MAROR / Bitter Herbs -  מָרוֹר

Why do we eat Bitter herbs (maror) at the Seder table?

Dip a small amount of bitter herbs into the salt water or haroset (symbolic of mortar). Before eating it, a berakha is recited. Some people mix the pieces of horse-radish with haroset. We generally do not recline while eating maror as it is a symbol of slavery.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיַָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מָרוֹר:

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b'mitzvotav  v'tzivanu  al  achilat maror. 

Praised are you, Adonai, Lord of the universe, who sanctified us with his commandment to eat the bitter herb.

Why do we dip foods twice tonight?

We dip the bitter herbs (karpas) into the salt water twice to remind us of the tears of unhappiness the Hebrews cried as they were enslaved.

(Dip another small amount of bitter herbs into the salt water and eat)

Why do we eat chopped apples & nuts (Charoset) at the Seder table?

When Jews were slaves in Egypt, they were forced to build Egyptian temples and pyramids. To remind us of their enslavement, we eat a mixture of apples & nuts, which represents the mortar that held the stones together. We eat bitter and sweet foods together to remind us that even when the Jewish people have been sad there has always been hope for happier times.

(Take a piece of matzah and spread with charoset and eat)


haggadah Section: Maror