The Last Supper
FIRST CUP: CUP OF SANCTIFICATION
"Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine. . . And you, O Lord our God, have given us festival days for joy, this feast of the unleavened bread. this time of our deliverance in remembrance of the departure from Egypt. Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to enjoy this season."
The first cup of wine is poured.
"I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians."
The first cup is now drunk.
SECOND CUP: CUP OF PROCLAMATION
The second cup of wine is poured.
Question 1: Why is this night different from all other nights?
8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. – Exodus 13:8-10 NIV
22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so, I will kill your firstborn son.’” – Exodus 4:22-23 NIV
Question 2: On all other nights we eat leavened or unleavened bread, but this night only unleavened bread ?
39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves. – Exodus 12:39 NIV
Question 3: On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but this night only bitter herbs?
12b ...the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. – Exodus 1:12b-14 NIV
8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. – Exodus 12:8 NIV
Question 4: On all other nights we eat all meat roasted, stewed, or boiled, but this night why only roasted meat?
9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. – Exodus 12:9-11 NIV
Recite or sing the 113th & 114th Psalm
1 Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, 6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord. – Psalm 113 NIV
1 When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, 2 Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back? 6 Why, Mountains, did you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water. – Psalm 114 NIV
The second cup is now drunk.
THIRD CUP: CUP OF BLESSING
The third cup of wine is poured.
Breaking of the bread.
Leader: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. Blessed are you, O Lord our God , Ling of the universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments, and commanded us to eat unleavened bread”
All: “The name of the Lord be blessed from now until eternity. Let us bless him of those gifts we have partaken: Blessed be our God of whose gifts we have partaken, and by whose goodness we exist."
Taking of the bitter herbs and then the meal is served.
Leader: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements.”
The third cup is now drunk.
FOURTH CUP: CUP OF PRAISE
The fourth cup of wine is poured and blessed by all.
All: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.”
Leader: “Then I will take you as my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
All: 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: His love endures forever. 3 Let the house of Aaron say: His love endures forever. 4 Let those who fear the Lord say: His love endures forever. 5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. 6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. 10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. 11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. 12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. 13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 the Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 17 I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 25 Lord save us! Lord, grant us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. 27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. – Psalm 118 NIV
The fourth cup of wine is drank upon completion of the passover night, the next evening.
The traditional meal consists of:
a) Zeroa: A roasted lamb or goat bone, symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and was then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.,
b) Matzah: Unleavened bread is a flatbread that consists of no rising agents.
c) Karpas: A vegetable other than bitter herbs, usually parsley but sometimes something such as celery or cooked potato, which is dipped into salt water (Ashkenazi custom), vinegar (Sephardi custom), or charoset (older custom, still common amongst Yemenite Jews) at the beginning of the Seder. (horseradish is a good substitute),
d) Charoset: A sweet, brown, pebbly paste of fruits and nuts, representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. The actual recipe depends partly on ethno-cultural tradition and partly on locally available ingredients. Ashkenazi Jews, for example, traditionally make apple-raisin based charoset while Sephardic Jews often make date-based recipes that might feature orange or/and lemon, or even banana.
e) 1 bottle of wine (lost cost is preferred),
f) 4 empty cups for wine.