(John xiii, 4, 5, 12), after which the blessing belonging thereto was pronounced. A table was then brought in, upon which were bitter herbs and unleavened bread, the Ch(tr6seth (see below), the body of the paschal lamb, and the flesh of the Clwfjhjah, or feast otfering. The president of the meal then took the herb, di|iped it in the Charoseth, and, after thanking God for creating the fruits of the earth, he ate a piece of the size of an olive, and gave a similar portion to each one reclining with liim at the table (INIatt. xxvi, '23 ; John xiii, 2C). A second cup of wine was then poured out, and the son, in accordance with Exod. xii, 26, asked his father as fol- lows: "Wherefore is this night distinguished from all other nights? Ou all other nights we may eat either leavened or unleavened bread, but on this night unleav- ened bread only; on all other nights we may eat every kind of herbs, but on this night bitter herbs only ; on all other nights we may eat meat either njasted, boiled, or cooked in different ways, but on this night we must eat roasted meat only; on all other nights we may dip once what we eat, but on this night twice. On all other nights we may eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night reclining only." To this the father replied : " Once we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord our God delivered us therefrom with a strong hand and outstretched arm. If the Holy One — blessed be he — had not delivered our fathers from Egypt, we and our children, and our children's children, might still be in Egyptian bondage ; and although we may all be sages, philosophers, elders, and skilled in the law, it is incumbent upon us to speak of the exodus from Egypt, and whoso dwells much on the exodus from Egypt is all the more to be praised." The father then expounded Deut. xxvi, 5-12, as well as the import of the paschal sacrifice, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs; saying with regard to the latter, " The paschal sacrifice is offered because the Lord passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt, in accordance with Exod. xii, 27; the unleavened bread is eaten because our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt before they had time to leaven their dough, and the bitter herbs are eaten be- cause the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ances- tors. It is therefore incumbent on every one, in all ages, to consider as if he had personally gone forth from Egypt, as it is said in Exod. xii, 27. We are therefore in duty bound to thank, praise, adore, glorify, extol, honor, bless, exalt, and reverence him who wrought all these miracles for our forefathers and for us; for he brought us forth from bondage to freedom. He changed our sorrow into joy, our mourning into a feast ; he led us from darkness into a great light, and from servitude to redemption. Let us therefore sing in his presence Hal- lelujah !" The first part of the Hallel was then recited (see below), i. e. Psa. cxiii and cxiv, and the following blessing pronounced : " Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast redeemed us, and redeemed our forefathers from Egypt," etc. A third cup of wine was then poured out, and the grace after meals was recited. After pouring out the fourth cup the Hallel was finished (i. e. Psa. cxv-cxviii), and the blessing of the song (i. e. rTD'CS and "ibbni) was said. The meal being ended, it was unlawfid for anything to be in- troduced in the way of dessert (Mishna, Pesachim, x, 1-8 ; Maimonides, Y'ud IJa-Chezaka Hilchoth Chomez U-Maza, viii, 1-3).
In this connection it is proper to notice more in detail several points relating to the meal under consideration.
(a) The Bitter Herbs and the Sauce. — According to Pesachim (ii, C), the bitter herbs (a"~i~i^ ; Sept. TrtKpi- Sec ; Vulg. lactacm ar/rcstes, Exod. xii, 8) might be endive, chicory, wild lettuce, or nettles. These plants were im- portant articles of food to the ancient Egyptians (as is noticed by Pliny), and they are said to constitute nearly half that of the modern Egyptians. According to Nie- buhr they are still eaten at the Passover by the Jews in the East. They were used in former times either fresh
or dried, and a portion of them is said to have been eaten before the unleavened bread {Pesach. x, 3).
The sauce into which the herbs, the bread, and the meat were dipped as they were eaten (John xiii, 26 ; Matt, xxvi, 23), is not mentioned in the Pentateuch. It is called in the Mishna rG1"iH, charoseth. According to Bartenora it consisted of only vinegar and water ; but others describe it as a mixture of vinegar, figs, dates, almonds, and spice. The same sauce was used on ordi- nary occasions thickened with a little flour ; but the Rab- binists forbade this at the Passover, lest the flour should occasion a slight degree of fermentation. Some say that it was beaten up to the consistence of mortar or clay, in order to commemorate the toils of the Israelites in Egj'pt in laj'ing bricks (Buxtorf, Lex. Tul. col. 831 ; Pesachim, ii, 8; X, 3, with the notes of Bartenora, Maimonides, and Surenhusius).