The ideal bitter vegetable for maror at the Passover seder is horseradish. Horseradish for maror:
  • Must be fresh enough to be sharp.
  • Should be ground (if ground ahead of time, it must be stored in a covered container until the seder).
  • Must not have liquid (horseradish with beets added is not suitable for use as maror).
Note Many people have the custom to use romaine lettuce for maror (be careful to check for bugs on the romaine).
Koreich: How Much Maror To Eat
For koreich, use the same amount of maror as for the maror commandment. See Maror: How Much To Eat.
Pesach, Matza, and Maror
Pesach, matza, and maror should be read and explained with special attention.
Reason They are the main parts of the seder and of the commandment to have a seder.
 
Head Tefila: How To Put On
  1. Place the tefila on your head tightly enough so it does not slip off under normal motion.
  2. Center the head tefila box on your forehead (as it appears to an average person. There is no need to look in a mirror.)
  3. Place the head tefila box with its front edge above your hairline (or where your hairline was when you were 13!), not further back than half-way on your skull from front to back.
  4. Ideally, place the knot at the back on your occipital bone (base of your skull), but you may place it lower as long as it is still on top of your hair.
  5. Say the second blessing, al mitzvat tefilin.
  6. Tighten the tefila on your head and say, Baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam va'ed
    Reason Al mitzvat tefilin” is a questionable blessing (safek bracha).
    Note Tefilin head straps should reach at least to your navel (left strap) and mila (right strap).
Five Foods of the Seder Plate
Seder plate consists of five foods: 

Shank Bone
Shank bone, meat, or a neck represents the Passover lamb offering.
Note Any part of any kosher animal or bird may be used for this purpose except liver. You may even use roasted lamb, but you may not eat it.

Egg
Egg represents the holiday offering (chagiga).

Bitter Herbs
Bitter herbs (maror), such as romaine, horseradish, or endive, represent the bitterness of slavery.

Charoset
Charoset (sweet mixture of nuts and fruits) reminds us of the mortar the Jews used to build the Egyptian storage cities.

Vegetable
Vegetable such as parsley or potato (karpas). The vegetable does not represent anything and is there to motivate the children to ask questions.
 
Seder: Purpose
It is praiseworthy to tell the story of Passover even if you know all the details and interpretations (as did the great rabbis of the Talmud), because of the principle of “in order to remember” (lema'an tizkor): that we should remember everything God did for us when taking us out of Egypt.
The Three Discussion Points
The most important part of the seder is discussing:
  • Passover offering (Pesach),
  • Unleavened bread (matza), and
  • Bitter herbs (maror).
These three segments should be read from the Passover hagada in the Hebrew.  If anyone does not understand the Hebrew, these paragraphs and the concepts they express must be explained in whatever language he or she can understand.
Children at the Seder
Children are an integral part of the sederWe try to get children to ask questions and then we teach them the answers.  The Torah says to do this!
Acknowledging God's Miracles
We acknowledge God's miracles in sending the plagues against the Egyptians and their gods and in taking the Children of Israel out of slavery and Egypt.
Telling Our History
We tell our history beginning with Jacob (Yaakov) and Laban (Lavan) and on to slavery and, finally, to achieving freedom.