Spring is drawing ever closer, so it’s time to start getting ready for Passover. It’s one of the biggest events in the Jewish calendar and, fittingly, often takes days and even weeks of preparation.
With so much to do, it’s easy to miss the details and forget to focus on the special parts that will make your Seder truly shine. That’s why we’ve put together this exclusive gift guide: we’ve picked out something special for every stage of the Seder that’s laced with extra meaning, perfect for turning your Seder’s spirituality up a notch!
Kadesh
Like every holiday meal, the Seder starts with Kiddush or Kadesh. Pomegranates are one of the most widespread, popular, and beautiful symbols in Judaism. They represent happiness and prosperity, making them the perfect way to start your Seder. We love this uniquely shaped brass cup in an engraved pomegranate stand from Shraga Landesman – it will make a gorgeous focus for the start of your Seder!
Shraga Landesman Brass Pomegranate Kiddush Set
RRP: $149
Your Price: $89.99
Urchatz
In Urchatz, the person leading the Seder washes their hands. This pretty towel from Dorit Judaica has been decorated with a pretty embroidered pomegranate pattern, and features the word rachatz, which is similar to the name of this stage in the Seder. It shows a careful attention to deal your Passover guests will definitely appreciate!
Dorit Judaica Rachatz Hand Towel
RRP: $15
Your Price: $9.99
Karpas
Karpas is when you’ll taste the first morsel of Passover food: a vegetable is dipped into salt water and eaten. It’s customary to use parsley – but if you’ve ever tried eating a sprig of parsley, you’ll know it’s not the most easily digestible veggie around! These three nesting bowls are made from Israeli olive wood and will make it easy to offer your Seder guests a choice of tastier vegetables for this stage.
Olive Wood Nesting Trays
RRP: $45
Your Price: $39.99
Yachatz
In Yachatz, the person leading the Seder breaks the middle matzah. The larger broken piece becomes the afikoman. We love these super-symbolic matching matzah and afikoman bags from Israeli artist Yair Emanuel: they’re decorated with three matzot and four cups of wine and will make a colorful addition to your Passover table!
Yair Emanuel Wine and Matzahs Matzah Bag
RRP: $80
Your Price: $54.99
Maggid
During maggid, we tell the story of the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ travels through the desert. Several of the holiday’s icons appear in this stage, including the Four Questions, the Ten Plagues, and of course, the Seder plate. This symbolic plate holds six ritual foodstuffs which help us tell the Passover story. It’s the centerpiece to any Seder night, so it makes sense to make it as beautiful as possible! We love this hand-painted wooden Seder plate by Yair Emanuel which has been carefully decorated with iconic scenes from the Exodus, including the splitting of the sea in glorious, colorful detail.
Yair Emanuel Hand-Painted Exodus Seder Plate
RRP: $240
Your Price: $144
Rachtzah
Following the Maggid stage and in preparation for the matzah and meal to come, everyone at the Seder washes their hands ready for “bread”. As washing cups typically live on the countertop next to the rest of the year’s chametz utensils, most people purchase a separate cup for use on Passover. We love this handmade clay washing cup with earthy colors and the blessing recited over hand-washing in different colors and fonts around the cup.
Michal Ben Yosef Al Netilat Yadaim Washing Cup
RRP: $52
Your Price: $34.99
Motzi-Matzah
Matzah plays a pivotal role in the Passover story and Seder, so we think it – and your festive table –deserves better than the cardboard box it came in! We love this handmade aluminium matzah tray from exceptionally talented Israeli artist Shraga Landesman. It’s engraved with Ha Lachma Ania, a famous Aramaic quote from the Haggadah that explains the role of matzah in the Seder.
Shraga Landesman Aluminum Ha Lachma Ania Matzah Tray
RRP: $189
Your Price: $119
Marror
This is the stage of the Seder no-one looks forward to: whether you use peppery leaves or stinging horseradish, marror is sure to leave your eyes watering! Save yourself – and your guests – from teary embarrassment by having a stack of napkins ready to go. We love this pretty pomegranates napkin holder from Dorit Judaica.
Dorit Judaica Pomegranates Napkin Holder
RRP: $51
Your Price: $31.99
Korech
Messier even than matzah, the korech stage sees us heap bitter marror and sweet, sloppy charoset onto crumbling matzah and eating one of history’s earliest known sandwiches. The smart among you will know to close your Haggadah book before the crumbs set in: the even smarter will invest in bookmarks so you can catch up again easily before the Seder continues! We love this papyrus bookmark with the Ten Commandments in a quirky font.
10 Commandments Papyrus Bookmark
RRP: $7.50
Your Price: $4.99
Shulchan Orech
Probably the best part of the whole night, Shulchan Orech means it’s dinner time! If your little ones have made it this far through the night, help them keep it clean with these colorful numbered placemats from Barbara Shaw. Each of the ten numbers is filled with an illustration of the corresponding on of the Ten Plagues, perfect for Passover!
Barbara Shaw 10 Plagues Passover Placemats
RRP: $33
Your Price: $21.95
Tzafun
Aramaic for “dessert”, tzafun is the stage of the Seder in which the afikoman (the larger piece of the broken matzah from earlier) is eaten. If you’re looking for a cute way to finish up your Seder night, don’t miss this gorgeous doodle afikoman bag from quirky Australian-Israeli designer, Barbara Shaw! It’s covered in squiggled versions of the Passover story and will make a fantastic hostess gift.
Barbara Shaw Doodles Afikoman Bag
RRP: $37.50
Your Price: $24.99
Barech
The Barech stage of the Seder is the part where we say Grace After Meals. Although the text is in your Haggadah, the Birkat Hamazon prayers are recited many times over the holiday, making it worth investing in a separate set of benschers – especially as your regular ones are probably full of crumbs! We love these gorgeous, full-colour, beautifully packaged photo books from Koren – they’re a fab way to add Israel’s beauty to your Seder table.
Koren Land of Israel Benschers Box
RRP: $89
Your Price: $59.99
Hallel
One of the most unique parts of the Seder involves a cup of wine which is poured during the Hallel stage of the Seder, but not drunk at all. Known as the Cup of Elijah or Elijah’s Cup, it symbolizes the Jewish nation’s future redemption at the hand of the Messiah. It’s customary to use an ornate glass or goblet for this iconic cup – we love this stunning silver piece complete with the Ha Lachma Ania prayer.
Hazorfim Sterling Silver HaLachma Ania Elijah's Cup
RRP: $2200
Your Price: $1435
Nirtzah
The Seder service ends with a group of inspirational songs that are completely bespoke to Passover. Some are serious recounts of the holiday’s miracles and God’s role in them, while others, like the famous Chad Gadya song, are – at least in my house – accompanied by hilarious sound effects for which one must have drunk at least four glasses of wine! Don’t miss out on this unique Pesach joy –invest in a Hebrew-English Haggadah book to see you through the songs in style!
Palphot Illustrated Hebrew-English Haggadah
RRP: $19.95
Your Price: $12.95