שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ אוכלים ושותים.
The Set Table We eat and drink.
Here it is! A favorite part of the seder. Kiddush has been made, questions have been asked, the story has been told, interesting foods have been eaten after reciting special blessings. It is now time to EAT!
How can we make sure that this part of the seder adds to the overall message of telling the Passover story and feeling as if we, too, left Egypt and became free people?
Below are several suggestions of creative projects that will enhance the seder atmosphere. Feel free to come up with your own ideas.
When you complete your project, take photos of your work and add it, along with an explanation of what you have created, to a Sefaria source sheet. Instructions for making a source sheet can be found here.
Your source sheet can include:
- Images
- Texts from the Haggadah or book of Exodus
- Explanations of your work
Project suggestions:
Credit: Alan Chia, Lego Color Bricks, CC BY-SA 2.0
Centerpieces
Design Passover themed centerpieces for the table. Create centerpieces using LEGO, origami, stuffed animals or other types of toys. Centerpieces can be made in the weeks before the seder, as part of a mock seder, or even as an activity during the seder itself.
- The ten plagues
- The exodus from Egypt
- Spring themes
- The parts of the seder
- The verses of Echad Mi Yodea (Who Knows One)
- The verses of Dayenu
- Anything else that you can think of that adds to the atmosphere.
Original image found here; CC0 Public Domain, Free for commercial use, No attribution required.
Menus
Create a menu that tells the story of Passover. This activity requires advance preparation which could be done in the weeks before the seder. Creating menus could be done as an activity at a mock seder.
- Choose or invent recipes that represent elements in the Passover story.
- Write explanations about the connection between the story and the dishes.
- Write your menu on a Sefaria source sheet. Directions are found here. Add the recipe or name of the dish, the explanation, and, if you like, the verses from Exodus or the Haggadah that connect to the dish.
- Optional: Cook some of the recipes and serve them at your seder.
Original image can be found here; Pixabay License, Free for commercial use, No attribution required.
Games/Jokes/Riddles
Make a Passover activity to play during dinner. Write the questions on a Sefaria source sheet. Try to incorporate verses from the Torah or the Haggadah in your quiz and add them to your sheet. This activity requires preparation which could be done in the weeks before the seder or at a mock seder. Games can be played at a mock or actual seder.
- Who am I? Read a verse from the Passover story, in Hebrew or English, and have the participants guess who it is describing, talking about, or who is speaking.
- Write knock-knock jokes that you can tell during dinner. Try making puns based on words from the Haggadah or Passover story.
- Challenge people to think of how certain numbers are connected to Passover. For example, if you said the number 2, answers could include the two tablets (from Echad Mi Yodea, Who Knows One), two times that we dip during the seder, two zuzim from Chad Gadya, etc. Write the numbers and potential answers with the source on a source sheet.
- Invent your own game that you can play at the table.