Gefilte Fish 

Start passing the gefilte fish. 

When the Rabbis deemed it commendable to eat fish on the Sabbath, Jews became accustomed to eating fish at festive meals like the Passover Seder. The freshwater rivers in Europe offered fish such as carp and pike.

It was customary to make a mixture of chopped fish, stuff it back into the skin of the fish, and boil it. The word gefilte means stuffed in Yiddish. 

Eat some, if you dare!  

Maror

The horseradish is in an individual container at your table setting. Apply horseradish to your matzah. 

The bitter herb - horseradish: In creating a holiday about the joy of freedom, we turn the story of our bitter history into a sweet celebration. We recognize bitter slavery turning into sweet freedom by dipping bitter herbs into the sweet charoset.

While nobody wants to eat the bitter herb, the sweet means more when it’s layered over the bitterness.

Take a bite of the matzah with horseradish but without the sweetness, if you dare! 

Koreich 

Pass the charoset. Apply to your horseradish matzah. 

Some people will also include charoset in the sandwich to remind us that God’s kindness helped relieve the bitterness of slavery. It's also commonly viewed as a reminder of the brick and mortar of the buildings that were constructed by the Jewish slaves.

Adding the mixture to some bitter herbs reminds us that in life there is a balance of both sweetness and the bitterness, the good and the bad (and the ugly.)

Eat your sandwich of bitter herbs, charoset, and matzah.


haggadah Section: Maror