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Friday, April 15, 2011

Opening the Door for Eliyahu Hanavi

As you will notice by the Seder night, towards the end, after Birkas Hamazon, many have the custom to go to the door, open it up, and recite the pessukim "שפך חמתך - pour out Your wrath..." In Siddur Mahari"d, it mentions that this is to usher in the prophet Eliyahu.
Another practical explanation for this custom as well as to why we say these specific phrases:
In medieval times, the blood libel was rampant. Christians accused Jews of using Christian blood to bake their matzos. To this end, they would often plant a dead Christian lad in a Jew's yard around Pesach to lend credence to the claim. Thus, came the Seder, as a precautionary measure, Jews would open the door and scrutinize the area to ensure no charlatans were about scheming their evil. Bitterly bemoaning this terrible libel, they would exclaim "Hashem, pour out Your wrath on the evildoers!"
מטעימים פסח אות מט
See here

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