We have come across the word "seder" as part of a phrase many times including of course Passover night. Aside from the Bible (Job 10:22) we find it many times throughout the Talmud (Baba Batra 14b, Sukka4:4, Shabbat 119b etc.) But unlike other phrases we have used, this one is not Biblical or Talmudic.

בעיון בתיקים שלי הבנתי שאני חייב לעשות קצת סדר לפני עונת המס.

"Be'iyun batikim sheli heivanti she'ani chayav la'asot seder lifnei onat hamas." Looking through my files I realized I had to make some order before tax season.

This phrase actually comes from the Yiddish "Machen a Seder," (מאַכן אַ סדר), and not surprisingly it probably comes from the German "Ordnung Machen." And, yes, even the French try to get with it "mettre de l'ordre." Though I do wonder about the Italians…

Back to this week's lesson