The three most important pieces of the seder table are the pesach - passover offering, matzah and maror - bitter herbs. The passover offering because G-d passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt. The matzah because our ancestors did not have time to let the dough rise before leaving Egypt. And maror because the Egyptians embittered our ancestors' lives.
(א) טרם יחמץ. הַמִּצְרִים לֹא הִנִּיחוּם לִשְׁהוֹת כְּדֵי חִמּוּץ: (ב) משארתם. שְׁיָרֵי מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר. (ג) על שכמם. אַעַ"פִּ שֶׁבְּהֵמוֹת הַרְבֵּה הוֹלִיכוּ עִמָּהֶם, מְחַבְּבִים הָיוּ אֶת הַמִּצְוָה:
(1) טרם יחמץ BEFORE IT WAS LEAVENED — The Egyptians would not allow them to stay long enough for the dough to become leavened. (2) משארתם (from the root שאר “to be left over”) denotes the leavings (what was left) of the unleavened bread and bitter herbs
מַאן תַּנָּא דְּשָׁמְעַתְּ לֵיהּ מִצְוֹת אֵין מְבַטְּלוֹת זוֹ אֶת זוֹ? הִלֵּל הִיא. דְּתַנְיָא, אָמְרוּ עָלָיו עַל הִלֵּל שֶׁהָיָה כּוֹרְכָן בְּבַת אַחַת וְאוֹכְלָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״עַל מַצּוֹת וּמְרוֹרִים יֹאכְלוּהוּ״.
The Gemara asks: Who is the tanna that you heard say that mitzvot do not nullify each other? It is Hillel, as it was taught in a baraita: They said about Hillel that he would wrap matza and bitter herbs together and eat them, as it is stated: “They shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11), which indicates that these two foods should be consumed together.
For children, matzah, especially the afikomen, is central to the seder. Why do we hide the afikomen and why is it the very last thing we eat at the seder?
קְלָיוֹת וֶאֱגוֹזִין בְּעֶרֶב פֶּסַח כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁנוּ, וְיִשְׁאֲלוּ. אָמְרוּ עָלָיו עַל רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא שֶׁהָיָה מְחַלֵּק קְלָיוֹת וֶאֱגוֹזִין לְתִינוֹקוֹת בְּעֶרֶב פֶּסַח כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁנוּ, וְיִשְׁאֲלוּ. תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: חוֹטְפִין מַצּוֹת בְּלֵילֵי פְּסָחִים בִּשְׁבִיל תִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁנוּ.
roasted grains and nuts on Passover eve, so that they will not sleep and also so they will ask the four questions at night. They said about Rabbi Akiva that he would distribute roasted grains and nuts to children on Passover eve, so that they would not sleep and so they would ask. It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: One grabs the matzot on the nights of Passover. One should eat them very quickly on account of the children, so that, due to the hasty consumption of the meal, they will not sleep and they will inquire into the meaning of this unusual practice.
צָפוּן
אחר גמר הסעודה לוקח כל אחד מהמסבים כזית מהמצה שהייתה צפונה לאפיקומן ואוכל ממנה כזית בהסבה. וצריך לאוכלה קודם חצות הלילה.
לפני אכילת האפיקומן יאמר: זֵכֶר לְקָרְבָּן פֶּסַח הָנֶאֱכַל עַל הָשוֹׁבַע.
The Concealed [Matsa]
After the end of the meal, all those present take a kazayit from the matsa, that was concealed for the afikoman, and eat a kazayit from it while reclining.
Before eating the afikoman, he should say: "In memory of the Pesach sacrifice that was eaten upon being satiated."
(א) דיני אכילת האפיקומן. ובו ב' סעיפים:לאחר גמר כל הסעודה אוכלים ממצה השמורה תחת המפה כזית כל אחד זכר לפסח הנאכל על השובע ויאכלנו בהסיבה ולא יברך עליו ויהא זהיר לאכלו קודם חצות: (ויקדים עצמו שגם ההלל יקרא קודם חצות) (ר"ן פרק ע"פ וס"ב דמגילה):
At the end of the meal, we eat the guarded matza under the cover consuming an olive size in remembrance of the Passover sacrifice. We eat the matza in a reclining position and we do not say a blessing over it. One should be careful not to consume it after midnight. (One should also recite Hallel before midnight.)
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