Four glasses of wine are poured during the Seder to symbolize the four
main stages of Exodus that led Hebrew slaves to the promised land of
freedom. These stages were:
- Freedom
- Deliverance
- Redemption
- Release
Besides these, there is a fifth cup of wine, which is poured and
placed on the Seder table known as the Cup of Elijah. It is so known as
it is an offering for the Prophet Elijah and thus, the door to the home
is opened at this time to invite him in. Some people also say that
originally the doors were opened because there were rumors in the air at
one time that Jews used to mix blood of Christian babies in their wines
during Seder. To remove any such doubts, the doors were opened to let
the non-Jew neighbors see that the ceremony involves no such
objectionable thing.
A new addition to the Passover Seder Jewish rituals is the Miriam's Cup
to honor the contributions of women and the role of Miriam, the sister
of Moses sister and the Prophetess in the Exodus. However unlike the
Elijah's Cup, it is filled with water to commemorate the miraculous
Miriam's well that saved the Israelites from dying of thirst during
their long journey in the hot desert sun.
