The Four Cups and the Four Winds

The Pesach seder, the ritual Passover meal, has four cups of wine, each representing a promise of redemption made by the Infinite to the Hebrew slaves who were being freed from Egypt. They can also represent the four elements, the four matriarchs, the four phases of the moon, the four seasons, the four archangels, etc. These selections imagines each cup as representative of one of the four winds. Use each meditation as you reach a new cup of wine at your seder.

Jewish lore honors the four winds as helpers of the Divine in the work of creation. The four fringes of the tallit honor these four winds, and so do the four species of plant we wave during the harvesr festival of Sukkot. The Passover seder too calls to mind the four winds through the traditional ritual of drinking four cups of wine, each at a dramatic point in the meal. A midrash teaches:

Four winds were created in the world.... From the wind of the east light comes to the world. From the wind of the south dews and rains of blessing come to the world. From the wind of the west come the treasures of hail and snow and heat and cold and rain, and from the north wind darkness comes to the world. The wind of the north the Divine made but did not finish, and said: Anyone who claims to be a god, come and finish the north wind, and we will know you are a god. And from there come the spirits and demons.
Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 3

The seder's four cups are like these four winds, bringing us blessings from each quarter of the world.

First Cup: The South Wind, The Cup of Blessing

“From the wind of the south dews and rains of blessing come to the world.”
Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 3

“Everything begins with the south.”
Zohar

Over this first cup of the seder, we recite the kiddush, the blessing over sacred time. This is the cup of blessings, and as we drink it we are grateful for being gathered together at this season to celebrate the Exodus. This is the cup of the south wind, the cup of overflowing life and love, and as we drink it we drink deeply of ourselves.

(Invite guests to offer blessings to one another as the cups are filled.)

Second Cup: The West Wind, The Cup of Storms

“From the wind of the west come the treasures of hail and snow and heat and cold and rain.”
Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 3

“The Shekhinah is always in the west.”
Talmud

With this second cup of the seder, we tell the story of the going out of Egypt. This is the cup of storms, the cup of history, the cup of change, reminding us of all we have lost and gained across time. This is the cup of the west wind, the cup of the Shekhinah (the Divine life-force in the physical world), when we feel how we are connected to all life as it strives, suffers, and rejoices.

(Invite guests to reflect on the storms of the year as the cups are filled.)

Third Cup: The North Wind, The Cup of Mystery

“From the north wind darkness comes to the world. The wind of the north the Divine made but did not finish, and said: Anyone who claims to be a god, come and finish the north wind, and we will know you are a god. And from there come the spirits and demons.”
Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 3

“I looked, and behold, a storm wind came sweeping out of the north…I flung myself down on my face, and heard the voice of someone speaking…”
Ezekiel 1:4, 28

With this third cup of the seder we consider the prophets Elijah and Miriam, and the unknown future that lies ahead. This is the cup of mystery, and as we drink it we think of all that we do not yet know. This is the cup of the north wind, the cup of vision, and as we drink it we invite our ancestors and sacred spirits to come to us and offer us wisdom on our journey.

(Invite guests to complete the sentence: I do not yet know... Or, invite them to mention a spiritual guest-- a deceased family member, guardian angel, biblical character, etc.)

Fourth Cup: The East Wind, The Cup of Light

“From the wind of the east light comes to the world.”
Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 3

“The Divine drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground.”
Exodus 14:21

With this fourth cup we rejoice in our freedom and celebrate as we conclude our seder. This is the cup of light, the cup of belief in the future. This is the cup of the east wind, the cup of miracles, and as we drink it we gather our faith and share our hope with one another.

(Invite guests to offer hopes for the future as the last cup is filled.)

Next year in Jerusalem!

Rabbi Jill Hammer is the founder of Tel Shemesh and the author of Sisters at Sinai: New Tales of Biblical Women, and The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Season.

more nisan wisdom