Dipping of the Greens in Salt Water

Salt Water--Why do we dip our food in salt water two times on this night?

The first time, the salty taste reminds us of the tears we cried when we were slaves. The second time, the salt water and the green help us to remember the ocean and green plants and the Earth, from which we get air and water and food that enable us to live. All dip parsley into salt water two times and eat it.

Leaning

Leaning--Why do we eat while leaning on this night?

This question goes back to ancient times in Rome, when it was the custom for rich people to eat while lying on a couch leaning on one elbow as slaves and servants fed them. The Jewish people thought of this relaxed type of eating as a sign of freedom and prosperity, so they would lean to one side eating at the Seder on Passover, the festival of freedom. Today, we who are free eat while sitting up, even at Passover, but the question remains in the service as a reminder of how it was when our people longed for freedom.

More Questions  

We have answered the four traditional questions, but there are still more questions to be answered. There are other special foods on our Seder plate: a sweet condiment ( kharoset ), a roast lamb's bone ( z'ro-ah ),and a roasted egg ( baytsa ). Why are they here?

Kharoset --Why do we eat kharoset

Apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine are combined to make this sweet condiment. It is the color of clay or mortar. It reminds us of the bricks and mortar that the Israelites are said to have made when they built the Pharaohs' palaces and cities. At the same time, the taste of kharoset is sweet, and it reminds us of the sweetness of freedom.

 Let us now all eat kharoset on a piece of matzah.

 There is an interesting tradition to take a piece of matzah and place upon it some bitter herb (maror) and some kharoset. As you eat this, the full meaning of Passover - the bitterness of slavery and the sweetness of freedom - is felt through this combination. 

Z'Roa --Shankbone

 Z'roa means shankbone or thigh bone. This shankbone takes us back, once again, to ancient times to the shepherd's festival of Pesakh. It was celebrated at the time of the full moon in the month the lambs and goats were born. At that time, each family would slaughter a young lamb or goat for a Spring feast. 

Baytsah --Egg

The egg is the symbol of life and rebirth in the spring. 


haggadah Section: Maror
Source: http://www.eszter.com/Haggadah.pdf