Editing Passover Seder (section)

==Order of the Seder==
The order and procedures of the Seder are stated and printed in the text of the Passover [[Haggadah]], a copy of which is in front of all participants. Jewish children learn the following words, denoting the order of the Seder, with a rhyme and tune at their Jewish schools:

{{blockquote|[[#Kadeish (blessings and the first cup of wine)|Kaddesh]] ({{lang|he|קדש}}). [[#Urchatz (wash hands)|Urchatz]] ({{lang|he|ורחץ}}). [[#Karpas (appetizer)|Karpas]] ({{lang|he|כרפס}}). [[#Yachatz (breaking of the middle matzah)|Yachatz]] ({{lang|he|יחץ}}). [[#Magid (relating the Exodus)|Maggid]] ({{lang|he|מגיד}}). [[#Rohtzah (ritual washing of hands)|Rochtzah]] ({{lang|he|רחצה}}). [[#Motzi (blessings over the Matzah)|Motzi]] [[#Matzah|Matzah]] ({{lang|he|מוציא מצה}}). [[#Maror (bitter herbs)|Maror]] ({{lang|he|מרור}}). [[#Korech (sandwich)|Korech]] ({{lang|he|כורך}}). [[#Shulchan Orech (the meal)|Shulchan Orech]] ({{lang|he|שלחן עורך}}). [[#Tzafun (eating of the afikoman)|Tzafun]] ({{lang|he|צפון}}). [[#Bareich (Grace after Meals)|Barech]] ({{lang|he|ברך}}). [[#Hallel (songs of praise)|Hallel]] ({{lang|he|הלל}}). [[#Nirtzah|Nirtzah]] ({{lang|he|נרצה}}).<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor">{{cite book|author1=Gold, Avie |author2=Zlotowitz, Meir |author3=Scherman, Nosson |title=The Complete ArtScroll Machzor: Pesach|date=1990–2002|publisher=Mesorah Publications, Ltd|location=Brooklyn, NY|isbn=978-0-89906-696-7|pages=86–87}}</ref>}}

==={{transliteration|he|Kadeish}} (blessings and the first cup of wine)===
{{transliteration|he|Kadeish}} ({{lang|he|קדש}}) is the [[Imperative mood#Hebrew|Hebrew imperative]] for {{transliteration|he|[[kiddush]]}}. It should be recited as soon as the synagogue services are over but not before nightfall.<ref name="ArtScroll Pesach Machzor" /> This {{transliteration|he|kiddush}} is similar to that which is recited on all of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]], but also refers to [[matzot]] and the exodus from Egypt. Acting in a way that shows freedom and majesty, many Jews have the custom of filling each other's cups at the Seder table. The {{transliteration|he|kiddush}} is traditionally said by the father of the house, but all Seder participants may participate by reciting the {{transliteration|he|Kiddush}} and drinking at least a majority of the first cup of wine. On Shabbat, it is preceded by a reading from the Book of Genesis recounting God's rest on the seventh day of creation and includes an extended doxology on the blessings of Shabbat.

==={{transliteration|he|Urchatz}} (wash hands)===
Technically, according to [[Jewish law]], whenever one partakes of fruits or vegetables dipped in liquid while remaining wet, one must wash one's hands if the fruit or vegetable remains wet. However, at other times of the year, one has either already washed their hands before eating bread, or dry the fruit or vegetable, in which case one need not wash their hands before eating the fruit or vegetable.

According to most traditions, no blessing is recited at this point in the Seder, unlike the blessing recited over the washing of the hands before eating bread.  However, followers of [[Rambam]] or the [[Gaon of Vilna]] do recite a blessing.

==={{transliteration|he|Karpas}} (appetizer)===
Each participant dips a vegetable into either salt water (an Ashkenazi custom; said to serve as a reminder of the tears shed by their enslaved ancestors), vinegar (a Sephardi custom) or [[charoset]] (an older Sephardi custom, still common among Yemenite Jews). Another custom mentioned in some Ashkenazi sources and probably originating with [[Meir of Rothenburg]],{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} was to dip the karpas in wine.

