Raize Guttman 04-10-22 (09 Nisan 5782)

15 Steps of the Pesach Seder:

1. Kadesh – To Sanctify
Make kiddush - Drink 1st cup of wine

2. Urchatz – Wash your Hands
Get rid of all the spiritual dirt - Don’t make bracha

3. Karpas – dip vegetable in salt water
Gemara says we take the vegetable and dip in salt water so the children should not fall asleep. This is the child in you.  

4. Yachatz - Break the Middle Matzah
Matzah represents emunah, we break it, small piece of emunah now, and bigger piece for later as our emunah grows

5. Maggid - Telling the Story of the Exodus
We have the mitzvah of telling over the story

L’haggid – "to tell over" - Passing over these messages is the foundation of our nation.  This is the longest part of the Seder – the turning point, the climax.

6. Rachtzah - Wash Your Hands (with a bracha)

7. Motzi Matzah - Blessing Over Matzoh
Eat Matzoh

Putting emunah into your system as you eat, not just talking about it, it is an internal part of me. Representation that Hashem is the boss

8. Maror - Bitter Herbs
The only way to test your belief in Hashem is through bitterness, something challenging and that you do not like.  Usually when you go through the difficult, it brings out the best in us.  Hashem, no matter how bitter, I know it is all you.

9. Korech - The Hillel Sandwich
Emunah on top, emunah on the bottom and we eat it. Hillel represents this sandwich because he never got angry .

10. Shulchan Orech - The Festive Meal
Have a delicious meal. Before you eat, you should think, “I am eating now bc I am serving Hashem”
**Yom Kippur, we don’t eat and we feel holy, but when you eat for purpose and the right reasons, it is even holier.  Eating through the physical.

12. Tzafun – “hidden” - Eat the Afikomen
Now we are on the exalted level of emunah and put even higher levels into our system

12. Beirach - Grace After Meals
Mayim Achronim (after waters)- wash fingertips.

Say grace. Drink 3rd cup of wine.

13. Hallel - Psalms of Praise
4th cup of wine 
On Pesach night we say we are not like the other nations.  We supersede the natural order of the world.  We take the 4 cups of wine; the 4 ways Hashem takes us out of Egypt.
The number 4  is mentioned many times in Seder. The 4 questions, sons, wine.  Who knows 4? 4 are the mothers.  4 represents the women. Women are compared to wine, we have the greatest power to influence the world.

Pour another cup and set it in the middle of the table. You won’t drink this wine—it’s for Elijah the Prophet. Open the front door to let Elijah in.

The  "Psalms of Praise" (the first half was said at the end of step #5). 

14. Nirtzah – “pleasing” – Accepted
Hashem is pleased with our avodah. Sing love songs to Hashem.
Everyone is on a high and hyper, in an exalted mood.

15. Yehidut
Turned around, Todah, Hashem!

For 3300 years we have been leaving Egypt, and have been doing our human job of transforming the darkness of Hashem's world into light.  Now it is Hashem's turn to lift us up, to banish the darkness forever, to make our work shine.