Page 49 - Passover Sedar

Hebrew for Christians
https://hebrew4christians.com Worthy is the Lamb

Shulchan Orekh – Eating the Passover Step: 11

Locate the
eggs on the table.
We begin our meal
by eating eggs
dipped in salt
water...

Leader: There is a minhag (custom) to eat a hard-boiled egg (beitzah) dipped in salt water
at the start of the Passover meal. Some say this is to remember the crossing of the Red Sea
to freedom, while others say that the egg represents the korban chagigah (festival
offering) that pilgrims were required to make during the time of Passover.

It is also customary to mention the ceremony of the priests as they slaughtered the lambs
in the courtyard of the Temple on erev Pesach. The blood of each lamb was caught in a
basin that was passed from one priest to another until it reached the last priest who poured
it out on the lower part of the altar. While this was happening, the Levites would sing
psalms of praise to God. Afterward, each lamb was skinned, its flesh was salted, and
certain parts were burned upon the altar. Finally, the remainder was given to the offerer
who took it home to be roasted whole over an open fire. Before the family would eat the
lamb with matzah and maror, all recited the following blessing:

All Recite:

Barukh attah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha’olam,
asher kideshanu be’mitzvotav ve’tzivanu al achilat pesach.

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who sanctified us with his commandments, and commanded us to eat the Pesach.

During Temple times, the Pesach offering was lifted up for all gathered to see and the
question, “Why do we eat this Pesach offering?” was asked. Everyone present would then
retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt and also partake of the matzah and maror.

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