==={{transliteration|he|Yachatz}} (breaking of the middle matzah)===
Three [[matzot]] are stacked on the seder table; at this stage, the middle matzah of the three is broken in half. The larger piece is hidden, to be used later as the ''[[afikoman]]'', the "dessert" after the meal. The smaller piece is returned to its place between the other two matzot.

Moroccan Jewish custom is that when the matzah is split, a passage is recited describing how "in this manner God split the Red Sea" in the aftermath of the Exodus.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbKXQMvZTCI הצעה לסדר | יחץ | הרב ברוך גיגי | פסח תשפ"ב]</ref>

Before Magid, some Sephardi families have a custom to sing {{transliteration|he|"Bivhilu yatzanu mi-mitzrayim"}} (translated: 'In haste we left Egypt'). While this is being sung, the head of the household walks around the table with the Seder plate and waves it over each individual's head.

==={{transliteration|he|Magid}} (relating the Exodus)===
The story of Passover, and the change from slavery to freedom is told. At this point in the Seder, Moroccan Jews have a custom of raising the Seder plate over the heads of all those present while chanting {{transliteration|he|"Bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim, halahma anya b'nei horin"}} ('In haste we went out of Egypt [with our] bread of affliction, [now we are] free people').

==== {{transliteration|he|Ha Lachma Anya}} (invitation to the Seder) ====
{{Main|Ha Lachma Anya}}
[[File:Maurice Ascalon Pal-Bell Seder Plate.jpg|upright=1.1|right|thumb|A bronze [[matzah|matzo]] plate designed by [[Maurice Ascalon]], inscribed with the opening words of {{transliteration|he|Ha Lachma Anya}}]]

The [[Matzah|matzo]]t are uncovered, and referred to as the "bread of affliction". Participants declare (in [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]) an invitation to all who are hungry or needy to join in the Seder. [[Halakha]] requires that this invitation be repeated in the native language of the country.

==== {{transliteration|he|Mah Nishtanah}} (The Four Questions) ====
{{Main|the four questions}}

The [[Mishna]] details questions one is obligated to ask on the night of the seder. It is customary for the youngest child present to recite the four questions.<ref name=jewfaq>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewfaq.org/seder.htm |title=Judaism 101: Pesach Seder: How is This Night Different |access-date=2008-09-21}}</ref> Some customs hold that the other participants recite them quietly to themselves as well. In some families, this means that the requirement remains on an adult "child" until a grandchild of the family receives sufficient Jewish education to take on the responsibility. If a person has no children capable of asking, the responsibility falls to their spouse, or another participant.<ref name=pesachim116>Talmud Bavli, Pesachim, 116a</ref> The need to ask is so great that even if a person is alone at the seder they are obligated to ask themselves and to answer their own questions.<ref name=pesachim116 />

# <li value="0"> {{transliteration|he|Ma nishtana ha lyla ha zeh mikkol hallaylot?}} ('Why is this night different from all other nights?')
# {{transliteration|he|Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh'lin ḥamets umatsa, vehallayla hazze kullo matsa.}} ('Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either leavened bread or matza, but on this night we eat only matza?')
# {{transliteration|he|Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh'lin sh'ar y'rakot, vehallayla hazze maror.}} ('Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night we eat bitter herbs?')
# {{transliteration|he|Shebb'khol hallelot en anu matbillin afillu pa'am eḥat, vehallayla hazze sh'tei fe'amim.}} ('Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip [our food] even once, but on this night we dip them twice?')
# {{transliteration|he|Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh'lin ben yosh'vin uven m'subbin, vehallayla hazze kullanu m'subbin.}} ('Why is it that on all other nights we dine either sitting upright or reclining, but on this night we all recline?')

The question about reclining substitutes for a question about eating roasted meat, that was present in the mishnah but removed by later authorities due to its inapplicability after the [[destruction of the temple]]:
# <li value="4"> {{transliteration|he|Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh'lin basar tsali shaluk umvushal, vehallayla hazze kullo tsali.}} ('Why is it that on all other nights we eat meat either roasted, marinated, or cooked, but on this night it is entirely roasted?')</li>

Roasted sacrifices were no longer possible after the destruction, and roasted meat was therefore disallowed on seder night, to avoid ambiguity.

