The Cup Of Elijah

In the middle of every seder table stands Elijah’s cup.  We welcome Elijah into our homes at every seder around the world. Pesach is often referred to as a “taste of the messianic era.”  As Elijah will herald and announce the coming of the messiah, we welcome him to our seder in the hopes that he will announce the ultimate redemption.

Typically, Elijah’s cup is filled with wine before the seder even starts.  At our home, however, we have a different custom. We believe that the messiah will only come if WE actively seek to bring him.  We must participate in the coming of the messiah. To that end, we place an empty cup in the middle of the table.

Before we open the door to welcome Elijah, we pass the empty cup from person to person.  Each of us pours some wine from our cup into Elijah’s cup.   In that way, we symbolize that we must work together to bring the messiah and his herald, Elijah.