Rich with symbolism, Passover overflows with meaning and significance. But while the rest of the Seder hums with talk and activity, the "Cup of Elijah" stands quietly, alone by itself, with no apparent function. We pay individual tribute and blessing over each of the four cups, but not a word for this one. The wine poured into this cup remains untouched—we pour it right back into the bottle at the end of the seder.

Is this fifth cup like a ‘fifth wheel’?

Yet, there's a bit of drama around this cup. When opening the door for Elijah, the children gather to watch the quivering liquid ripple, hoping to detect some sign of its sampling by the visiting prophet. But there must be more purpose and meaning to this cup than childish imagination. Let's not play pretend with someone as serious and holy as the prophet Elijah. It may seem nice and thoughtful to offer Elijah a drink, but thank you, he doesn't need sips to keep him going.

Elijah's cup is not there just to grace our table as an honorary toast to a great prophet. It is here to give our whole Seder a new focus and direction.

The Halachic Background
According to an explanation by the Gaon of Vilna, "Elijah" refers to the Prophet Elijah as the future final arbiter who will eventually resolve all the Talmudic stalemates.

Expressions of Redemption

The commentaries relate the four cups to the "Four Expressions of Redemption" in G-d's promise to Moses (Exodus 6:2-8): "I will take you out," "I will deliver you," "I will redeem you," and "I will acquire you." More than merely four synonyms, each represents a distinct stage and level of Redemption.

In addition to these four expressions, the Torah also uses a fifth expression: "I will bring you into the land." Until two thousand years ago, the Seder may have indeed featured a fifth cup, when this fifth expression was fulfilled and the Jews actually lived in the Promised Land.

But after being exiled from our homeland to alien countries around the world, the fifth expression seems irrelevant; hence no fifth cup.

Even over the last fifty years, when, thank G-d, we have Israel, we know that we have yet to arrive to the complete Redemption. Israel is indeed a place of Divine blessings and protection, but it has yet to achieve the true peace and lofty ideals of the Messianic age.

So we do not drink a fifth cup nowadays. Yet this special cup on the Seder table symbolically expresses our prayers and hopes to be ingathered to the Land of Israel. What may once have been an optional custom has developed over time into standard observance, reinforced by generations of Jewish yearning for the Redemption.

Elijah's Cup demonstrates that "Redemption" is not an abstract concept, an old wives' tale, wishful fantasy, or a vague notion. Our belief in Moshiach and the Redemption is real and relevant, a pillar of the Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith. Elijah's Cup takes the mystical concept of Redemption out of the closet, and places the issue right on the table for all to see.

At present, this cup is beyond our reach; we cannot actually drink it. But we are ready and waiting, standing by, as we eagerly anticipate Elijah's heralding of the Redemption. Unlike the other cups that come and go, this special cup represents our staying power and perseverance.

Moshiach Now
This follows Maimonides' teaching that belief in Moshiach shouldn't just be passive. It is not enough to merely sit back and wait. Moshiach should be on our daily agenda, to actively demand and look forward to Moshiach's coming. Indeed, the Redemption process is accelerated by our prayers, actions and yearning.

There is a common misconception that the Seder is all over after eating the Afikoman. Once they've closed the door on Elijah, people tend to doze off or clear away the table, or just wind down with optional chants.

On the contrary! At this point the Seder rises to a crescendo, approaching the grand finale of the future Redemption. It is here that the context changes course from the past, and turns the corner to the future. Judaism sees the Exodus from Egypt as the beginning of a process to be completed by our Redemption through the Righteous Moshiach.

We don't just look back to the past, to our ancestors, the Pharaohs and the pyramids; we also look forward to our Redemption in the future. We relive the Exodus from Egypt through Moses, but let us not lose sight of our ultimate goal, our own Redemption now from our exile, speedily in our days.