The four questions have been translated into over 300 languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whyisthisnight.com |title=300 Ways to Ask The Four Questions |access-date=2008-09-22}}</ref>

==== The Four Sons ====
The traditional Haggadah speaks of "[[The Four Sons|four sons]]" – one who is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know to ask. This is based upon the rabbis of the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] finding four references in the Torah to responding to your son who asks a question.<ref name="Bazak">{{cite web|url=http://www.vbm-torah.org/pesach/pes68-ab.htm |title=The Four Sons |last=Bazak |first=Rav Amnon |others=David Silverberg (trans.) |work=Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash |publisher=Yeshivat Har Etzion |access-date=12 March 2013 |location=Alon Shvut, Israel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518205620/http://www.vbm-torah.org/pesach/pes68-ab.htm |archive-date=18 May 2013 }}</ref> Each of these sons phrases his question about the seder in a different way. The Haggadah recommends answering each son according to his question, using one of the three verses in the Torah that refer to this exchange.

The wise son asks "What are the statutes, the testimonies, and the laws that God has commanded us to do?" One explanation for why this very detailed-oriented question is categorized as wise, is that the wise son is trying to learn how to carry out the seder, rather than asking for someone else's understanding of its meaning. He is answered fully:
"You should reply to him with [all] the laws of pesach: one may not eat any dessert after the paschal sacrifice."

The wicked son, who asks, "What is this service to you?", is characterized by the Haggadah as isolating himself from the Jewish people, standing by objectively and watching their behavior rather than participating. Therefore, he is rebuked by the explanation that "It is because God acted for {{em|my}} sake when {{em|I}} left Egypt." (This implies that the Seder is not for the wicked son because the wicked son would not have deserved to be freed from Egyptian slavery.) Where the four sons are illustrated in the Haggadah, this son has frequently been depicted as carrying weapons or wearing stylish contemporary fashions.

The simple son, who asks, "What is this?" is answered with "With a strong hand the Almighty led us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage."

The one who does not know to ask is told, "It is because of what the Almighty did for me when I left Egypt."

Some modern Haggadahs mention "children" instead of "sons", and some have added a fifth child. The fifth child can represent the children of the [[The Holocaust|Shoah]] who did not survive to ask a question<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haggadot.com/clips/csjo-fifth-child |title=CSJO: Fifth Child |publisher=Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations |access-date=2011-10-18 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> or represent [[Jews]] who have drifted so far from Jewish life that they do not participate in a Seder.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kolel.org/pages/holidays/Pesach_fourchildren.html |title=Jewish Holidays > Pesach |publisher=Kolel |access-date=2011-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108024133/http://www.kolel.org/pages/holidays/Pesach_fourchildren.html |archive-date=2011-11-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

For the former, tradition is to say that for that child one asks "Why?" and, like the simple child, has no answer.

==== "Go and learn" ====
Four verses in [[Deuteronomy]] (26:5–8) are then expounded, with an elaborate, traditional commentary based on the [[Sifre]]. ("And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God: 'A wandering Aramean was my parent, and they went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. And we cried unto the Lord, the God of our parents, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt [[with a strong hand and an outstretched arm]], and with great terribleness, and with [[signs and wonders|signs, and with wonders]].")

The Haggadah explores the meaning of those verses, and elaborates on the story. This telling describes the slavery of the Jewish people and their miraculous salvation by God. This culminates in an enumeration of the [[Plagues of Egypt|Ten Plagues]]:

# {{transliteration|he|Dam}} (blood) – All the water was changed to blood
# {{transliteration|he|Tzefardeyah}} (frogs) – An infestation of frogs sprang up in Egypt
# {{transliteration|he|Kinim}} (lice) – The [[Egyptians]] were afflicted by [[louse|lice]]
# {{transliteration|he|Arov}} (wild animals) – An infestation of wild animals (some say flies) sprang up in Egypt
# {{transliteration|he|Dever}} (pestilence) – A plague killed off the Egyptian livestock
# {{transliteration|he|Sh'chin}} (boils) – An epidemic of [[boil]]s afflicted the Egyptians
# {{transliteration|he|Barad}} (hail) – Hail rained from the sky
# {{transliteration|he|Arbeh}} (locusts) – Locusts swarmed over Egypt
# {{transliteration|he|Choshech}} (darkness) – Egypt was covered in darkness
# {{transliteration|he|Makkat Bechorot}} (killing of the first-born) – All the first-born sons of the Egyptians were slain by God

