Four Cups
The four cups of wine are customarily
drunk at the Passover Seder. An innocent-looking
choice between wine and grape juice for the Passover
Seder can, under appropriate circumstances, become
a focus for complex moral, political, and religious
issues. This book will not attempt to go into
this much- debated issue. We'll leave this debate
up to you and your family.
During Passover, no food with leaven is permitted.
Leavening is a fermenting process in which yeast
turns the food sour. The rules of leavening apply
to food prepared out of any of the five kinds
of grain; barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt.
Although wine is fermented, it doesn't enter into
the category of leaven because itÿs not made
from one of these five types. Some reports indicated
that possibly unfermented "raisin-wine"
was the only acceptable beverage for Passover.
Today only kosher wine is used for Passover (Sarna
1988).
During the Seder, each participant drinks four
cups of wine to recall the four expressions of
redemption mentioned in the Bible (Ex. 6:6-7).
God tells Moses to tell the people of Israel,
"I will bring you out from under the burdens
of the Egyptians, and I will rid you from under
their bondage and I will redeem you with a stretched
out arm and with great judgments: and I will take
you to Me for a people and I will be to you a
God." The four cups at the Seder represent
the four expressions of redemption--bring, deliver,
redeem and take. The first cup is called the cup
of sanctification; the second, the cup of judgment;
the third, the cup of redemption; and the fourth,
the cup of the kingdom.
A fifth cup was later added by rabbis, called
the cup of Elijah. The custom of filling a fifth
cup of wine for Elijah the Prophet at the seder
table is relatively recent. Some families set
a place at the table for Elijah and pour into
a goblet called "Elijah's cup" to symbolize
Elijah would be a welcome guest at the seder (Elijah
never died. He ascended to heaven). Another custom
is to open the door during the seder for Elijah,
symbolizing bringing the Messianic age into their
lives. Elijah is expected to return at Passover
time as we can deduce from Matthew 11:7.
More About Passover
| Simple
Seder | Traditional
Seder | Seder
Checklist | Jewish
Customs |
| Ten
Plagues | Other
Crafts | Sheep
Unit | Messiah
in Passover |
| Celebrating
Passover |
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