We have now told the story of Passover…but wait! We’re not quite done. There are still some symbols on our seder plate we haven’t talked about yet. 

Karpas- A green vegetable, usually parsely represents the initial flourishing of the Jews in Egypt before slavery. They also symbolize the new Spring. Right around Passover the first buds emerge, and we look forward to the warmth and sense of possibility that accompany the beginning of spring.

Charoset- A mixture of fruits, wine, honey, and nuts symbolizes the mortar that the Jewish slaves used to construct buildings for Pharaoh. The name itself comes from the Hebrew word cheres or clay.

Matzah- The unleavened bread of affliction reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was no time to pack or prepare. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake into matzah on their backs as they fled.

Maror- Bitter herbs provide a visceral reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt. Today, most Jews use horseradish as maror. We mix maror into charoset in order to associate the bitterness of slavery with the work that caused so much of this bitterness. 

Hazeret-  A second bitter herb, often a bitter lettuce, such as romaine, or a root, such as chicory. Like life in Egypt, these lettuces and roots taste sweet when one first bites into them, but then become bitter as one eats more. 

Zeroah-  A roasted lamb shank bone that symbolizes the lamb that Jews sacrificed as the special Passover offering. The zeroa does not play an active role in the seder, but serves as a visual reminder of the sacrifice that the Jews offered immediately before leaving Egypt. Vegetarians often substitute a roasted beet, because the red of the beet resembles the blood of the sacrifice.

Beitzah- A roasted or hard-boiled egg that symbolizes the hagigah sacrifice, which would be offered on every holiday (including Passover) when the Temple stood. The roundness of the egg also represents the cycle of life — even in the most painful of times, there is always hope for a new beginning.


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu