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Order and ritual are very important in the seder—so important that they are even reflected in its name: the English word seder is a transliteration of the Hebrew word sēdher, meaning “order.” The courses in the meal, as well as blessings, prayers, stories, and songs, are recorded in the Haggadah, a book that lays out the order of the Passover feast and recounts the story of Exodus. Each food consumed as part of the seder recalls an aspect of the Israelites’ 13th century BCE exodus from Egypt. For instance, matzo (unleavened bread) represents the haste with which the Israelites fled; maror (a mix of bitter herbs) recalls the bitterness of enslaved life; and a mixture of fruits and nuts called charoset (also rendered as charoses or haroset/haroses) symbolizes the clay or mortar the Israelites worked with during their Egyptian enslavement.
Examples of seder in a Sentence
Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2024
Passover escorts For students who choose to remain on campus, Columbia is providing escorts to walk students to and from Passover seder and services, according to a memo from the campus Hillel.
—Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
Earlier this spring, the accessories brand Susan Alexandra joined forces with the Jewish Food Society for a beautifully inclusive seder dinner that brought chefs Sasha Shor, Rinat Tzadok, and Fany Gerson together.
—Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2024
Many Jewish communities will hold seders the first two nights of the springtime holiday.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Seder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seder. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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