Karpas-a green vegetable, most often parsley. Karpas represents the initial flourishing of the Israelites during the first years in Egypt. Karpas also symbolizes the new spring.

Charoset--This mix of fruits, wine or honey, and nuts symbolizes the mortar that the Israelite slaves used to construct buildings for Pharaoh. 

Maror--This bitter herb of horseradish or lettuce allows us to taste the bitterness of slavery. 

Z'roa--A roasted lamb shank bone that serves as a visual reminder of the sacrifice that the Israelites offered immediately before leaving Egypt and that Jews continued to offer until the destruction of the Temple. 

Beitzah--A roasted egg whose roundness symbolizes the cycle of life--even in the most painful of times, there is always hope for a new beginning.


haggadah Section: Introduction