The Amazing Customs of Lel HaSeder!

Lel HaSeder is the centerpiece of the Pesach celebration, where virtually every Jewish family gathers around their holiday table to mark this momentous occasion. Though everyone reads the same Haggadah and eats the same matzah, the customs of each community vary widely. Let’s explore some of these fascinating traditions.

• Persian Jews have a custom of taking bunches of scallions, and when they reach the part of the Haggadah that describes what would have been had Hashem not taken us out of Mitzrayim, they begin singing Ma Nishtana—and the "beating" begins! Each person playfully strikes the one next to them with the scallions, symbolizing the Egyptian taskmasters’ whips.
• Moroccan Jews lift the Seder plate and pass it over each person’s head, similar to the Kaparot ritual performed before Yom Kippur.
• Tunisian Jews set aside some charoset, and at the end of the Haggadah, they smear a bit on the doorpost near the mezuzah, reminiscent of the blood placed on the doorposts in Egypt.
• Yemenite Jews have the children recite Ma Nishtana in the Yemeni dialect. Those who do an exceptional job are rewarded with a special prize—a boiled egg.
• Iraqi Jews take extra measures to protect the Afikoman. The head of the household appoints one of the children as its guardian, warning that if it is lost, stolen, or eaten, they will have to pay a hefty fine. However, if they successfully protect it, they receive a gift.
• Bukharian Jews have a similar custom, but with a twist. If a child successfully steals the Afikoman, the head of the household playfully "punishes" them by lightly hitting them with a towel—until they return it, usually in exchange for a nice gift.
• Syrian Jews perform a unique ceremony after breaking the Afikoman. They place the piece of matzah in a fine cloth bag, and each person takes a turn reenacting the Exodus: They place the bag over their left shoulder and say, "This represents the burden our ancestors carried when leaving Egypt." They are then asked, "Where did you come from?" to which they respond, "From Mitzrayim." Then, before answering the next question, "Where are you going?" they shift the bag from their left shoulder to their right and declare, "To Yerushalayim!" The entire table then calls out in unison: "Next year in Yerushalayim!"—expressing the hope that by next Pesach, we will all be in Yerushalayim with the coming of Mashiach.

May it happen very soon, b’ezrat Hashem!