With the recital of the Ten Plagues, there is a late custom, which arose in German-Jewish circles, that each participant removes a drop of wine from their cup using a fingertip at the mention of each of the ten plagues.<ref name=Trachtenberg/> Although this night is one of salvation, [[Don Isaac Abravanel]] explains that one cannot be completely joyous when some of God's creatures had to suffer.<ref>Klein, Isaac. ''A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice''. New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1992. Print.  p. 126</ref> A [[mnemonic]] [[acronym]] for the plagues is also introduced: {{transliteration|he|"D'tzach Adash B'achav"}}, while similarly spilling a drop of wine for each word.

At this part in the Seder, songs of praise are sung, including the song ''[[Dayenu]]'', which proclaims that had God performed any single one of the many deeds performed for the Jewish people, it would have been enough to obligate us to give thanks. Some sing instead ''The Women's Dayenu'', a feminist variant of ''Dayenu'', by [[Michele Landsberg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.virginitymovie.com/2014/04/the-women’s-dayenu/ |title= Want to inject a bit of feminism into your Passover Seder? Try "The Women's Dayenu" &#124; How to Lose Your Virginity|website=www.virginitymovie.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410111232/http://www.virginitymovie.com/2014/04/the-women%E2%80%99s-dayenu/ |archive-date=2015-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://njjewishnews.com/article/26726/to-the-pulpit-by-way-of-the-classroom#.VR4BXor3bCQ |title=To the pulpit by way of the classroom &#124; NJJN |publisher=Njjewishnews.com |date=2015-03-30 |access-date=2015-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401235732/http://njjewishnews.com/article/26726/to-the-pulpit-by-way-of-the-classroom#.VR4BXor3bCQ |archive-date=2015-04-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

After ''Dayenu'' is a declaration (mandated by Rabban Gamliel) of the reasons of the commandments of the [[Korban Pesach|Paschal lamb]], [[Matzah]], and [[Maror]], with scriptural sources. Then follows a short prayer, and the recital of the first two psalms of [[Hallel]] (which will be concluded after the meal). A long blessing is recited, and the second cup of wine is drunk.

==={{transliteration|he|Rohtzah}} (ritual washing of hands)===
The ritual hand-washing is repeated, this time with all customs including a blessing.

==={{transliteration|he|Motzi}} (blessings over the Matzah)===
Two blessings are recited.

First one recites the standard blessing before eating bread, which includes the words "who brings forth" ({{transliteration|he|motzi}} in Hebrew).<ref name="FamilyHaggadah">{{Cite book|editor1-first=Nosson|editor1-last=Scherman|editor2-first=Meir|editor2-last=Zlotowitz|title=The Family Haggadah|publisher=Mesorah Publications, Ltd.|orig-year=1981|year=1994|isbn=978-0-89906-178-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/familyhaggadahha0000unse}}</ref>

===''Matzah''===
Then one recites the blessing regarding the commandment to eat Matzah.

An olive-size piece (some say two) is then eaten while reclining to the left.

===''Maror'' (bitter herbs)===
The blessing for the eating of the maror (bitter herbs) is recited and then it is to be eaten.<ref name="FamilyHaggadah"/>

===''Korech'' (sandwich)===
The maror (bitter herb) is placed between two small pieces of matzo, similarly to how the contents of a sandwich are placed between two slices of bread, and eaten. This follows the tradition of [[Hillel the Elder|Hillel]], who did the same at his Seder table 2000 years ago (except that in Hillel's day the Paschal sacrifice, matzo, and maror were eaten together.)

