Elijah’s cup is a cup of wine that is poured towards the end of the Passover Seder and left undrunk. Many families have a special goblet set aside for this purpose.
What Is Elijah Doing at the Seder?
Elijah’s time on earth did not end on a deathbed, like the rest of us. It ended in a fiery ascension to heaven.1 But the thing about ascending to heaven while still alive is that it gives you the ability to return much more easily. Jewish tradition tells us that Elijah returns for every brit milah,2 to visit us at our Seders,3 and to herald the Redemption.4
Read: Why Is There a Chair for Elijah at the Seder?
The Seder is a special time, when we commemorate our redemption from Egypt and look forward to our future and final Redemption. Who better to visit than the one who will herald in that era of peace?5 For that reason, the custom of opening the door for Elijah during the Seder developed.
What Are the Origins of the Cup of Elijah?
The first clear mention of a custom to have a cup poured for Elijah the Prophet dates to the 16th century.6 But the roots of the tradition stretch far further back than that.
In the Talmud, there are two opinions about how many cups of wine one should drink at the Seder. The classic position (and the one most familiar to us) is that we should pour and drink four cups. Yet in one version of the Talmud, an enigmatic fifth cup makes its appearance.7 In that version, Rabbi Tarfon tells us that it is the fifth cup that we are meant to recite the Hallel over.
After much debate, the law was instituted that we should pour only four cups, but someone who strongly desires a little more wine can pour a fifth.8 Nevertheless, the custom became that a fifth cup should be poured but not drunk, to acknowledge the position of Rabbi Tarfon.9
By the 16th century, that cup became identified with Elijah the Prophet, who visits every Seder.
How Is It Done?
Some pour that cup at the beginning of the Seder, leaving it full throughout the evening.10 The Chabad custom is that the Cup of Elijah is poured at Grace After Meals when pouring the third cup11 (or after Grace when pouring the fourth cup12). It remains full until the end of the Seder. After proclaiming “Leshanah habaah beYerushalayim!” “Next year in Jerusalem!”, the final line of the Seder, the wine from Elijah’s cup is poured back into the bottle while singing Keli Ata, a melody from the Alter Rebbe.13
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