Tonight we remember that even though we are free, there are still people who are not yet free.

After performing most of the central mitzvot of the evening — telling the story of the Exodus eating matza and maror — and just before we are about to enjoy the festive holiday meal, we symbolically repeat the practice of Hillel the Elder who would “wrap” his portion of the paschal offering with matza and maror and eat it as a type of sandwich, in literal fulfillment of the verse “it shall be eaten on matzot and maror”. We too prepare a combination of matza, maror, and charoset and eat in remembrance of this practice and of the Pesach tradition during the time when the Temple still stood.

Charoset is the sweet apple mixture on the seder plate. It looks like the clay our ancestors used to make the bricks for the Pharoah. We put together the matzah of freedom, and the maror and charoset of slavery. Even when people are not free, there is always hope of freedom.

(Maror and charoset are eaten between two pieces of matzah)


haggadah Section: Koreich