===''Shulchan Orech'' (the meal)===
[[File:A Seder table setting.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A Seder table setting]]
The festive meal is eaten. Traditionally it begins with a hard boiled egg dipped in salt water, referencing the charred egg on the Seder plate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/howto/wizard.asp?AID=117122 |title=Chabad.org: 11. Shulchan Orech – set the table |access-date=2008-09-22}}</ref> In Yiddish, there is a saying: {{lang|yi|מיר צוגרייטן די טיש און עסן די פיש}}, which means "We set the table and eat the fish".

===''Tzafun'' (eating of the ''afikoman'')===
{{Main|Afikoman}}
The ''afikoman'', which was hidden earlier in the Seder, is traditionally the last morsel of food eaten by participants in the Seder.

Each participant receives an olive-sized portion of matzo to be eaten as ''afikoman''. After the consumption of the ''afikoman'', traditionally, no other food may be eaten for the rest of the night. Additionally, no intoxicating beverages may be consumed, with the exception of the remaining two cups of wine.

===''Bareich'' (Grace after Meals)===
The recital of [[Birkat Hamazon]].
[[File:Sederschälchen.jpg|thumb|Seder cups, dated between 1790 and 1810. In the [[Jewish Museum of Switzerland]]’s collection.]]

==== ''Kos Shlishi'' (the Third Cup of Wine) ====
The drinking of the Third Cup of Wine.

Note: The Third Cup is customarily poured before the [[Birkat Hamazon|Grace after Meals]] is recited because the Third Cup also serves as a [[Birkat Hamazon#Cup of Blessing|Cup of Blessing]] associated with the Grace after Meals on special occasions.

==== ''Kos shel Eliyahu ha-Navi'' (cup of Elijah the Prophet); Miriam's cup ====
In many traditions, the front door of the house is opened at this point. [[Psalms]] 79:6–7 is recited in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions, plus [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]] 3:66 among Ashkenazim.

Most Ashkenazim have the custom to fill both a fourth and a fifth cup at this point. This relates to a Talmudic discussion that concerns the number of cups that are supposed to be drunk. Given that the four cups are in reference to the four expressions of redemption in Exodus 6:6–7, some rabbis felt that it was important to include a fifth cup for the fifth expression of redemption in Exodus 6:8. All agreed that five cups should be poured but the question as to whether or not the fifth should be drunk, given that the fifth expression of redemption concerned being brought into the Land of Israel, which – by this stage – was no longer possessed of an autonomous Jewish community, remained insoluble. The rabbis determined that the matter should be left until [[Elijah]] (in reference to the notion that Elijah's arrival would precipitate the coming of the [[Moshiach]] (Jewish Messiah), at which time all halakhic questions will be resolved) and the fifth cup came to be known as the ''Kos shel Eliyahu'' ("Cup of Elijah"). Over time, people came to relate this cup to the notion that Elijah will visit each Jewish home on Seder night as a foreshadowing of his future arrival at the end of the days, when he will come to announce the coming of the Moshiach, and that the door is opened for him to enter.<ref name=Trachtenberg>{{Cite book|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|author-link=Joshua Trachtenberg|chapter=STRATAGEM|chapter-url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms13.htm#page_166|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition|location=Philadelphia|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|year=2004|orig-date=Originally published 1939|isbn=9780812218626|pages=166–167|access-date=Mar 22, 2023}}</ref>

