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. Rabban Gamliel would say that whoever didn’t explain the shank bone, matzah, and marror (or bitter herbs) hasn’t done Passover justice.

The shank bone comes from a lamb.  Let's call her Sally.  Sally did not suffer.  One minute she was munching on some hay or whatever lambs eat, not noticing the kosher butcher approaching with a kosher mallet, and the next minute, bang, she was Passover chow.  Try not to think about it.  I probably should not have brought Sally up.  Now, in all seriousness, the shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass over,” because God passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt when visiting plagues upon our oppressors.

The matzah 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 as they fled.

The bitter herbs provide a visceral reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt.


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu