Every year at the Passover Seder, Jewish families pour five cups of wine – but drink only four. What does this centuries-old tradition reveal about the Jewish journey from slavery to freedom, and what can it tell us about redemption still to come?
In Exodus 6:6-8, God makes five profound promises of redemption to the Israelites during their enslavement in Egypt:
These divine promises outline a journey that spans from physical freedom to spiritual purpose to national destiny – a journey that continues to this day.
The first four promises are commemorated by the four cups of wine at the Passover Seder: “I will free you” (vehotzeiti), “I will deliver you” (vehitzalti), “I will redeem you” (vega’alti), and “I will take you to be My people” (velakachti). The first three describe stages of physical liberation – removal from oppression, salvation from slavery, and redemption “with an outstretched arm.” The fourth elevates this freedom to a spiritual plane – the formation of a unique relationship between God and the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, as promised in Exodus 3:12: “When you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”
Yet there remains a fifth promise – “I will bring you into the land” (veheveiti). This final stage represents complete national redemption in the Land of Israel, echoing God’s earlier promise to Abraham: “To your offspring I assign this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). While partially realized with the establishment of modern Israel, this promise remains unfulfilled in its ultimate messianic sense. At the Passover Seder, we symbolize this with Elijah’s Cup – a fifth cup that is poured but not drunk, representing our continued yearning for complete redemption. The cup is named for the prophet Elijah, who according to the prophet Malachi will herald the messianic age: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Malachi 3:23).
This structure of five cups – four that we drink and one we only pour – perfectly illustrates where we stand in the redemption process. The first four stages were completed in ancient times, while the fifth remains a future promise. That’s why we conclude the Passover Seder by declaring “Next year in Jerusalem!” It expresses our ongoing hope for the fulfillment of that fifth promise, when redemption will be complete in both physical and spiritual terms.
The five languages of redemption thus tell a story that spans past, present and future – from the exodus of ancient times to the messianic era still to come. While we celebrate the redemption already experienced, the untouched fifth cup serves as both a promise and a challenge: redemption is not just about freedom from oppression, but about building a world worthy of complete deliverance.
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