Root Word
קָדַשׁ (qadash) — to set apart, sanctify, consecrate
Opening Prayer and the First Cup: The Cup of Sanctification
The Seder begins with Kadesh — to sanctify, to set apart. Before anything else, we consecrate the evening to God.
Action
Pour and bless the first cup.
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.”
🍷 Drink the First Cup — The Cup of Sanctification
Scripture Connection
“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…” — Exodus 6:6–7
“Lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you… come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins… by going into the waters of baptism.” — Alma 7:15
The fifteen Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134) were part of the feast day traditions at the Temple, with records indicating the Levites sang them on the fifteen steps between the courts. Each psalm is paired here with its corresponding Seder step. For more on the connections between the Seder and Alma’s sermon, see Alma 5: The Nephite Seder.
Shir HaMa'alot — Psalm 120: A Song of Ascents
The first Song of Ascents begins in distress — the pilgrim cries out to the Lord from among those who speak falsehood and pursue war. This mirrors the opening of the Seder: we begin in a state of bondage, surrounded by the lies of the world, and cry out to God to be set apart. Kadesh — sanctification — is the answer to this cry.
1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. 2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? 4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. 5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! 6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. 7 I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.
Meaning and Symbolism
This first cup sets the night apart — it is the cup of sanctification. Jesus likely began the Last Supper with this very cup, giving thanks and setting apart the evening for sacred purpose.
This cup represents the beginning of our covenant journey, distinguished with authority.
The Covenant Pattern
Each Seder step resonates across four covenant settings: the traditional Jewish Seder table, Christ’s Last Supper, Alma’s prophetic address to the Nephites (Alma 5), and the covenant path we walk today.
At the Seder Table: The first cup is the Cup of Sanctification — corresponding to God’s first promise: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Exodus 6:6–7). Before anything else, the evening is consecrated. The sacred cannot begin without setting apart.
At the Seder Table — The Kiddush
The Haggadah instructs: מוזגים כוס ראשון. המצות מכוסות — “The first cup of wine is poured. The matzot are covered.”
The leader asks permission of those gathered — סַבְרִי מָרָנָן וְרַבָּנָן וְרַבּוֹתַי — “With your permission, masters and teachers” — and speaks the blessing over the wine:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Then the Kiddush — the sanctification of the festival:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל עָם, וְרוֹמְמָנוּ מִכָּל לָשׁוֹן, וְקִדְּשָׁנוּ בְמִצְוֹתָיו…
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has chosen us from every people and raised us above every tongue, and made us holy through His commandments…
The blessing acknowledges God’s selection of Israel, the gift of sacred festivals for rejoicing, and this night as “the time of our freedom” — a memorial to the Exodus from Egypt. The evening concludes with the Shehecheyanu:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.
The guests came no longer as at the first Passover — with loins girded, shoes on feet, and staff in hand. Instead, Edersheim notes, “they were arrayed in their best festive garments, joyous and at rest, as became the children of a king.” The Rabbis insisted on a recumbent posture: “For they use this leaning posture, as free men do, in memorial of their freedom.” Even the poorest must have at least four cups, “though he were to receive the money for it from the poor’s box.” The joy of redemption was not optional — it belonged to everyone.
Sources: Pesach Haggadah (Sefaria/Koren); Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Ch. 12
At the Last Supper: Jesus took this cup, gave thanks, and declared He would not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom comes (Luke 22:17–18). He sanctified the evening for its sacred, final purpose — transforming the Passover into the institution of the new covenant.
At the Last Supper — The First Cup
Luke records the moment when Jesus took this first cup into His hands: “And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come” (Luke 22:17–18). This is distinct from the later cup of the new covenant (Luke 22:20).
With these words, Jesus consecrated the evening for its final sacred purpose. Every Seder begins with the Cup of Sanctification — setting the night apart. But at this table, the One who would become the Paschal Lamb Himself raised the cup, knowing what the night would bring. He sanctified the evening not for remembrance alone but for the institution of the new covenant.
The first cup answers to God’s first promise in Exodus 6:6: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” The Four Cups and the Wedding Covenant describes the four cups as corresponding to a covenant of marriage between God and His people — and this first cup is the Bridegroom’s opening declaration of intent.
Sources: Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Ch. 12; The Four Cups and the Wedding Covenant
In the Nephite Assembly: Alma opens his great sermon by establishing his priestly authority: “I, Alma, having been consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over the church of God” (Alma 5:3). The Hebrew root is the same — kadesh. The Nephite Seder begins, like every Seder, with sanctification.
In the Nephite Assembly — Alma 5: Consecration and Authority
The Hebrew root kadesh means “holy,” “sanctified,” or “consecrated.” Alma opens his great sermon with precisely this concept — establishing both his authority and the sacred nature of the assembly:
“I, Alma, having been consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over the church of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things…” — Alma 5:3
Just as Kadesh at the Seder table sets the evening apart as sacred before anything else can begin, Alma’s first words consecrate his ministry and establish the covenantal context for everything that follows. The pattern holds: before the story can be told, before the questions can be asked, before the bread can be broken — there must first be sanctification.
“Have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them?” — Alma 5:6
On the Covenant Path Today: President Nelson teaches that baptism is “the gate that leads to becoming joint heirs to all the promises given anciently by the Lord to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity” (“The Everlasting Covenant," 2022). Our covenant journey begins, like the Seder, with sanctification — being set apart for a sacred purpose.
On the Covenant Path — The Law of Sacrifice
The first cup of the Seder corresponds to the first promise of Exodus 6:6: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” To be brought out requires leaving something behind.
The Law of Sacrifice invites us to offer up something of value for something of greater worth. The Israelites could not leave Egypt and keep Egypt at the same time. Abraham was asked to offer Isaac — the very thing he treasured most:
“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest… and offer him there for a burnt offering.” — Genesis 22:2
In that willingness, Abraham received back everything and more. The pattern of the first cup is the pattern of sacrifice: we raise the cup, consecrate the evening, and declare our willingness to leave behind the familiar, the comfortable, and the false — to be sanctified, set apart, and brought out.
The interpretations differ, but the pattern is consistent. The holy order endures.
Reflection Questions
- How does the Lord lead us out of spiritual bondage today?
- What do I need to do to let Him deliver me?