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Throughout Sedar night, a Jew finds himself moving back and forth between the themes of slavery and freedom. Matzah is the "bread of affliction" but at the same time it is a symbol of the Jewish redemption from Egypt. One reclines to the side because the wealthy people of old used to eat while reclining on coaches. However, one dips the carpas (a vegetable) in salt water, and one eats maror, the "bitter herb" as a reminder of the tears and bitterness of slavery. The relationship of slavery and freedom is further and perhaps most poignantly expressed in the five cups of wine.

According to Biblical and historical records, the Jewish people have gone through four exiles. Each exile was initiated by a different group of people: the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans. The forth and longest exile still continues. Each cup of wine alludes to each of these exiles. It is a symbol of the slavery and persecution that the Jewish people have endured throughout the generations. (Incidentally, one drinks these cups of wine while reclining, which as stated above, is a symbol of wealth and freedom.) However, there is a dispute whether or not a fifth cup is required. Although we don't follow the opinion to drink the fifth cup, it is still poured and reserved for Elijah the Prophet, who according to Jewish tradition will herald the coming to the Mashiach (messiah) and the end of the Jewish exile. Elijah himself is said to visit every Jewish sedar to drink from the cup that was poured for him. In this way, he is in a sense heralding a time when every Jew will drink from that fifth cup in ultimate freedom.

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