In addition to these ceremonial eaten foods, the Seder includes a kosher meal that is eaten later in the ceremony.
Preparing for a Passover Seder involves cleansing your house of all chametz, cooking a kosher meal for the guests, and setting the seder table with special Passover dishes (it is customary to use your most beautiful silver, dishes and tableware for Passover). For the Seder table you will (minimally) need the following items:
- Holiday Candles
- Kosher wine and wine cups for each person
- Matzah - 3 sheets for use with the Afikomen ceremony
- A Seder Plate with all the necessary items (see list above)
- A wine cup for Elijah (not usually included by Messianic Jews)
- Afikomen bag (matzah tosh)
- Salt water for dipping
- A hand washing basin and towels for washing
- A Haggadah for each person
- A "kittel" (white robe) for the seder leader
- Pillows (for reclining)
- A Bible (for reading selected verses)
The Seder itself starts after the woman of the house performs the candle lighting blessing. The father of the house then leads the other guests through the meal, reciting the various blessings and reading from the Haggadah. Others at the table, including children, are involved in the ceremony. During the Seder, the whole household takes on the sanctity of the Temple where the "sacrifice" becomes the seder meal.
Four cups of wines are drunk during the Passover Seder, remembering the four promises of God given to Moses (in Exodus 6:6-7):
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