Urchatz

Urchatz is a ritual hand washing performed as part of the Jewish Passover Seder. It is the second step in the Seder, following Kadesh and preceding Karpas, and it is conducted without a blessing. Participants wash their hands up to the wrists, typically by pouring water from a cup over each hand. The practice emphasizes purification before eating the karpas, a vegetable dipped in salt water during the meal.

Etymology and meaning: Urchatz derives from the Hebrew root רחץ (rachats), meaning “to wash,” with the prefix u- meaning “and.” The form Urchatz expresses the command or instruction to wash one’s hands and is described in traditional Haggadah texts as part of the Seder sequence.

Practice and variations: In many communities the washing is performed at the table by pouring water from a cup over the hands, without using a blessing. No blessing is recited during Urchatz; a blessing is said later in the sequence during Rachtzah, when hands are washed with a blessing prior to the motzi and matzah.

Significance: The washing serves as a symbolic act of cleanliness and preparation before recounting the Seder’s narrative and consuming the symbolic foods. It is primarily a customary practice associated with the Seder and is not a general ritual obligation outside the holiday.

Overview: Urchatz is one of several sequential rituals in the Passover Seder that frame the order of the meal, reflecting themes of purity, preparation, and ritual memory within the holiday.