Following the matzah we eat the bitter maror, freeing us from the need to have to experience any more serious form of bitterness. The bitter maror also teaches us the process of growth. An olive does not produce oil until it is pressed. So too, maror hardens our mettle – the setbacks and pain in life strengthen us.

The maror is dipped into charoses (a sweet combination of ground apples, pears, nuts and wine), sweetening it a bit (but not eliminating its bitterness). This demonstrates that even when we need to feel bitterness, its purpose and objective is not bitter, but to reach a greater freedom. As in Egypt – “The more they were oppressed, the more they proliferated and grew.” And today, 3316 years later, millions Jewish descendants sit around Seder tables around the world celebrating freedom.


haggadah Section: Maror