The Seder Plate

We place a Seder Plate on our table as a reminder of certain aspects of the Passover story. Each item has its own significance:

Maror  – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the bitterness of our slavery and bondage in Egypt and around the world.

Zeroah  – A roasted lamb or shank bone symbolizing the sacrifice made at the great temple on Passover. Here we have a beet, also symbolizing sacrifice and the blood we painted on our doorposts on that final night in Egypt so that our first born sons may be saved. The Zeroah is also sometimes called the Pesach. 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. 

Charoset  – A delicious mix of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt.

Karpas  – A green vegetable, such as parsley, is a reminder of the green sprouting up all around us during spring and that with spring comes a renewed hope for the future.

Beitzah  – The egg symbolizes the new life that comes with springtime. It also represents the second offering in the Temple. 

Tahpooz  – The orange on the seder plate symbolizes full inclusion in modern day society and Judaism for women, BIPOC people, disabled people, intermarried couples, the LGBTQ+ Community, and any other marginalized identity.

Zahyeet  – Olives represent the hope for peace in the Middle East, and remind us that no one is free until everyone is free. 

Matzah

Matzah is the unleavened bread we eat to remember that when the Jews fled Egypt, they didn’t even have time to let the dough rise on their bread. 


haggadah Section: Introduction