Some seders (including the original Women's Seder, but not limited to women-only seders) now set out a cup for the prophet Miriam as well as the traditional cup for the prophet Elijah, sometimes accompanied by a ritual to honor Miriam.<ref name="miriamscup.com">[http://www.miriamscup.com/RitualFirst.htm Miriam's Cup: Miriam's Cup rituals for the family Passover seder] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504070956/http://www.miriamscup.com/RitualFirst.htm |date=2015-05-04 }}. Miriamscup.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.</ref> Miriam's cup originated in the 1980s in a Boston [[Rosh Chodesh]] group; it was invented by Stephanie Loo, who filled it with mayim hayim (living waters) and used it in a feminist ceremony of [[guided meditation]].<ref name="Jweekly.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/74341/why-miriams-cup-because-without-miriam-jewish-life-would-not-exist/ |title=Why Miriam's Cup? Because without Miriam, Jewish life would not exist &#124; j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California |newspaper=J |publisher=Jweekly.com |date=2015-04-02 |access-date=2015-04-13}}</ref> Miriam's cup is linked to the ''[[midrash]]'' of [[Miriam#Jewish culture|Miriam's well]], which "is a rabbinic legend that tells of a miraculous well that accompanied the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert at the Exodus from Egypt".<ref name="Esserman defrosting">{{cite news|last=Esserman|first=Rachel|title=Defrosting Judaism: A look at the Ritualwell Website|url=http://www.rrc.edu/sites/default/files/legacy/Defrosting%20Judaism%20-%20Esserman.pdf|access-date=29 January 2014|newspaper=The Reporter|date=1 September 2006|agency=Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton|location=Binghamton, NY|page=5|format=Print|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407064500/http://www.rrc.edu/sites/default/files/legacy/Defrosting%20Judaism%20-%20Esserman.pdf|archive-date=2014-04-07|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Miriam's Cup">{{cite web |url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover/The_Seder/Seder_Plate_and_Table/Miriams_Cup.shtml |title=Miriam's Cup |publisher=My Jewish Learning |date=2014-01-22 |access-date=2015-04-13 |archive-date=2015-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303203738/http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover/The_Seder/Seder_Plate_and_Table/Miriams_Cup.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===''Hallel'' (songs of praise)===
The entire order of Hallel which is usually recited in the synagogue on Jewish holidays is also recited at the Seder table, albeit sitting down. The first two psalms, [[Psalm 113|113]] and [[Psalm 114|114]], were recited before the meal.  The remaining psalms [[Psalm 115|115]]–[[Psalm 118|118]], are recited at this point. [[Psalm 136]] (the Great Hallel) is then recited, followed by ''[[Nishmat]]'', a portion of the morning service for Shabbat and festivals.

There are a number of opinions concerning the paragraph ''Yehalelukha'' which normally follows Hallel, and ''[[Yishtabakh]]'', which normally follows ''Nishmat''. Most Ashkenazim recite ''Yehalelukha'' immediately following the Hallel proper, i.e. at the end of Psalm 118, except for the concluding words. After Nishmat, they recite ''Yishtabakh'' in its entirety.  Sephardim recite ''Yehalelukha'' alone after Nishmat.

Afterwards the Fourth Cup of Wine is drunk and a brief blessing for the "fruit of the vine" is said.

===''Nirtzah''===
{{Main|Passover songs}}
The Seder concludes with a prayer that the night's service be accepted. A hope for the Messiah is expressed: "''[[L'Shana Haba'ah|L'shanah haba'ah]] b'Yerushalayim!'' – [[Next year in Jerusalem]]!" Jews in [[Israel]], and especially those in [[Jerusalem]], recite instead "''L'shanah haba'ah b'Yerushalayim hab'nuyah!'' – Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem!" Jerusalem is the holiest city in the Bible; it has become symbolic of the idea of spiritual perfection.  The tradition of saying "Next year in Jerusalem" is similar to the tradition of opening the door for Elijah: it recognizes that “this year” we live in an imperfect world outside of “Jerusalem,” but we patiently await a time, hopefully “next year,” in which we live in spiritual perfection.<ref>Kolatch, Alfred J.  ''The Family Seder: A Traditional Passover Haggadah For the Modern Home''.  New York: Jonathan David Publishers, 1991.  Print.  p. 99.</ref>

Although the 15 orders of the Seder have been complete, the Haggadah concludes with additional songs which further recount the miracles that occurred on this night in Ancient Egypt as well as throughout history. Some songs express a prayer that the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Beit Hamikdash]] will soon be rebuilt. The last song to be sung is ''Chad Gadya'' ("One Kid Goat"). This seemingly childish song about different animals and people who attempted to punish others for their crimes and were in turn punished themselves, was interpreted by the [[Vilna Gaon]] as an [[allegory]] to the retribution God will levy over the enemies of the Jewish people at the end of days.

Following the Seder, those who are still awake may recite the [[Song of Songs]], engage in Torah learning, or continue talking about the events of the Exodus until sleep overtakes them.